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I'm new to this forum and I would like to know from an athiest point of view , do you think the world would be different if God did exist, and if so how? I know that you all do not believe in a God but using the idealogy of those who do (e.g. all loving, knowing, and forgiving God, etc.) would you all prefer to live in a world where God does exist? In all respect i just would like to know if any of you all thought about a God on those lines. Please share your thoughts without any ill feelings, Thanks in advance.
I'm new to this forum and I would like to know from an athiest point of view , do you think the world would be different if God did exist, and if so how? I know that you all do not believe in a God but using the idealogy of those who do (e.g. all loving, knowing, and forgiving God, etc.) would you all prefer to live in a world where God does exist? In all respect i just would like to know if any of you all thought about a God on those lines. Please share your thoughts without any ill feelings, Thanks in advance.
well, it's not so much that i don't believe it's more that i don't believe in any god there is as of today. if a more reasonable idea of god came about, i might buy into it...
My own personal take on it is that although it would certainly change things, I would not want a God to exist. Well, at least not one as descibed in any of the major western religions, and I am not entirely sure if I would like the idea of a karmatic type experience as described in many of the eastern religions.
However, God, as in the sense that we are talking about with the Western Religions does not appeal to me as something that I would like. To me, it brings forth concepts of those as stated in George Orwell's 1984. The idea of something watching over me, day in and day out, reading my mind, watching my actions, all to ensure that I am following his deistic laws is quite a turn off.
Likewise, as with many Eastern religions, dealing with karmatic experience, although there is no 'God' per se, to me, it seems there must be some sort of bystander to decide the fate of your karma based on your actions. To me, in much the same way, that is really no different than something of western religion.
What is even scarier, and I do wonder if this causes problems for people of religion, is if they ever feel as if 'God' is reading their thoughts? Remember, that according to most, God sees all, hears all, and knows all. I wonder if a person like Ted Haggert pondered this as he bought crystal meth from a male prostitute??
No, I'm afraid that, in any sense of "God" I have no desire for one to exist. I would like to be clear on one thing though. My desire for God to exist is not a principle in which I disregard the possibility of one existing. It's more that I realize that he doesn't exist, and for the reasons above, I am glad that he doesn't!
Edit: Also, I wanted to say welcome to the board! I encourage you to read through some of the previous threads and feel free to post on them as well!
Well, that's a tricky question, but a good one. It's always enlightening to discuss these things in order to get a better understanding of what kinds of world views exist.
I might not meet your criteria, because I'm not athiest, but agnostic. But I suppose for the purpose of this question, it doesn't really matter. So here goes.
I prefer to believe that this universe has a purpose. I even choose to ignore signs that there is no greater good to some bad situations, and to embrace the signs that some bad situations work out for the best. It's comforting to assume that there is a bigger picture and a greater power at play. So yes, I'd like to think there is something out there, which you may call God if you'd like. For me, that word has been co-opted to condemn behaviors that I don't find evil, and to celebrate others that I think are. So it's hard to connect to it. But the reason why I consider myself agnostic and not athiest is that I hold out hope that there is something bigger than I can understand in this life.
As far as the specific idealogy you mention (all loving, knowing, and forgiving), none of those matter too much to me. I'm not sure what 'love' means within the context of a superhuman/human relationship. Particularly when that love is not, in most idealogies anyway, unconditional. I'd have to earn the love by believing in certain things, and believing that people who don't believe those things will be rejected by my lover. I feel very uncomfortable about that.
The 'all-knowing' part is interesting...but it upsets me if I think about it too much. There are a lot of people suffering in this world. If an all-knowing God cannot or chooses not to assuage that suffering, then I don't get the point of having he/she/it know about it. So I'll leave that one alone.
Finally, the question of forgiveness. The whole concept of forgiveness only matters if there is the possibility of not being forgiven. Which I don't believe in. I try my best to live a good life and not hurt others. But if I do, the forgiveness I seek will be from the people I have wronged, not an invisible third party.
Please note that I was raised Christian, and have close friends who subscribe to each of the major religions. I totally respect others' rights to their beliefs. We each need to listen to our own heart and mind to find the answer to this important & universal question.
I really like that response scdreamer. I was raised to believe that there is a higher power, something greater than myself, but my family was not into church or anything. I never doubted the existence of God as a child or even growing up. Now that I am an adult I think for me I can't imagine living without the thought that it is something more than what we see and understand here. The way the world is as I see it, we need some form of non-human intervention to turn things around because we as humans, in my opinion has really screwed things up. I know I don't have the answers to a lot of things that go on like the innocent suffering, but i hold on to the thought of some how some day this too will pass and things will get better.
My own personal take on it is that although it would certainly change things, I would not want a God to exist. Well, at least not one as descibed in any of the major western religions, and I am not entirely sure if I would like the idea of a karmatic type experience as described in many of the eastern religions.
However, God, as in the sense that we are talking about with the Western Religions does not appeal to me as something that I would like. To me, it brings forth concepts of those as stated in George Orwell's 1984. The idea of something watching over me, day in and day out, reading my mind, watching my actions, all to ensure that I am following his deistic laws is quite a turn off.
Likewise, as with many Eastern religions, dealing with karmatic experience, although there is no 'God' per se, to me, it seems there must be some sort of bystander to decide the fate of your karma based on your actions. To me, in much the same way, that is really no different than something of western religion.
What is even scarier, and I do wonder if this causes problems for people of religion, is if they ever feel as if 'God' is reading their thoughts? Remember, that according to most, God sees all, hears all, and knows all. I wonder if a person like Ted Haggert pondered this as he bought crystal meth from a male prostitute??
No, I'm afraid that, in any sense of "God" I have no desire for one to exist. I would like to be clear on one thing though. My desire for God to exist is not a principle in which I disregard the possibility of one existing. It's more that I realize that he doesn't exist, and for the reasons above, I am glad that he doesn't!
Edit: Also, I wanted to say welcome to the board! I encourage you to read through some of the previous threads and feel free to post on them as well!
Thanks for your response, I guess I didn't see this one coming, I had to laugh at the 1984 anology. For me it's different, I would be very nervous if a person/people were watching my every move and knowing my every thought, but it's kind of comforting to feel like I have a constant protector watching over me. It makes living in this world a little less scarier for me.
I'm sure the world would be a better place if there were such things as gods. After all, who would be silly enough to go out committing crimes when they knew they were being watched and would have to account for their actions in the 'afterlife'.
My own personal take on it is that although it would certainly change things, I would not want a God to exist. Well, at least not one as descibed in any of the major western religions, and I am not entirely sure if I would like the idea of a karmatic type experience as described in many of the eastern religions.
However, God, as in the sense that we are talking about with the Western Religions does not appeal to me as something that I would like. To me, it brings forth concepts of those as stated in George Orwell's 1984. The idea of something watching over me, day in and day out, reading my mind, watching my actions, all to ensure that I am following his deistic laws is quite a turn off.
Likewise, as with many Eastern religions, dealing with karmatic experience, although there is no 'God' per se, to me, it seems there must be some sort of bystander to decide the fate of your karma based on your actions. To me, in much the same way, that is really no different than something of western religion.
What is even scarier, and I do wonder if this causes problems for people of religion, is if they ever feel as if 'God' is reading their thoughts? Remember, that according to most, God sees all, hears all, and knows all. I wonder if a person like Ted Haggert pondered this as he bought crystal meth from a male prostitute??
No, I'm afraid that, in any sense of "God" I have no desire for one to exist. I would like to be clear on one thing though. My desire for God to exist is not a principle in which I disregard the possibility of one existing. It's more that I realize that he doesn't exist, and for the reasons above, I am glad that he doesn't!
Edit: Also, I wanted to say welcome to the board! I encourage you to read through some of the previous threads and feel free to post on them as well!
I'm sure the world would be a better place if there were such things as gods. After all, who would be silly enough to go out committing crimes when they knew they were being watched and would have to account for their actions in the 'afterlife'.
Many people in this day in time believe in God in one way or another and to my knowledge that haven't stopped people from killing, stealing, or anything else.
Thanks for your response, I guess I didn't see this one coming, I had to laugh at the 1984 anology. For me it's different, I would be very nervous if a person/people were watching my every move and knowing my every thought, but it's kind of comforting to feel like I have a constant protector watching over me. It makes living in this world a little less scarier for me.
God never interferes with my life unless I ask him to. IMO, he does not know my every thought, unless I am in the act of prayer..Any yes, because I believe life is a lot less scary and a lot more meaningful..
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