Does believing in something give us hope? What happens if we do not believe in anything does that make us less of a person?

"Does believing in something give us hope?" .... some religions teach that we are somehow 'fallen', and debased, and that we are the lowest of the low, but that if and only if we believe in their particular prophet or god we can become elevated in some way, this seems to me to be a case of blatant psychological blackmail, but yes, it would give one hope if one followed a religion which taught these beliefs.

"What happens if we do not believe in anything does that make us less of a person?" .... in my opinion - no, most certainly not. I think that we are all equal as humans, it's just that we have differing values, and to claim that if someone doesn't "believe in anything" then they are somehow less than someone who does believe seems to be falling into the trap of judging others on one's own (imagined) merit.


p.s.
Hello and Welcome, by the way.


Peace, Love, & Light

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"An object is perceived, or not perceived, according as the mind is, or is not, tinged with the colour of the object. "
Patanjali - Sutra 4:17

I think aged hippy hit it on the head. "Hope" and being "less of a person" is something that we can control within ourselves.

Shalom,
Vern

I do believe that believing in something can give one hope for a better life. If however the God one believes in is fear based, than believing in a God can actually hold one back from experiencing a better life that is hoped for.

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May your awareness be perfection

I hate to say it, Vivamis.... but i disagree with you when you say: "If however the God one believes in is fear based, than believing in a God can actually hold one back from experiencing a better life that is hoped for"

.... i think that it would hold one back from experiencing the better life that one would have experienced - if one hadn't spent one's life fearing the judgement of the god.



Peace, Love, & Light

__________________
"An object is perceived, or not perceived, according as the mind is, or is not, tinged with the colour of the object. "
Patanjali - Sutra 4:17

Yes, Aged Hippy.....That is what I meant to say : ) Early Monday Morning LOL

__________________
May your awareness be perfection

Absolutely! I believe in God and an afterlife. Don't underestimate the power of HOPE. Not only does it help my perspective in the here & now, but it allows me to look forward to more. This greatly improves the quality of my life.





Absolutely not!! It just may or may not make you feel lost or empty at times - being 'less of a person' is something you can only allow yourself to be by not doing the best you can with what you have to work with. (IMO)

Yes, I think it gives us hope. I think it's comforting knowing that we're not alone and that we are loved by something greater than ourselves. Even better is believing that everything happens for a reason and it's all going to work out in the "end."

I don't think anyone should be looked down on because of what they believe or don't believe. Everyone is doing the best they can given their view of the world.

Hi and thanks for the advice! why does it always come back to judging others lol

I believe that having hope help builds self confidence that we need to get thru life. Hope gives us strength as well.


your right i guess that is why we dream or have faith and hope cause without all that we probably would feel lost finding the strength alone is hard enough at times so guess having hope is what its all about hey?