Would the World be a better Place if...

[DGS49]

...everyone ACTED AS THOUGH:

1. They believed in God,
2. They believed in an afterlife,
3. They believed that a virtuous life was rewarded in the afterlife,
4. They believed that an evil life was punished in the afterlife, and
5. Their assessment of virtue vs. evil was based on traditional western, Judeo-Christian principles?

So whether you believe in "god" or not, isn't it better to live as though you do?

 

[Votto]

We are finding out now as the country is now secular.

Ever since prayer was taken out of schools, for example, violence and crime have skyrocketed, then they wonder why kids are now shooting up schools

Wakey, wakey.

 

[Dogmaphobe]

I had my best idea for how to improve the world back when I was a teenager. What I proposed was the issuance of breeding licenses based upon IQ and weight. The plan would involve placing a person's IQ over their weight and only those with a coefficient of 1 or above would be allowed to create children. This would eventually produce smarter people who would also be smaller, thus consuming less food.

At 18, this also had the positive effect of making me prime breeding material much sought after, so it really was a win/win vis a vis me and the society at large.

 

[GreatestIam]

So whether you believe in "god" or not, isn't it better to live as though you do?

I do not think it wise to live any lie.

If lies are ever favored over truth, the world and humanity will be worthless.

Regards
DL

 

[GreatestIam]

We are finding out now as the country is now secular.

Ever since prayer was taken out of schools, for example, violence and crime have skyrocketed, then they wonder why kids are now shooting up schools

Wakey, wakey.

Pray the guns away.

They are the problem and not the numbers of wasted prayers to a genocidal homophobic and misogynous garbage God who denies us all our free will.

--------

Are non-believers doomed by Divine Design?

Scriptures say that God decides if a person will be a believer or non-believer. Those scriptures are shown in this link.



Those quotes seems to really screw up the free will notion that Christians say God gives us.

The free will that God offers is kind of a joke anyway given the number of people whose free will to live is ignored in the billions of adults, children and babies that God is shown to torture and murder in scriptures.

If the bible and Yahweh are to be believed, and as a non-believer, I, of course, cannot believe it, thanks to God, by God’s design and will against me, then why did God deny me belief or faith?

Even more important to believers, might be to answer the question of; did God make you a believer in things that you can only hope exists and can never confirm?

Are you happy with God ignoring or negating your free will to think as you please?

I have assumed that God’s work of creating both believers and non-believers is working. If that is so, and you believers must think it so, just as I as a non-believer cannot think it is working, --- and Jesus said that those with faith could do all he did and more, --- then there is not even one believer or person of faith that has ever existed.

Either the bible and Christianity is all a lie, or there must be some who can do what Jesus did.

What is your choice of those two options?

Is the bible and Christianity a lie, or is God just not creating any people with faith, --- which would make all Christians who say they have faith, --- liars.

I mean no insult here but someone is definitely lying, if we read what is written and look at reality and listen to Christians.

What do you think is the truth?

Is it just for God to create people doomed to hell even if they wanted to believe?

Regards
DL

 

[Votto]

I had my best idea for how to improve the world back when I was a teenager. What I proposed was the issuance of breeding licenses based upon IQ and weight. The plan would involve placing a person's IQ over their weight and only those with a coefficient of 1 or above would be allowed to create children. This would eventually produce smarter people who would also be smaller, thus consuming less food.

At 18, this also had the positive effect of making me prime breeding material much sought after, so it really was a win/win vis a vis me and the society at large.

"Smart people" are what is killing us.

It is akin to the creator of the atom bomb Oppenhiemer.

And we see this elsewhere as scientists genetically create plants that cannot reproduce, thus risking making all plants sterile

Or how about global warming? Isn't the ability to scientifically exploit fossil fuels behind that?

LOL

I'll take gorillas in the jungle or a world full of Down Syndrome people over all of them.

As Adam and Eve were told in the Bible, knowledge without wisdom brings death as they partook from the Tree of knowledge.

 

[BlackSand]

...everyone ACTED AS THOUGH:

1. They believed in God,
2. They believed in an afterlife,
3. They believed that a virtuous life was rewarded in the afterlife,
4. They believed that an evil life was punished in the afterlife, and
5. Their assessment of virtue vs. evil was based on traditional western, Judeo-Christian principles?

So whether you believe in "god" or not, isn't it better to live as though you do?

.

Without attacking Judeo-Christain principles, religion or the afterlife ...
None are required to live a virtuous life that can prove to be more rewarding in the present.

So ... If one attempts to diminish their personal responsibility, to the idea it should be enforced by a higher authority to be effective or worthy ...
They are attempting to more self-righteous than virtuous.

.​

 

[alang1216]

...everyone ACTED AS THOUGH:

1. They believed in God,
2. They believed in an afterlife,
3. They believed that a virtuous life was rewarded in the afterlife,
4. They believed that an evil life was punished in the afterlife, and
5. Their assessment of virtue vs. evil was based on traditional western, Judeo-Christian principles?

So whether you believe in "god" or not, isn't it better to live as though you do?

Alas, we tried that and it utterly failed. In the Middle Ages, the vast majority of Europeans were Christians that believed everything you listed. The reality was that human nature prevailed and their societies were no better and maybe even worse than ours today.

 

[miketx]

At 18, this also had the positive effect of making me prime breeding material much sought after, so it really was a win/win vis a vis me and the society at larg

So what happened?

 

[Cougarbear]

I had my best idea for how to improve the world back when I was a teenager. What I proposed was the issuance of breeding licenses based upon IQ and weight. The plan would involve placing a person's IQ over their weight and only those with a coefficient of 1 or above would be allowed to create children. This would eventually produce smarter people who would also be smaller, thus consuming less food.

At 18, this also had the positive effect of making me prime breeding material much sought after, so it really was a win/win vis a vis me and the society at large.

Actually, it makes the nation much more healthy as well! And, wait for it......................................There would be no Hunter Biden!!!

 

[Meriweather]

Alas, we tried that and it utterly failed. In the Middle Ages, the vast majority of Europeans were Christians that believed everything you listed. The reality was that human nature prevailed and their societies were no better and maybe even worse than ours today.

World peace.... Interesting the gargantuan plans of mankind. There seems to be this belief if the world is fixed there will be peace in our homes. Jesus always approached it from the opposite direction. He taught bringing peace and love into our own lives and into those in our immediate surroundings--home, travels, work. He did not suggest we march out and bring about world peace.

He simply said to leaven what you have in front of you, and it will grow in our own small portion of the world.

Instead of calling upon everyone to become people of faith, call on people of faith to leaven the small portion they have.

 

[Cougarbear]

Alas, we tried that and it utterly failed. In the Middle Ages, the vast majority of Europeans were Christians that believed everything you listed. The reality was that human nature prevailed and their societies were no better and maybe even worse than ours today.

Did they have mass gun shootings in the middle ages by teenagers? No. So, they did not fail. The key is that the people have to believe in those things and then do the work that follows...But, we know that since prayer, patriotism, consequences to bad behavior has been taken out of the schools, we have lots more of kids with mental illness. They also come from more broken homes as the progressive society had diminished manhood and turned traditional marriages into a circus of LGBTQ crap.

 

[DGS49]

So one point that is necessary to acknowledge is that a lot of "religious" people do not actually believe Points 1 through 4 above. The claim that they do, but their actions deny that assertion. Believe what people do, not what they say.

Second, the appeal is to atheists and agnostics. Wouldn't the world be a better place if everyone acted AS THOUGH they believed those things?

As for "living a lie," consider: We all act as though common criminals will inevitably be found out and punished, so we don't engage in theft, misappropriation, conversion and things of that nature. The entire category of detective/police fiction is intended (perhaps unwittingly) to promulgate that message: if you commit crimes you will the caught and punished.

And yet if we actually looked at the data, any halfway intelligent thief could go a lifetime without ever being arrested. Even a murderer could avoid detection given a little planning. I think we all know this even though we don't often talk about it.

Obviously I believe that the world would be a better place if everyone acted as though they believed those things. And just because you DON'T believe is no reason to lie, cheat and steal.

 

[Cougarbear]

World peace.... Interesting the gargantuan plans of mankind. There seems to be this belief if the world is fixed there will be peace in our homes. Jesus always approached it from the opposite direction. He taught bringing peace and love into our own lives and into those in our immediate surroundings--home, travels, work. He did not suggest we march out and bring about world peace.

He simply said to leaven what you have in front of you, and it will grow in our own small portion of the world.

Instead of calling upon everyone to become people of faith, call on people of faith to leaven the small portion they have.

I understand what you are saying and it is true about what he personally did or could do. But, he established a missionary Church for the members to go out and convert the 4 corners of the earth. We do our part in our neck of the woods. But, missionaries are necessary to spread the Gospel. The best at it these days is the restored church, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints with 80,000 missionaries world-wide.

 

[Winco]

We are finding out now as the country is now secular.

Ever since prayer was taken out of schools, for example, violence and crime have skyrocketed, then they wonder why kids are now shooting up schools

Wakey, wakey.

When, what year(s)did they take prayer out of school?

 

[alang1216]

Did they have mass gun shootings in the middle ages by teenagers? No. So, they did not fail.

Of course they didn't have the weapons to carry out those shootings so we'll never know what might have been. They certainly had plenty of wars to deal. Wars between peoples and religions. Crime was not uncommon either.

The key is that the people have to believe in those things and then do the work that follows...But, we know that since prayer, patriotism, consequences to bad behavior has been taken out of the schools, we have lots more of kids with mental illness. They also come from more broken homes as the progressive society had diminished manhood and turned traditional marriages into a circus of LGBTQ crap.

Which time and place in the past better than America is today?

 

[alang1216]

So one point that is necessary to acknowledge is that a lot of "religious" people do not actually believe Points 1 through 4 above. The claim that they do, but their actions deny that assertion. Believe what people do, not what they say.

The "No True Scotsman"? Really?

Second, the appeal is to atheists and agnostics. Wouldn't the world be a better place if everyone acted AS THOUGH they believed those things?

Not necessary. If we followed the Golden Rule we'd be there. I think Jesus would agree.

Obviously I believe that the world would be a better place if everyone acted as though they believed those things. And just because you DON'T believe is no reason to lie, cheat and steal.

Agreed.

 

[Meriweather]

But, he established a missionary Church for the members to go out and convert the 4 corners of the earth.

Do you believe that is what everyone should be doing all their lives, 24/7?

 

[Cougarbear]

Of course they didn't have the weapons to carry out those shootings so we'll never know what might have been. They certainly had plenty of wars to deal. Wars between peoples and religions. Crime was not uncommon either.


Which time and place in the past better than America is today?

50's, 60's, 70's, 80's and even much of the 90's. Then, the Democrats really got communist-ized. And, it's been downhill ever since.

 

[Cougarbear]

Do you believe that is what everyone should be doing all their lives, 24/7?

Nope. But, why don't Catholics have a youth program that develops young missionaries 18-28 year olds? Not that difficult. There are ways to be good missionaries in our everyday lives as well.