Kindly to other Christians, if you will. Even Muslims and Jews if you so wish...

[Just_me_Mike]

It is apparent that God fills some inner need, perhaps some inner feeling that without a belief in God life would not be very worth living. Even if God only acts to augment your otherwise good life, God is important enough to you that without God, life changes dramatically for you, in theory of course.

My question to you rather, my request of you, is to explain exactly how life becomes so dreadful to you personally with the removal of God?

The next question is how exactly would you live your life if in fact there was no God, please explain what you would do differently or in contrast to what you do currently.

Thank you...

 

[ChristineES]

All I know is that before I found God, I was incredibly unhappy. I doubt I would change anything in my personality if I didn't have God. I am mostly the same as before I found Him. My outlook on life is the only thing that changed.

 

[Just_me_Mike]

All I know is that before I found God, I was incredibly unhappy. I doubt I would change anything in my personality if I didn't have God. I am mostly the same as before I found Him. My outlook on life is the only thing that changed.

Do you admit or at least yield a bit to the possibility that if something else came along and made you happy you might not have a need for God?

 

[ChristineES]

Do you admit or at least yield a bit to the possibility that if something else came along and made you happy you might not have a need for God?

Of course there is that possibility. But since nothing else new was going on in my life at the time, I automatically gave the credit to finding God. But certainly, it could have been anything else.

 

[Just_me_Mike]

Of course there is that possibility. But since nothing else new was going on in my life at the time, I automatically gave the credit to finding God. But certainly, it could have been anything else.

I believe in God as well, so I am not trying to slight your experience or life, just trying to ask the right questions to better understand other people's experiences.

 

[Godobeyer]

It is apparent that God fills some inner need, perhaps some inner feeling that without a belief in God life would not be very worth living. Even if God only acts to augment your otherwise good life, God is important enough to you that without God, life changes dramatically for you, in theory of course.

My question to you rather, my request of you, is to explain exactly how life becomes so dreadful to you personally with the removal of God?

The next question is how exactly would you live your life if in fact there was no God, please explain what you would do differently or in contrast to what you do currently.

Thank you...

if there is no God , there is no creatures , and that mean no life , ...but if we imagine a like without god (i guess in that time everyone would try to be god ,to the others )

God mean creatures and mean life to creatures , see how we got to this life ?
from a union of (very small ,invisible) sprem of man and (very small,invisible) egg of woman !!!!

 

[Levite]

It is apparent that God fills some inner need, perhaps some inner feeling that without a belief in God life would not be very worth living. Even if God only acts to augment your otherwise good life, God is important enough to you that without God, life changes dramatically for you, in theory of course.

My question to you rather, my request of you, is to explain exactly how life becomes so dreadful to you personally with the removal of God?

The next question is how exactly would you live your life if in fact there was no God, please explain what you would do differently or in contrast to what you do currently.

Thank you...

The years that I lived as an agnostic/atheist were years in which I did whatever I pleased on Saturdays, did not go to synagogue, did not observe the holidays, and ate whatever I pleased, wherever and whenever I pleased. I'll be honest, shrimp are good. I remember that. They were hard to give up when I began keeping kosher again.

On the other hand, those were years I felt cut off from the community of my childhood, and was constantly searching for another community to take its place. My life felt unfocused, bereft of higher meaning, and all the secular philosophy I read to try and take the place of religion just seemed cold and sterile and empty.

I am so glad that I chose to begin practicing Judaism again. I can't imagine a life without my people, my community, my prayers, my celebration and observance, my relationship with God....

I suppose if there were no God, I would still be unfocused, aimlessly seeking, trying desperately to create meaning in a world where meaning is hard to come by.

 

[bowingtoGod]

When I was an atheist I was perfectly fine. I was happy. Still am happy, a bit more than happy hahaha
I wasn't in a position of helplessness or sorrow or depression when I began to believe in God. So if I didn't believe in God (Allah forbid) I would be perfectly normal. Atheists can lead happy lives you know
What I would do differently... hmm... date again. I may drink casually. I would still keep all the morals that i acquired from Islam though.

 

[fantome profane]

The years that I lived as an agnostic/atheist were years in which I did whatever I pleased on Saturdays, did not go to synagogue, did not observe the holidays, and ate whatever I pleased, wherever and whenever I pleased. I'll be honest, shrimp are good. I remember that. They were hard to give up when I began keeping kosher again.

On the other hand, those were years I felt cut off from the community of my childhood, and was constantly searching for another community to take its place. My life felt unfocused, bereft of higher meaning, and all the secular philosophy I read to try and take the place of religion just seemed cold and sterile and empty.

I am so glad that I chose to begin practicing Judaism again. I can't imagine a life without my people, my community, my prayers, my celebration and observance, my relationship with God....

I suppose if there were no God, I would still be unfocused, aimlessly seeking, trying desperately to create meaning in a world where meaning is hard to come by.

This I find interesting and I hope you don’t mind me asking a question.

If there was no “God” could you not still have your people, your community, your celebrations and observances? And could not these things be enough to bring focus into your life?

 

[Levite]

This I find interesting and I hope you don’t mind me asking a question.

If there was no “God” could you not still have your people, your community, your celebrations and observances? And could not these things be enough to bring focus into your life?

I suppose. That's sort of the fundamental contention of Kaplanian Reconstructionist Judaism. But personally, I find doing all these things without the motive of a covenant with God and revelatory tradition rather pallid and meager. I suppose some people might be satisfied with it. I couldn't be.