I’ll add onto that that the argument christians use to justify suffering is usually “muh free will” but that is a horrible argument because 1) there is a tremendous amount of suffering in this world that is not our fault (tsunamis / bugs who’s whole life cycle is to burrow into the eyes of children and make them blind, etc) and 2) to even make that claim you have to first define free will and prove it exists. On some level I am a kind of machine that acts to get what it wants — humans have programmatic needs (to live, to love and be loved, sex, variety, to be important, etc). These needs are difficult to satisfy certainly with any consistency for most of us low class men and we are arguably pushed by the environment to behave how we do.
Consider the fact that the vast and overwhelming majority of people in the world accept the prevailing position of their community regarding the truth about god(s). That doesn’t tell you who’s right but it does suggest free will is not even part of the equation. It’s bunk, theism is flat out intellectually dishonest as a position.
First cause, moral argument, ontological argument, argument from complexity, watch maker, free will, etc are all thoroughly and repeatedly documented logical fallacies that do not hold up to scrutiny. I’ve read books like the case for Christ (humorously I’ve also read the book the case against the case for Christ) and mere Christianity and they all basically make the same arguments.
I get why people use religion to cope and I kinda wish I still could use it too since you deal with the fear of death and it clearly brings people some measure of meaning value and happiness and it has value to communities since you’ve got a uniform belief structure and built in systems everyone accepts for right and wrong but despite all the my question is — is it actually true? Is it real?
Can’t be absolutely certain of course (I mean I also can’t be absolutely certain that an invisible laser unicorn created the universe and will send anyone to space hell who eats a boiled egg) but the arguments for theism are really terrible and frankly dishonest and most people who buy into them were raised and indoctrinated from a young age into that group.
It’s funny being raised Protestant Christian I’ll probably never completely get over my fear of hell because it was just beat into my head for decades and as an impressionable kid but it’s funny how of course I have zero fear of other religions version of hell since I wasn’t raised on those so to me they’re no different to Zeus or Hercules. For them it’s the same way in reverse.