What if you're wrong? (America, atheist, bible, worship)
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Everyone who has beliefs, one way or another, always seems to be so very confident that what they believe is true. But that begs the question, (since we're all flawed humans who make mistakes daily):
What if you're wrong?
For me, as Christ Follower, if I'm wrong, I simply take a dirt nap when I die and that's that. In the days when I was a card carrying agnostic, I would have missed out on far more...
So, what happens if you're wrong?
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Everyone who has beliefs, one way or another, always seems to be so very confident that what they believe is true. But that begs the question, (since we're all flawed humans who make mistakes daily):
What if you're wrong?
For me, as Christ Follower, if I'm wrong, I simply take a dirt nap when I die and that's that. In the days when I was a card carrying agnostic, I would have missed out on far more...
You're making the classical Christian assumption that there are only two possibilities (aka Pascal's wager). Christianity isn't special - you are forgetting that there are thousands of other possible Gods that could be pissed at you for not licking THEIR shoes, earning you a one way ticket to whatever punishment they have in store for you (assuming of course they are jealous sadistic, vindictive a-holes like Bible god).
A telegraphed kick nicely riposted lads. However, let's take the worst case scenario (for an atheist). I die and I'm next thing looking at King Lear with a furious scowl and His Son saying 'Go on Dad, let 'im have it!"
I'd say that I tried to use the brains I'd been given and I really tried to get at the evidential truth, whatever the theists might accuse me of. If that condemns me I'd simply say that His morality could learn something from the best of the human.
Any god worthy of respect would have taken that point on board long ago and so, I doubt we have much to worry about. If we do, then that God has so little regard for anything that we would consider justice and decency that I wonder whether the Christians can be so smugly confident that such a god is not going to take pleasure in seeing their horror as they learn that they, too are for the barbeque.
You know I find that my belief is the right one for me, I believe that when my time comes I will pass over into the other world and sit among my ancestors, now my belief is not for every one nor do I claim it to be the right one for everyone, I only claim that it's the right one for me and because of a most recent experience I am even more convinced that it is the right one for me.osay
Any god worthy of respect would have taken that point on board long ago and so, I doubt we have much to worry about. If we do, then that God has so little regard for anything that we would consider justice and decency that I wonder whether the Christians can be so smugly confident that such a god is not going to take pleasure in seeing their horror as they learn that they, too are for the barbeque.
"Any god worthy of respect"? In all my readings about the world's religions, you can be I've seen precious few of them.
If I die and then find myself staring at Charon without the fare, or heading for the Rainbow Bridge, or missing out on 72 virgins, it will all be much the same to me.
In response to the "pascal-ish" wager of the OP, some of the poster here seem to be saying: "well, if I'm wrong then I guess I'll take it like a man." (or woman!). Or: "I see no evidence, and I wouldn't worship such a being anyway!" These seem thinly veiled accusations of the divine, that God didn't provide enough evidence (so it's not your fault you didn't see the truth), or that God isn't worthy of worship anyway (so it's not your fault for not worshiping). Psychologically speaking, I find these intriguing answers.
What does it mean to say a god is "worthy" of worship anyway? That you approve? Is a god something like a hollywood celebrity, or a rock star, or what? For a person to say a god is not worthy of worship--that's a pretty "American" notion I think. We love stories where the lone individual stands up against the big bad corporation or government; there are countless epic fantasy books where the single individual takes on a god and refuses to yield, but wins on his own terms, and takes down the evil god, etc. We love this stuff. But I think it distorts the issues. Did the worshippers of Zeus worship him because they judged him to be "worthy" or because he held all the cards, because he could do anything he wanted with them and they didn't want to tick him off? Worship had a prudential aspect to it: just to be safe, I'll offer a sacrifice. But in the act of worship one is also acknowledging something "higher," a reality more profound, a being that has the right to do with you whatever it wishes. You are not on equal footing with a god--there is a qualitative difference between humans and gods. So I guess I don't really understand this "I wouldn't worship that kind of god anyway" attitude. So, you mean to say that IF there really existed a cruel god who could do anything he wanted, and he made himself completely manifest, and threatened eternal torment on anyone who did not EVERY DAY worship him in a VERY specific (seemingly arbitrary) way, then you wouldn't do it, because such a god would be "unworthy of worship"? My hat is off to you.
Now, typically, the Christian God is not conceived of as cruel god, but as a morally perfect being, as love, who gives himself for us, to bridge the gap between us, to give meaning to our suffering, to give us hope of new life. We worship all sorts of things through our lives: fame, money, intelligence, beauty, power, ourselves. But if there is anything worthy of worship, wouldn't it be a perfectly good being, that has absolute control over the fate and meaning of your life?
Anyway, just some quick thoughts as I take a break from reading Johannes Climacus.
According to some interpretations of the Bible, I'll spend eternity in agony, according to some, I simply don't get to go to the great party in the sky, what happens according to the thousand other religions in the world, I couldn't say. Maybe I'll be reborn a dog.
That said, can't say I've seen any proof that would substantiate that I've been wrong so far
Moderator cut: edited
Last edited by Miss Blue; 03-21-2010 at 11:51 AM..
Reason: the quoted post was deleted making your answer orphaned
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). Or: "I see no evidence, and I wouldn't worship such a being anyway!" These seem thinly veiled accusations of the divine, that God didn't provide enough evidence (so it's not your fault you didn't see the truth), or that God isn't worthy of worship anyway (so it's not your fault for not worshiping). Psychologically speaking, I find these intriguing answers. 