What if there is no god?

[daws101]

"What if there is no god?"



There is. Even if there weren't, there would be.

right humans are extremely good a making shit up and believing it..
religion is the best example of that talent!

You misunderstand completely.

you wish....you are trying to say god exists even if we don't acknowledge it..
I say we created god to calm our fear of the unknown..

 

[GISMYS]

God says==The wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against all the godlessness and wickedness of people, who suppress the truth by their wickedness, 19 since what may be known about God is plain to them, because God has made it plain to them. 20 For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that people are without excuse. Romans 1:18-20

 

[daws101]

God says==The wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against all the godlessness and wickedness of people, who suppress the truth by their wickedness, 19 since what may be known about God is plain to them, because God has made it plain to them. 20 For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that people are without excuse. Romans 1:18-20

 

[Darkwind]

I have a question for all the believers.

What would you do if you found out tomorrow that your god, the god that you believe in, was false?

How would your life be affected?

I know this is a difficult concept for many of you to contemplate, so I'm asking you to think outside the box and put yourself into a hypothetical alternate universe where it turns out your religious beliefs are false.

I'm sure you can do it.

This is where you primates fail...

Faith is a belief that a Deity exists and that all of the strife and heartache and other tribulations of life will be met with the reward of being in the presence of creation. Having faith is no gamble in any way, shape, or form.

You may not grasp that, so let Me put it this way.

If God exists....I will be rewarded both in life and death.

If he does not, then I'll never know, because I'll just be dead.

I have nothing to lose in believing.

That's not answering the question. The OP isn't asking what you would lose, it's asking how it would change the way you live if you no longer believed in a god. Would you still maintain the same basic attitude toward life? The same morals, the same values?

This is particularly interesting from an atheist's perspective, because one of the most common charges leveled against them is that they have no moral foundation - that without a god telling them what to value and what morals to follow, they have none. But from their point of view, the morals of believers are precarious at best. They wonder what happens if and when believers lose their faith. Do they become sociopaths? libertines? hedonists?

No he's not. He is trying to denigrate people of faith.

There are some answers you'll only get after you are gone.

Faith costs Me nothing.

Ito obviously costs him a great deal.

 

[Unkotare]

religion and freewill are diametrically opposed...

It's too bad you're ruled by your insecurity.

not at all ...it's a swing and a miss...

Completely ruled by your insecurity, with a big dose of existential fear on top.

 

[dblack]

This is where you primates fail...

Faith is a belief that a Deity exists and that all of the strife and heartache and other tribulations of life will be met with the reward of being in the presence of creation. Having faith is no gamble in any way, shape, or form.

You may not grasp that, so let Me put it this way.

If God exists....I will be rewarded both in life and death.

If he does not, then I'll never know, because I'll just be dead.

I have nothing to lose in believing.

That's not answering the question. The OP isn't asking what you would lose, it's asking how it would change the way you live if you no longer believed in a god. Would you still maintain the same basic attitude toward life? The same morals, the same values?

This is particularly interesting from an atheist's perspective, because one of the most common charges leveled against them is that they have no moral foundation - that without a god telling them what to value and what morals to follow, they have none. But from their point of view, the morals of believers are precarious at best. They wonder what happens if and when believers lose their faith. Do they become sociopaths? libertines? hedonists?

No he's not. He is trying to denigrate people of faith.

I can't speak to the intentions of the OP. But I'm asking the question, with absolutely no intent to denigrate anyone. I have a great deal of respect for traditions of faith, and I honestly think this in an interesting question. But most of you aren't even listening.

There are some answers you'll only get after you are gone.

Faith costs Me nothing.

Ito obviously costs him a great deal.

You're missing the point of the question. It's not asking what it costs you, it's asking how your values and convictions would be different without it.

Listen, I get that there was a snide tone to the OP, and that's a shame because it's put you guys on a defensive track that has closed your mind to the fact that it's actually a really interesting question, for both people of faith and those of us without. It offers an opportunity for real understanding. I know religious people who actually love to talk about this kind of stuff. It's just kind of disappointing no one here is interested.

 

[JohnA]

GOD was,is, and will always be, God had no beginning and will have no end, God is outside time,time was created by God for man not God. Awesome! huh?

god was created by man for man in time in many religions and dogmas according to the time and society
open up your mind and use it

 

[GISMYS]

GOD was,is, and will always be, God had no beginning and will have no end, God is outside time,time was created by God for man not God. Awesome! huh?

god was created by man for man in time in many religions and dogmas according to the time and society
open up your mind and use it

God knows your type well!!!!==The fool has said in his heart, “There is no God,”
They are corrupt, and have committed abominable injustice. psalm 53:1

 

[JohnA]

GOD was,is, and will always be, God had no beginning and will have no end, God is outside time,time was created by God for man not God. Awesome! huh?

god was created by man for man in time in many religions and dogmas according to the time and society
open up your mind and use it

God knows your type well!!!!==The fool has said in his heart, “There is no God,”
They are corrupt, and have committed abominable injustice. psalm 53:1

some human fool wrote that
dont believe all you read

 

[Chaussette]

Yes!! You are free to reject God's love and forgivness,you are free to chose to pay for your own sins = death and hell! all your choice!!!

No because if you reject church doctrine you're out and you go to hell.

Anyways, it would make zero sense for god to give me free will then punish me for using it.

try to think!!! you have freewill to do anything you want but know there may be a high price.Example= you use your freewill to live a life of crime,then expect to do jail time!!! your freewill.

In which case I'd get a punishment meted out by man, not god. Please try again.

 

[Newby]

Ah, but you guys God is all-forgiving!

You're hedging your bets for nothing....unless your beliefs are irreparably flawed.

Believing that God is all forgiving is irreparably flawed. He is not.
He is capable of being such, but without you accepting the salvation provided through His Son, He has no choice but to judge you clothed in your sin. The penalty for sin is death.
He offered you a sin free alternative because He loves you. You declined the offer. Your devastating choice, for all eternity.

the penalty for sin is death? not much of a threat as we all die anyway...
ever seen anybody die instantly from sin? I don't mean car accidents or heart attacks etc..
as I understand it, that line is an immediate threat.. as in if you do that you die, right then and there...not from other causes later on ...

 

[Newby]

Believing that God is all forgiving is irreparably flawed. He is not.
He is capable of being such, but without you accepting the salvation provided through His Son, He has no choice but to judge you clothed in your sin. The penalty for sin is death.
He offered you a sin free alternative because He loves you. You declined the offer. Your devastating choice, for all eternity.

the penalty for sin is death? not much of a threat as we all die anyway...
ever seen anybody die instantly from sin? I don't mean car accidents or heart attacks etc..
as I understand it, that line is an immediate threat.. as in if you do that you die, right then and there...not from other causes later on ...

I think you missed the point. He's referring to the metaphysical not the physical. According to Biblical teachings "death" means an eternity away from the presence of God, an eternity in hell if you will. Believers believe the soul, a persons true essence, will suffer eternally because they rejected salvation though Jesus Christ in physical life. It has to do with God's word, what he has spoken hence what he cannot, because of who he is, go back on. According to the teachings, God required sacrifice for the atonement of sin and ultimately came down to earth in the human form of Jesus to be the perfect, final sacrifice for all who accept that as truth. Again, it's the metaphysical and as I have stated numerous time unprovable, though I will add, except by dying and finding out one way or the other. Just relaying what the teaching says.

Hence my head banging to his post. This dude constantly preaches, berates, marginalizes, maligns, and harasses people of faith, yet he's too damn stupid to realize how his comments show his complete lack of understanding of wtf he's even talking about.

 

[Newby]

You're just dodging the question. If it will convince you to actually answer it, modify the question to "would you live life any differently if you lost your faith in God?". It's not a challenge or a threat. It's an honest query that gets to an important ethical issue. The question could also be rephrased to "would you still have the same moral values if you didn't believe in God?".

Of course I'd live differently if there was no God. But there is a God. And my life is much better off for acknowledging and living as more than just an animal.

But how would you live differently? I hope you can appreciate the motivation for asking such a question. I can't speak to the intent of the OP, but I find the question deeply interesting. The point, in my view, is to understand the where your moral convictions come from. In particular, were you drawn to the god you believe in because it aligned with morals and values you already possessed, or did you adopt your morals and values because of your belief? If it's the latter, how would they change if you lost your faith?

If your question is an honest one, then good for you, however, I see it more as a 'gotchya' game that you're playing. From the way you ask the question, it is very clear that you don't understand the nuance of a personal relationship with God, so you only know how to mock it due to your lack of understanding. Read the Bible is my suggestion to you, really read it with an open mind, and you will find your answers. Having a relationship with God has nothing to do with morals or values or anyone's decision to have them or not have them. There are people all over the world who reject the notion of God, yet are moral people. So the idea that someone who once believed in God, but then found out He didn't exist, suddenly changes their values or morals, is not a sound one. You want to imply that the only reason people of faith are moral is because they're afraid of some form of punishment from God? Please, have at it, but you're completely missing the boat, and you don't even understand why.

 

[Newby]

I have a question for all the believers.

What would you do if you found out tomorrow that your god, the god that you believe in, was false?

How would your life be affected?

I know this is a difficult concept for many of you to contemplate, so I'm asking you to think outside the box and put yourself into a hypothetical alternate universe where it turns out your religious beliefs are false.

I'm sure you can do it.

This is where you primates fail...

Faith is a belief that a Deity exists and that all of the strife and heartache and other tribulations of life will be met with the reward of being in the presence of creation. Having faith is no gamble in any way, shape, or form.

You may not grasp that, so let Me put it this way.

If God exists....I will be rewarded both in life and death.

If he does not, then I'll never know, because I'll just be dead.

I have nothing to lose in believing.

That's not answering the question. The OP isn't asking what you would lose, it's asking how it would change the way you live if you no longer believed in a god. Would you still maintain the same basic attitude toward life? The same morals, the same values?

This is particularly interesting from an atheist's perspective, because one of the most common charges leveled against them is that they have no moral foundation - that without a god telling them what to value and what morals to follow, they have none. But from their point of view, the morals of believers are precarious at best. They wonder what happens if and when believers lose their faith. Do they become sociopaths? libertines? hedonists?

I'm a Christian, yet I've never believed nor said that people without belief in God lack morals. As a matter of fact, none of the christians I know would make that claim. So I'm not sure how that's seen as a 'common charge' coming from anyone. To me it just appears as a non believer yet again trying to play the imaginary victim card.

 

[Newby]

I have a question for all the believers.

What would you do if you found out tomorrow that your god, the god that you believe in, was false?

How would your life be affected?

I know this is a difficult concept for many of you to contemplate, so I'm asking you to think outside the box and put yourself into a hypothetical alternate universe where it turns out your religious beliefs are false.

I'm sure you can do it.

There was a time when I was CERTAIN that I was resting on my blessed assurance in Jesus The Christ, as guaranteed by The New Testament of The God of Abraham.

Then one day I acquired enough knowledge to put the ancient stories in their proper historical perspective and I simply stopped believing that they were the last http://www.usmessageboard.com/philosophy/266556-word.html on God.


If God is, doesn't it make sense that He's way bigger than all of the ancient stories, let alone any one of them?

Then it's sad that no one every taught you the value of what you read, I suggest revisiting it with an open mind and someone who can teach you. They are not just 'ancient stories', it is a guide on how to live a full life that is applicable in any era, even today's.

 

[Delta4Embassy]

With the local child abduction and murder yesterday, sometimes I really hope there isn't a god. If there is, and I ever meet Him I wanna kick his ass.

 

[Newby]

Think!!! Silly tards!!! It takes far more than saying you are religious or christian to be one!!!

I think you seriously need to look in a mirror and say the same thing.

 

[PeterH]

Let people believe what they want to believe. No one has the right to tell someone what is true and what is not.

 

[Newby]

Please, take your fanatic preaching to North Korea, they need you to tell them all about free will.

Nope, NK is an atheist regime.

In other words..no free will.

There's no free will in religion either, you either believe what they tell you to believe or your out.

Then don't participate in a religion, participate in a relationship with God. There are churches out there that are not as you describe. However, if don't believe in God, why would you want to be 'in' a church at all then? There's no logic in that.

 

[Newby]

That's not answering the question. The OP isn't asking what you would lose, it's asking how it would change the way you live if you no longer believed in a god. Would you still maintain the same basic attitude toward life? The same morals, the same values?

This is particularly interesting from an atheist's perspective, because one of the most common charges leveled against them is that they have no moral foundation - that without a god telling them what to value and what morals to follow, they have none. But from their point of view, the morals of believers are precarious at best. They wonder what happens if and when believers lose their faith. Do they become sociopaths? libertines? hedonists?

No he's not. He is trying to denigrate people of faith.

I can't speak to the intentions of the OP. But I'm asking the question, with absolutely no intent to denigrate anyone. I have a great deal of respect for traditions of faith, and I honestly think this in an interesting question. But most of you aren't even listening.

There are some answers you'll only get after you are gone.

Faith costs Me nothing.

Ito obviously costs him a great deal.

You're missing the point of the question. It's not asking what it costs you, it's asking how your values and convictions would be different without it.

Listen, I get that there was a snide tone to the OP, and that's a shame because it's put you guys on a defensive track that has closed your mind to the fact that it's actually a really interesting question, for both people of faith and those of us without. It offers an opportunity for real understanding. I know religious people who actually love to talk about this kind of stuff. It's just kind of disappointing no one here is interested.

Why are you making the assumption that they would be different?