What would happen?

definately a lot of sinning

 

what would you do?

 

Also who helped you with this question?

Interesting question.  If I woke up tomorrow and realized there was no God, I would loose my zest for living.  I would lose my love of all mankind and my desire to by living a life of intelligent loving service to everyone I come in contact with, show them one individuals path to life everlasting.  I would become like all the materialists I know, and far too many of the religionists, cynical and fatalistic.  I would have to live under the unspoken dread of thinking that life was no more than a short and meaningless series of events, a brief moment under the temporal sun, only to be extinguished by an unfeeling and uncaring universe.  I would no longer be able to view my life on this world as a joyful time of gathering material experience, a time where I am fortunate enough to be able to choose to do the Father's will or forsake it.  I would no longer be able to see time thru the eyes of eternity, of experience thru the eyes of spirituality, or history thru the eyes of a progressive evolution, physical, social, cultural and religious, ever moving inexorably towards an unseen glorious future of the triumph of Mankind.

 

Why do you ask?

 

.

I would never pay for anything again, and some people would never know

what hit them.

 

Have a Super Sparkly Day.

 

al best is counting on a deathbed confession.lol

bankrobbing would be the thing.

I guess another question which could be redirected back would be:

What would you do if you suddenly realized that there was a God?

Al, I asked because of a conversation I had with an old friend I hadn't heard from in a while, during which she was telling me how she had finally accepted the fact that she just didn't believe in a god anymore. I don't know any atheist that was afraid of becoming a bad person, don't know any that did become a bad person, not saying there aren't some that had that fear, I've just never known any. I don't know any that lost their "zest for living" as you put it. One nice surprise is, it's actually the opposite, you gain a zest for life when you stop living the lie. It's like having a weight lifted off your shoulders. So I asked to see how many different thoughts/fears people have. I guess that's the best way to put it. 

==============

Which god?

.

Knowing there wasn't a god and knowing I try to take care of myself

already, I would take extra care to live as long as I could while living

every day to its fullest. The heart that never learned to dance, never

really learned to live.

 

 

I'd rather live my life as, and be, a good person, rather than pretend to be a good person out of a fear of a vengeful god.

I'm sure my life would be less stress free if I knew one way or another. Then again, I sometimes wonder if I really want to know for a fact that God exist. When I was a Christian, I would question myself as to the kind of Christian God expected me to be. Was I doing enough, was I loving enough, was I giving enough....yada, yada, yada. I would read the Bible & couldn't see myself as the Christian that it described.

 

It became a burden, not just because terrible things happened to me but because I didn't see prayers being answered. When a prayer wasn't answered, people waved it off as "it just wasn't His will", when a few days before they were expecting a prayer to be answered.

 

I'm sure a life knowing there is no such thing as God, Heaven, & Hell is much less stress free. I wish I could find that knowing. Life would be much less complicated not having to worry about if you were doing it right.

I never wanted to be one of those people that claim it, but didn't live it. I have never been a good liar.

semi i know and have scientific proof contained in an argument that is not refutable.

 

a scientific argument must be refutable. this is the exception.

 

abide as you may semi, i'm taking no passengers. i will accompany anyone on the journey in seperate but parallel vehicles.

----------------------------

Why not live your life as if to make the world a better place for you being in it-whether you believe in a god or not.  If there is no god, you will have lost nothing and you will be fondly remembered by the people you've left behind.

  If there is a god-and he is the just god christians say he is-then you will be judged on your merits and not just on whether or not you believed in him.

                                                                                                  -Atheists wager

To me that's like saying, what would you do if you suddenly realize there was no earth,,,, I am sure of the ground I stand on, and I'm equally certain there is a God.

 

You asked, "What would happen?"   I found the answer to your question:

 

==============

Well actually the question wasn't are you certain there's a god. The question was what do you fear would happen if you suddenly understood/realized there wasn't a god. 

good post Bill

 

Well, my Friend, that last assumption, "Live as if there is a God -- and if He is the just God Christians say He is -- then you will be judged on your merits and not just on whether or nor you believed in Him" -- is inaccurate.  But, it is a good first step toward eternal life.

 

Your first miscalculation is when you say that we will be judged on our own merits.  If we were judged on "our own merits" -- we would spend eternity in hell.  For in God's perfect eyes, "All of us have become like one who is unclean, And all our righteous deeds (our works) are like a filthy garment;. . . " (Isaiah 64:6)   So, praise God we are not to be judged based upon works or righteousness; for that would be a disaster.

 

We are told in Matthew 6:33 to seek "His righteousness."    And, we are told in 2 Corinthians 5:21 that the righteousness of Jesus Christ is imputed, i.e., attributed to all believers the moment we become believers.

 

So, how are we to be judged?  Great question.

 

1 John 5:12-13, "He who has the Son has the life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have the life.  These things I have written to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, so that you may KNOW that you HAVE eternal life."

 

This is how we are judged:  Believers who HAVE the Son, Jesus Christ, in their hearts -- will spend eternity in the presence of God, heaven.  Non-believers (all categories) who NO NOT HAVE the Son, Jesus Christ, in their hearts -- will spend eternity void of the presence of God, hell.

 

How about you?  Are you ready to receive His "free gift" of eternal life (Ephesians 2:8-9)?  What do you have to lose -- except eternity in hell?  That last breath could come at any time for all of us.

 

God bless, have a wonderful, blessed day,

 

Bill

Why not live your life as if to make the world a better place for you being in it-whether you believe in a god or not.  If there is no god, you will have lost nothing and you will be fondly remembered by the people you've left behind.

  If there is a god-and he is the just god christians say he is-then you will be judged on your merits and not just on whether or not you believed in him.

                                                                                                  -Atheists wager

=================

Could be too, that some here that call themselves christians think that proclaiming that over and over will somehow impress others and make them ignore what really rotten to the core people they are. Sorry charlies, it's not working, you just can't pull it off.

Why do you assume that I do not live my life to make this world a better place just because I happen to believe in God?  Why do you think that because I know that I will survive this life that I somehow am missing out on all the joy you have living?  I am confused.

 

You seem to be saying that since you apparently do not believe in God that you are somehow living a better, more complete existance than those who do... This seems as one sided as those who accuse you of not having a complete existance just because you may (or may not) believe in God. 

 

I believe in God.  I believe in science, evolution, the origin of the species and all the other stuff which you may or may not be assuming people who believe in God do not beleive in.  I also believe that Jesus was a son of that very same God whom it seems trouble you that I believe in.  Personally, I have no trouble at all using God and evolution in the same sentence.   And I say this because the tone of your responses seems to state that you are correct for not believeing in God and I am incorrect.  If I am misunderstanding your words, then I am sorry... I can not see you and your words reaching across this virtual divide are all I can know about you.  So no doubt I am mistaken in all sorts of things I think about people who post here.

Nice, BeeG. 

 

There is no eternal life. Nobody gets out of this world alive.

 At no time did I say "Live as if there is a god." In fact, it was quite the opposite. 

 

Whether or not there is a god is irrelevant. The point the atheists wager makes-whether you choose to believe in a supernatural being or not- is pretty much "Don't be a d*ck."

 

Everybody wins,

 

-as opposed to Blaise Pascal's wager which assumes there is absolutely a supernatural being and he's going to kick your ass if you don't believe in him, therefore theists think they have to be a d*ck at everybody either condemning them for not believing or trying to get them to believe.

 

To a theist, there's no other choice. I get that.

 

@  everybody else:

 

It's interesting to see the couple theist responses to Best's question...

 

Al pretty much says he lives to 'serve the master' in anticipation of a reward after death, more or less and would lose all incentive to live a fulfilling life and the incentive to care about his fellow man among other things.

 

@ Al: Dude-that sounds like 'happy slave' mentality to me. That would truly suck IMO, man....

 

If your above question was directed to me- I don't assume that you live a lesser quality of life as a believer than I do as an atheist.

The difference is I don't have to waste any time groveling on Sundays and Wednesday nights-or looking over my shoulder for lightning bolts, or any of that other (IMO superstitious) gobbledy****.

I don't live in fear. Period, and I don't fear my eventual death.  Every day is a brand new thing to be experienced to the fullest for me. Good, bad, or ugly-I only get one of each...... I'm not gonna waste time going through unnecessary OCD rituals. 

THAT peace of mind to me is worth a fortune. 

 

 

Sounds like Vic would quit paying for stuff as if the world would end if it was discovered that there was no skydaddy. 

  Society would beg to differ with that kind of thinking, LOL.  I don't believe in skydaddies and *I* have to pay for stuff..

 

Semi is at least being totally honest-with everybody and herself, by the sound of it.

She doesn't know either way-as none of us actually do (thumpers and heathens alike), but does everything she can from what I've noticed by her writings to always try to "do the next right thing" for herself and for others- 

   Which is exactly how the average atheist does it.  

  It's unlikely, given the fact that there is no such thing as 'magic' that a supernatural sky boss exists, so why not just live the best you can while you're here. 

 

I pretty much figure that the whole idea is to try to help people and not to hurt anybody on purpose. Sure.....S#*t happens and then ya try to make it right, but not to hurt anybody on purpose.

 

There are exceptions in my book.  I'm a decent guy, but I'm not a pushover.  Ya gotta draw the line somewhere.  (S#*t happens)

 

I've already realized that the whole concept of a magical, invisible supreme skyboss is ridiculous, and my morals are just as good, at the very least, as any theist's.

 

*I* think that if you need the threat of divine, magical retribution to act like a decent member of society-then your character is probably pretty weak to start with.

 

To answer Al's question to Best:

 

If I suddenly found out that for some illogical reason that there actually WAS a skyboss- I could probably stand confident that I would be judged on how I lived and what kind of person I was before I died and treated accordingly.

 

After all.....If I'm dead-there's nothing I could do about it anyway.

But, no matter.  I was dead for billions of years before I was born and the experience didn't faze me a bit.

 

Al, though I may sometimes/sometimes not agree with your thoughts/beliefs, I enjoy reading your post. I understand what Jenn is saying about those “rotten to the core,”  those “Christians” that want to impress others with their Christianity.

We have three of those on this very forum, the rotten ones. I’ve had more contact with those kind, in church, than the ones that truly love God & put Him first. 

 

I once knew a lady that after being around her for 2 minutes, you just knew she was a Christian, that she loved God above all else. Immediately you could see/sense the happiness inside her, the contentment. Sounds corny but that’s exactly what people felt being around her. She lived to be 103 years old & I’ve never met another like her. There’s just not many of those people around anymore.

 

I think a true Atheist, those that have no doubt there is no God, live a more stress free life not believing in God than those that do believe in Him. Can you imagine a heavier burden to carry than trying to pull  off the life of a "pretend" Christian? People do, more of them than not.

Even those that do try to honestly live a Christian life do not live stress free because being a Christian is not an easy thing to be.

 

I would think that an Atheist can have that confidence of not believing as much as a Christian can have that confidence of believing.

 

Did my post make any sense at all?

Why do you assume that I do not live my life to make this world a better place just because I happen to believe in God?  Why do you think that because I know that I will survive this life that I somehow am missing out on all the joy you have living?  I am confused.

==============

I never assumed anything. I never posted any such thing to you. You said you'd lose your zest for living, I said I hadn't ever known that to happen, it didn't happen to me or anyone I know, that in fact it was the opposite. Point out in my post where I said any such thing as you claim.

Al, I asked because of a conversation I had with an old friend I hadn't heard from in a while, during which she was telling me how she had finally accepted the fact that she just didn't believe in a god anymore. I don't know any atheist that was afraid of becoming a bad person, don't know any that did become a bad person, not saying there aren't some that had that fear, I've just never known any. I don't know any that lost their "zest for living" as you put it. One nice surprise is, it's actually the opposite, you gain a zest for life when you stop living the lie. It's like having a weight lifted off your shoulders. So I asked to see how many different thoughts/fears people have. I guess that's the best way to put it.

The only other post i made to you was in response to yours asking what would I do if I suddenly believed (again for me) in god, and I asked you which god?

Pup, you're a good man. You said what I've tried to say many times, but didn't say as well as you just did.

If I lay injured on the street, & two people walked by. One a "look at me, I'm a Christian" and the other, you......my guess is you would be the one to stop & lend a hand.

You would be the one I would want the help from.

Al, it seems a forum is not the best place to have any conversation. I've posted many things only to have others come back saying I meant or "said" something I never meant or "said". I think it's all in what they think of an atheist and a seething hatred they have for that person, so they project what they're feeling onto them. I have no problem with anyone because they believe, I have a problem with the kind of person they are because they feel that belief, or pretending to have it, gives them the right to say the nastiest things they want to say to and about other people. Most of which are outright lies, and they do it knowing they're lying. But they don't care if they lie if they think it gives them some kind of advantage over someone else. Their defense-"What? Me lie? Well goodness I'm just the holiest/goodiest thing that ever lived, how could you think I'd lie?"

 

 Thankfully I did not grow up in a home like that. My church was not like that. The MOST my parents would say is, "they don't believe like we do". They didn't go on and on attacking  them, running them down, lying about them and saying they were wrong and were going to hell. I was allowed to visit other churches IF my parents knew the people who'd asked me. And I've said it before, I'm sure there would have been limits, such as if I had asked to go to a "snake handling" church, which believe me I wouldn't have done. So some of my anger towards these fake and lying christians is because of the harm they do the truly good people who believe, and the truly good people who don't believe in a god.

 

Now back on subject, my "fears" were-what would my friends and family think when I told them I didn't believe any longer. Would it hurt them, would they pull away, which I really doubted, would they "double down" on trying to "save me" and cause hurt feelings? Besides the "doubling down", done in the nicest way, nothing much changed. There was no, "oh you've done it now, you're hell bound now, you want to sin and follow the world, I've never really understood that claim, since it seems that plenty of christians do all of that and still go to church on sundays to sit in the amen corner. Some also visit the td religion forum to condemn others for doing the same things they are doing, and some that don't even come close to doing the things they do. 

Hi all,

My atheist Friend, Jennifer, has posed the question titled "What Would Happen?" and adds, "Believers -- what do you think/fear would be the worse thing that would happen to you if you suddenly realized/understood there's no God?  What would change in your life?"

There are some interesting, but very confused comments posted in response   I suppose we can view them in levels.  First, the atheist.   Some grew up in an environment which always denied God; which is hard for me to fully comprehend, especially in America.  I grew up a non-believer -- but, never once did I doubt that God and Jesus Christ really existed.  God and Jesus Christ were like people I saw around town, but never really met -- I just did not get to know Them.

But, when I think of a person declaring, "I know there is no God!" -- I think of the person who will declare, "I don't like   (Mexican, Chinese, Vietnamese, etc.)  food!" -- when they have never, not even once, tasted it.

Then, there are those who will say, "I used to believe in God; but, not anymore!"   And, most often these folks are mad at God (even though they deny His existence) -- because He either did not give them what they wanted, or He supposedly took something from them.

First of all, God is under no obligation to give you anything.  But, He does because, like all good parents, He loves His children.   And, He loves ALL His creation, as proven in 2 Peter 3:9, "The Lord is not slow about His promise, as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing for any to perish but for all to come to repentance."   But, He especially loves His children (John 1:12), those will will be obedient and live the life He knows is best for them.  Isn't that normal for all parents to feel that way?

Then, there are those who will acknowledge God, but still want to live the secular life -- which, in their blindness, looks like much more fun.  Well, I lived 50 years without God; and I have lived 25 years with God -- and I can personally tell you that the last 25 years have been much happier, much more stress free, much more fulfilling -- than the first 50 years.

Several made the comment that living for God is done out of fear and is very stressful.  Nothing could be further from the truth.  I would not want to experience the stress, unhappiness, and messed up life I had in the first 50 years.  Oh, yes, I had a lot of good times, I made good money, I lived well -- from a worldly, secular view.

But, there was always something missing.   I believe I knew it was God; but, no way was I going to admit it and give up the "good life!"    No, God would just have to wait until I had all my fun.   Then, I might consider listening to Him.  Yet, for some reason I kept going in and out of churches.  Why?

Why?  Because we all have, deep down inside, that built-in longing to be a child of God -- but, many of us keep pushing it down or denying it.   Praise God, I finally stopped pushing Him away and became a child of God at the age of 50 -- and my life has been so much better in these last 25 years. 

 

Have they been perfect years, have I had no problems, no worries, no ups and downs?  No, I cannot say that.  But, I always have a very strong and very dependable Friend beside me; always there when I needed a strong shoulder to cry on, or a strong hand to lift me up.  That strong Friend is the Holy Spirit, God.

And, on such issues we have a New Age Friend who will weigh in on most discussions of this nature.  He tells us he believes in God; but, he also believes in Evolution.  If he would be a wee bit more explicit and tell us he believes in "micro evolution" -- in other words, that all life form does evolve within its species, I could agree with him.  For we know that from plant life all the way up the chain to human life; we have changed due to environment and other influences.  Animals have undergone the same level of evolution; over the millennia adapting to changing environments.

Humans, depending upon to which area of the world they migrated -- changed, i.e., skin color to accommodate changes in weather; physical size caused by different dietary habits, etc.

But, this is not the Darwinian Evolution which most all atheists and other non-believers support.  Darwinian Evolution is what is called "macro evolution" -- one species changing into a totally different species, i.e., apes evolved into human beings, fish into land dwelling animals, etc.  Never happened!

Yet, my New Age Friend tells us he has no trouble believing in both God and Evolution.  From past dialogues, I am assuming he means Darwinian Evolution; that God created the earth -- but, then allowed Darwinian Evolution to take over from there.  And, over billions of years (required for this type of evolution to occur) Darwin's Evolution took that lifeless single cell floating in a primordial swamp, infused it with life, and kept changing it -- until there was Ronald Reagan!

To say one accepts God and Darwinian Evolution -- is to say, "I accept God -- but, I deny His Written Word!"   My Friends, one cannot accept God while denying His Bible.  The two are inextricably linked.  To keep one and deny the other -- is like trying to have a body, while cutting off the head.   It doesn't work!

My Friends, there are only two kinds of fear involved with God:  One is those who fear that following God will cause them to lose worldly treasures and fun.  But, the true fear of God should be that of leaving this world without Him.  For everyone who leaves this world without Him -- WILL spend eternity without Him.

And, my Friends -- that is truly HELL!

God bless, have a wonderful, blessed day,

Bill

OK Best.  Thank you very much.  That makes total sense to me.  Sorry about appearing to become upset. 

 

Thank you Semi

 

Hi Pup!  Too funny, thanks for the laugh (skyboss).

 

Happily, I dont worry about lightening bolts or any of that nonsense.  To me God is just something which lives inside of all of us.  God is what makes us "good".  Primitive concepts like wrath or anger do not apply to God, at least not in my mind.  Pup, you are correct... It would truely suck to be scared of God.  You are welcome to think of me as a mindless zombie if that makes you feel good.  You do not know me beyond what I write here, and if that is how I come off to you, then OK, that's fine.

Hi Al Willams,

 

There you go quoting from your New Age Urantia Book bible -- and trying to give the impression you are quoting the Christian Bible.   You are like the Used Car Salesman of old, who use to put 50 weight oil in an old car to muffle the knocks -- until you sold the car and the sucker left your lot.

 

Sorry, my Friend -- but, your New Age Urantia Book bible, supposedly, according to your brothers in Urantia, brought to earth in the 1950s by extraterresrials -- IS NOT THE BIBLE.    Even the Book of Mormon is closer to God's Word than your New Age bible -- and the Book of Mormons is a cult document.

 

Sorry, Al, no sale.  Keep your 50 weight oil -- and use it to sell the Brooklyn Bridge to some sucker.

 

God bless, have a wonderful, blessed day,

 

Bill

__________

Ole Billy will be the one in Hell that catches the p*o*o*p when it's flushed from Heaven.

=====================

OK, here goes another post that probably won't come across the way I mean it.

 

You say you believe in god, that it's something that lives inside you. Yet you post-"I believe in God" and " I also believe that Jesus was a son of that very same God". And, "Primitive concepts like wrath or anger do not apply to God, at least not in my mind".

So where does your belief in a god come from? Because the one of the bible certainly was vengeful and bloodthirsty, and yes, wrathful. I couldn't understand the horrible punishments he meted out for the smallest infractions. It's like a parent who tells a child not to take a cookie, the child takes it anyway, and the parent chops off the child's hand. And no matter what some might claim, I most certainly did believe at that time, and never entertained the thought that the day would come when I'd realize there was no god.. And after I admitted to myself that I didn't believe it wasn't a case of my saying, "this is a bad man, so I will just stop believing in him".  I guess the best way to put what I thought when I was a believer was, "gee, wish he wasn't such a mean god". 

If there were a family that had never heard of God/Jesus, never heard of the Bible or read it. Then someone hands them the Bible & tells them to read it, then share it with their children, do you think they really would share it with their children?

I can't see a Mom/Dad sharing a book with all that violence with a child. The Old Testament & Revelations would be enough to give a child nightmares.

 

I understood years later why some of the Bible I wasn't allowed to read or know about as a child.

===============

Funny isn't it, that too many of them have a problem with harry potter.

-----------------------

Naw, Al...

 

I don't think of you as a mindless zombie.

 

All I'm sayin' is if ya live your life entirely for somebody else....at the end of it all....Where did yours go?

 I had a 20-year old 'mindless zombie' once tell me not to worry about 'this life.'  No, he said-it would be better spent worrying about the next one (in heaven, I suppose).

(Nevermind that this guy had latched onto religion to get off a serious drug habit. Oh well, one crutch for another I guess and comparatively, religion was the lesser-immediate-damage-causing) of the two crutches.)

 

 Al, "god" doesn't make us good.  Seriously.

"Other people" make us good.  Think about it.  If you were the only person on the planet-who'd care what you acted like?

 If there were five or ten other people on the planet-you might be able to eventually kill them and then again-nobody'd care what you acted like because there'd be nobody left to.

 

But there's a whole buncha people around you-and the majority of them prefer good behavior over bad.  They'll encourage you to behave well and punish you if you break bad.

 

Other people are the only reason we have a conscience. Otherwise we wouldn't need one.

 

Not god. Peer pressure and self-consciousness.

 

Talk about losing zest for life!! What fun would it be if there were nobody around to say "Hold my beer and watch this!" to???

 

Lol pup...get me a beer, would ya?

I don't usually drink beer but when I do I still don't, just give me Old N0. 7

and a big 7up.