Decided to make this it's own thread. Question for theists. Would you even be willing to consider the possibility that there was no God out there, and all the things you attribute to God just stem from your own imagination/ignorance? If not then why wouldn't you?
For those who would, what (if anything) do you think would change in your life if it was proven beyond a shadow of a doubt that such a being didn't exist? How would your behavior change? Would you strive to do more in the here and now? Where would you seek answers to your questions?
Just to be fair, atheists. Same question but reversed, would you be willing to consider that there was a God out there, and you just never recognized the signs? Again, if not then why?
The above part could be any deity, but for this part I will use the Abrahamic God for the hypothetical. How would things change for you if such a being was proven to exist, if anything? Would you behave any differently then you already do? How would it effect you emotionally? Would you be fearful and try and get back on his good side, or would you rebel against him even if it did likely mean eternal suffering?
This are some big questions. I would be willing to consider the possibility that there is no God out here. But first I need EVIDENCE, and then I'll have to answer or be answered the question; If God doesn't exist, why was he "created"? But even if God didn't exist I would still believe in him. And that belief of him makes him exist.
It's just like that people believe in life on other planets, or ghosts and spirits.
/This may not make any sense but that is what I think.
@ Kevin. You are not contributing in any way to this discussion please shut up and leave.
NOW, for the original post.
I'm willing to concede that there is possibly a god out there. I am also willing to concede to the fact that I am ignorant enough, and arrogant enough to overlook the signs of said god. I am not the type to say "I'm right because I am." The existence of god would hardly change my stance in any way, whether it be emotionally or whatever. I would still believe god is a cruel tyrant undeserving of our worship.
I actually did contribute something, if you cared to look. There is more than the Christian god. God is what you believe in, if you choose to believe your god is merciful and generous, then he shall be so.
From the original post:
The above part could be any deity, but for this part I will use the Abrahamic God for the hypothetical.
So yes, he did mention polytheistic gods and deities. You just weren't listening.
War, famine, death. Is that really that hard to see?
If god did exist, he wouldn't love us. Why should we love him? All he does is plucks our strings to the rhythm of gun fire and death. Worshiping one who will send you to your doom is rather pointless and redundant, don't you think?
If it were proven that any deity existed, I would be forced to believe that they exist and find out many other questions such as "How" they did it, as learning how to spontaneously generate matter would be very help full.
If the Christian god specifically existed, or any god that asked for warship, they are unworthy of said warship. There are few gods I would see fit to rebel against, an the Christian god is one of them. If he/she/it was found to exist I would build a "Tower of Babel II" to get to heaven and drive my iron chariot threw its gold streets with anyone else who was willing to revolt against such a sickening tyrant.
I'm Agnostic and I've come to the conclusion that whether there is a God or not, one of the biggest benefits people get from belief is certainty. When people ask me if I believe in God I usually answer that I really don't know and do not feel qualified to answer such a question at this time. People tend to be annoyed by this response because they feel that I need to make a decision. I think many people are uncomfortable with not knowing(and this goes for anything) and so they decide that knowing something based on faith is better than not knowing for sure. Now for all those who say that it has been revealed to them and that they feel God's presence, just know that I respect you and I don't mean to offend you. I think that if I had a truly spiritual experience like that I would probably be in the same camp as you, but since I haven't yet, I'm sticking with uncertainty for now. The people that really get me angry are those stuck in tradition(Atheists and Religious alike) I cannot stand it when people just go through the motions because this is what they've always done and what their families have always done.
***If you just skipped to the bottom(I realize this is a long post haha) then my answer to the question is that I have no idea either way if there exists some higher power and for now I think that's the best answer I've got!***
You know what? If there is really some superpowered being that cares about me *laughs* and all that he wants is a pledge of loyalty, well, he (she, it?) could lick my a*s. I swear my loyalty to no omnipotent being. And if I have to it will be against my will. But why in the world an omnipwered being would care about us humans? Wouldn't he better be using his time constructing galaxies? Or better yet, if he is a biologist creating new races on other planets?
***If you just skipped to the bottom(I realize this is a long post haha) then my answer to the question is that I have no idea either way if there exists some higher power and for now I think that's the best answer I've got!***
Since your not sure either way how about if it was shown there was one? Would that have any effect on your life?
The existence of god would hardly change my stance in any way, whether it be emotionally or whatever. I would still believe god is a cruel tyrant undeserving of our worship.
You are making the assumption that god, a being you do not believe in, would act in a specific way undeserving of your loyalty if he were to exist. Your statement reflects that you wouldn't look into god's motives, limitations, or his views, if he did exist.
I would at least expect you to start from square one and rediscover who God was before making up your mind. That's just me.
If god did exist, he wouldn't love us. Why should we love him? All he does is plucks our strings to the rhythm of gun fire and death. Worshiping one who will send you to your doom is rather pointless and redundant, don't you think?
Not if life were meant to end. You also make the assumption that God would turn out a particular way if he was to exist. If god did exist, he wouldn't love us? If God existed, everything you thought you knew would be wrong, and to not take a step back before making your decision is, in my opinion, close minded.
I'm not saying you should have to love God if his existence was proven, but I do believe you should at least consider the fact that he is a loving god after all. Sure, there is death, famine, and all that other stuff, but if god existed, then who's to say there is no reason behind the dark side of life, of death?
You know what? If there is really some superpowered being that cares about me *laughs* and all that he wants is a pledge of loyalty, well, he (she, it?) could lick my a*s. I swear my loyalty to no omnipotent being. And if I have to it will be against my will. But why in the world an omnipwered being would care about us humans? Wouldn't he better be using his time constructing galaxies? Or better yet, if he is a biologist creating new races on other planets?
Would you really care about an anthill?
Why does it matter what anyone else thinks? If there's a God, maybe he does care about ants as well as humans. Maybe he doesn't protect anyone because of free will? Maybe the answer is beyond what anyone has concluded before.
If the evidence of god was presented before you, I would at least expect for everyone, including theists, to step back and reconsider everything they know and understand.
Since your not sure either way how about if it was shown there was one? Would that have any effect on your life?
I'm not sure, I live my life as best I can and I try to be a good person, but I don't really do it because I believe that I will have some reward after I die. I guess the biggest effect is that I don't live in fear that I will go to hell if I break a stupid rule(like not going to church every Sunday or something, obviously I don't mean murder) I find that being this way makes me a lot more open to other ideas that I might not be so open to if I were Catholic like my family. I just like to learn and the first step towards learning is accepting that you don't know.
I was kind of hoping to see some of you who have stated "God exists, end of story" reply to this, maybe I just need to wait longer.
If the evidence of god was presented before you, I would at least expect for everyone, including theists, to step back and reconsider everything they know and understand.
One of the best answer I have heard here so far.
Guess I should answer my own question.
Yes I would, and do consider the possibility of there being some sort of deity. I find it very unlikely but when ti comes to expanding our knowledge and our own minds I was never comfortable with the word impossible when it comes to expanding on these points. As such while things may get set aside for the more likely it shouldn't be taken off the table completely.
If ti was proven there was in fact a god and more specifically the Abrahamic God, I might be a bit concerned given my present course, though I'm not sure if I would still want to worship such a being. I think I would want to first do what NoName suggested and try and learn and understand this beings motives. I would want to know why he resorted to the crueler methods he used back in the day rather then other clear alternatives that could have been used.
I also consider that if such a being existed then perhaps this being doesn't want our worship. This would seem likely give how much evidence has be placed to indicate that there was no need for a God. In which case I can just continue living and being the person I am without fear that I will have have done something to get on Gods bad side. The only change then is I can no longer say God doesn't likely exist.
Just to be fair, atheists. Same question but reversed, would you be willing to consider that there was a God out there, and you just never recognized the signs? Again, if not then why?
I would be as willing to consider the existence of a god as I would the existence of a square circle. It's just beyond any point of coherence for me.
