What godless means

[Stevicus]

I need to define what godless means first :
godless means to believe in nothing. To believe life is meaningless. That this life is just pleasure, instinct, and that the fittest shall prevail.
Many atheists believe in something, which can be wisdom, art, creativity, fairness, cooperation, knowledge, justice, peace.
They pursue these things, and their life is filled with meaning.

But godlessness is the rejection of all the positive values theists associate with deities. And trust me, there are theists who are godless, because they think religion is just a cultural figment.

So godless doesn't mean necessarily atheist.

Until there is a god who appears before us and starts running society, we will be a godless society by default. That's what we've always had, it seems. The existence of religion and/or religious believers does not make us not a godless society, and in fact, it leads to more people who are vain, with no sense of humility, and an inflated sense of power (just like the speaker in the video says) - all because they believe they have the "right" religion. Religion causes tremendous egos which leads to the situation described by the speaker in the video.

 

[Evangelicalhumanist]

@Soandso

Read this
The godless person is not a person who has no god, for everyone has gods, including the atheist. A god is simply that which a person elevates to the position of greatest importance and significance. For some people this is the One True God or some pagan god, and for others it may be family, wealth, prestige, scientific materialism, or personal autonomy. Everyone has gods, even the godless, but only believers in Christ know and revere the One True God as He has revealed Himself in Scripture—Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

Source What does it mean to be godless? | GotQuestions.org

What else would a site devoted to spreading "the Word of God" say? Their stupid home page starts off right at the beginning with "How to get to Heaven," and "How to get right with God." It's worth the paper it's written on, and not a pfennig more.

 

[Estro Felino]

Until there is a god who appears before us and starts running society, we will be a godless society by default. That's what we've always had, it seems. The existence of religion and/or religious believers does not make us not a godless society, and in fact, it leads to more people who are vain, with no sense of humility, and an inflated sense of power (just like the speaker in the video says) - all because they believe they have the "right" religion. Religion causes tremendous egos which leads to the situation described by the speaker in the video.

Unfortunately religion can be an incentive to pride and sin, because some people feel entitled to do harm on God's behalf. Just think of the Crusades or the holy wars in general.

Banking Seigniorage is something godless. Since it's a heist against a nation, and normalized.

 

[Estro Felino]

Have your you actually read the bible, particularly the OT?

Why should I answer your questions, when you seldom answer mine?

 

[Father Heathen]

Belief in a god isn't a prerequisite for having purpose or meaning nor for having a sense of ethics and morality, and if that's not what you meant then it's nonsensical to use such language. Say what you actually mean.

 

[ChristineM]

Banking Seigniorage is something godless. Since it's a heist against a nation, and normalized.

As is trying to redefine atheism so suite the egos of god believers who have no concept of without god.

 

[Father Heathen]

I did underline many times atheism is not godlessness.

Nobody here is going to accept your weird, counterintuitive usage of the world "godless", especially when your own source in the OP uses it in the literal, traditional sense.

 

[Estro Felino]

Belief in a god isn't a prerequisite for having purpose or meaning nor for having a sense of ethics and morality,

That's exactly what the OP conveys. Re-read it.

 

[Evangelicalhumanist]

I did underline many times atheism is not godlessness.

Yes, it is. Atheism == no gods. That's all. I like music -- it's not god. I like books, they're not god. I love my partner, and he's not god either (but don't tell him I said so!)

 

[Estro Felino]

Nobody here is going to accept your weird, counterintuitive usage of the world "godless", especially when your own source in the OP uses it in the literal, traditional sense.

So godless is just a synonym of atheist?

Like difference is a synonym of distinction?

 

[Soandso]

So godless is just a synonym of atheist?

Like difference is a synonym of distinction?

I don't mean to be the guy who pulls out the dictionary, but...

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[ChristineM]

Why should I answer your questions, when you seldom answer mine?

The choice is yours of course but i think you'll find i answer you with appropriateness. You just tend to ignore it.

And i think the lack of answer is telling, thanks for your answer

P.s. see post #3

 

[Evangelicalhumanist]

So godless is just a synonym of atheist?

Like difference is a synonym of distinction?

No. Godless has other meanings, including "wicked," as in "seeking after one's own godless pleasures."

Atheist has no such meaning.

 

[Stevicus]

Unfortunately religion can be an incentive to pride and sin, because some people feel entitled to do harm on God's behalf. Just think of the Crusades or the holy wars in general.

It seems to come from those who believe "I'm holier than thou."

 

[It Aint Necessarily So]

godless means to believe in nothing. To believe life is meaningless.

Why would you give that definition to that word? Why word it like that? Meaningless is ambiguous here. It can refer to hopelessness (pessimistic nihilism) as well as to the idea that life has no intrinsic meaning and that the individual creates meaning (optimistic nihilism), which shouldn't be called meaninglessness without qualification.

godlessness is the rejection of all the positive values theists associate with deities.

"Godlessness" triggers a hostile reaction to atheists for many theists.

This is anti-Communist propaganda from the mid-20th century:

In politics there are lots of theists who proclaim themselves believers of God, and then they lie, cheat, defraud the American people. That's what godlessness is. You can believe in the existence of a God, but your life can be completely devoid of Godliness. Does that make sense?

It's offensive coming from a theist. Think n****r and q***r, and who can use those words and who can't. I don't think offending is your purpose. You seem to be taking great pains to not offend atheists, but you're using the word the way only a theist would, associating good qualities with gods and those who emulate them.

A few years back, an angry neighbor next to our cabin in the woods was incensed at us for asking that she not allow her grandchildren to run their ATVs on our property for a few reasons including terrifying the wildlife, despoiling the wilderness, and the noise. She came storming over to our cabin insisting that the kids were only having good Christian fun. That's a word she can use that way in church, but I found her more offensive than her grandchildren. I was thinking maybe she should teach them how to have good humanist fun, which would include respect for nature and neighbors.

Here's how I, an atheist, use the word godless:

• "I don't need faith to believe that our universe might be godless. I can't find a need for a god. To do what? The world around us appears to have assembled itself and to run itself without intelligent oversight."

And this:

• "My worldview features a godless, naturalistic metaphysics, a rational, empathetic moral code, and an empirical epistemology."

Are there any deities that promote negative values?

The god of Abraham is a monster by humanist standards. Dawkins summarized it here:

"The god of the Old Testament is arguably the most unpleasant character in all fiction: jealous and proud of it; a petty, unjust, unforgiving control-freak; a vindictive, bloodthirsty ethnic cleanser; a misogynistic, homophobic, racist, infanticidal, genocidal, filicidal, pestilential, megalomaniacal, sadomasochistic, capriciously malevolent bully." - Richard Dawkins

 

[bobhikes]

I need to define what godless means first :
godless means to believe in nothing. To believe life is meaningless. That this life is just pleasure, instinct, and that the fittest shall prevail.
Many atheists believe in something, which can be wisdom, art, creativity, fairness, cooperation, knowledge, justice, peace.
They pursue these things, and their life is filled with meaning.

But godlessness is the rejection of all the positive values theists associate with deities. And trust me, there are theists who are godless, because they think religion is just a cultural figment.

So godless doesn't mean necessarily atheist.

I believe that life is meaningless but that I can enjoy it myself and help others enjoy their time as well. Why do you assume that all people who believe life is meaningless also believe only the fittest shall prevail or even have a negative view on living life because of it being meaningless. We all do meaningless things and still enjoy ourselves doing them. If anything realizing life is meaningless lets me enjoy things I value more.

 

[Mock Turtle]

I need to define what godless means first :
godless means to believe in nothing. To believe life is meaningless. That this life is just pleasure, instinct, and that the fittest shall prevail.
Many atheists believe in something, which can be wisdom, art, creativity, fairness, cooperation, knowledge, justice, peace.
They pursue these things, and their life is filled with meaning.

But godlessness is the rejection of all the positive values theists associate with deities. And trust me, there are theists who are godless, because they think religion is just a cultural figment.

So godless doesn't mean necessarily atheist.

The video is more like something that Trump would produce - being so simplistic and as appealing to the less thinking. So religions invented morality? Not very likely, and more like claiming such so as to have at least some authority. And not notice that with about 85% of the world believing in some particular religion we have not achieved any perfect state yet? Shame that all religions don't seem to believe in the one set of morals either - and with the Taliban (marked by their having particular religious beliefs) currently being on the lowest level (as judged by the majority it seems).

When one accepts that human values are basically derived from our past, through evolution, and from our own thinking (even if side-tracked by religions), it is not so hard to recognise that we could have appropriate values devoid of any God beliefs. But so much easier to bank on one or two old texts explaining it all for so many, even if such stretch the bounds of probability.

 

[LuisDantas]

Are there any deities that promote negative values?

Definitely. Of course, what counts as negative values depends on your referentials of virtue.

Even among the Christian variety of conceptions of god there are some that promote violent rejection of LGBTIQ+, for instance.

 

[Estro Felino]

Definitely. Of course, what counts as negative values depends on your referentials of virtue.

Even among the Christian variety of conceptions of god there are some that promote violent rejection of LGBTIQ+, for instance.

I think no person here has read the OP...yet.
In the OP I defend atheists.

 

[ChristineM]

I think no person here has read the OP...yet.
In the OP I defend atheists.

Seems to me you were handing out a towel before peeing on them