What godless means

[Shadow Wolf]

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

Yes, and the OP is wrong. And all you did was try to redefine it in an absurd and illogical manner.

 

[Estro Felino]

Yes, and the OP is wrong. And all you did was try to redefine it in an absurd and illogical manner.

Look at the Amish communities. They live their lives piously according to Christ's teachings.

I am not saying we should all be like them. A middle way.
I don't need to believe in a God to understand this basic principle.

 

[Shadow Wolf]

Look at the Amish communities. They live their lives piously according to Christ's teachings.

I am not saying we should all be like them. A middle way.
I don't need to believe in a God to understand this basic principle.

But you do need to believe in a god(s) to be godly, and without belief in them to be goddless.

 

[Estro Felino]

But you do need to believe in a god(s) to be godly, and without belief in them to be goddless.

I believe there are so many godless people within the Vatican.

 

[Aupmanyav]

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 agree that life has meaning. But then we do not ascribe it to any God. Therefore, we are Godless as well as soul-less.
God or soul has no part to play in my life.

 

[Shadow Wolf]

I believe there are so many godless people within the Vatican.

Only if they don't believe in or have any sort of god.

 

[LuisDantas]

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

Defending anyone from such dysfunctional claims may not be worth the trouble, though.

More than that, you lend a superficial impression of significance to something that does not deserve so much.

 

[Gargovic Malkav]

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 think it kind of accords with the view I have about God.
I'm reluctant express it in such ways though, because as you probably have noticed, most people don't understand what you mean and can get very sensitive and territorial about this.

 

[Stevicus]

Look at the Amish communities. They live their lives piously according to Christ's teachings.

I am not saying we should all be like them. A middle way.
I don't need to believe in a God to understand this basic principle.

Most of my extended family and roots go back to "small town America." My family and forebears weren't Amish, but devoutly Christian and somewhat pious, for the most part. At least, that's what it would look like on the surface, although there was still an underlying bigotry, xenophobia, mistrust of outsiders, and some pretty harsh views, such as support of the death penalty, segregation, war, tough police (or at least a tough sheriff and a good posse when needed). Such views started to mellow by the time of my parents' generation, and I was born in the 60s and got more exposure living in mostly moderate and secularized suburbs instead of insular, culturally isolated small towns.

I'll admit that, on a surface level, the bucolic, pastoral life of a small village full of pious inhabitants gives many people a certain sentimental feeling. I think it's more of a myth which doesn't really reflect the actual underlying reality of these places.

 

[Father Heathen]

Look at the Amish communities. They live their lives piously according to Christ's teachings.

I am not saying we should all be like them. A middle way.
I don't need to believe in a God to understand this basic principle.

Apparently a lot of abuse (physical and sexual, spousal and child) goes on behind closed doors in Amish communities.

 

[Father Heathen]

I believe there are so many godless people within the Vatican.

Transition: their beliefs aren't up to my standards. Making that use of "godless" a subjective opinion, and thus worthless.

 

[PureX]

@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

Sorry, but that's just semantic nonsense.

"Godless" means "without any gods". Obviously. And the term "God" does not refer to any ethical or philosophical imperative one might hold to be important. Whenever I see quotes like this where someone feels they have to muddy up the waters of language this badly in order to present their "pearls of wisdom" I pretty much know it'll be some biased nonsense.

 

[Estro Felino]

I think it kind of accords with the view I have about God.
I'm reluctant express it in such ways though, because as you probably have noticed, most people don't understand what you mean and can get very sensitive and territorial about this.

You're right.
After all that woman's video makes sense to me.
But it won't make sense to many people.
I guessed it was thought-provoking...what she said...so I wanted to start a thread.
It's pretty sad that it was all misinterpreted.

 

[Estro Felino]

Sorry, but that just semantic nonsense.

"Godless" means "without any gods". Obviously. And the term "God" does not refer to any ethical or philosophical imperative one might hold to be important. Whenever I see quotes like this where someone feels they have to muddy up the waters of language this badly in order to present their "pearls of wisdom" I pretty much know it'll be some biased nonsense.

English is too, too literal as language.
Which can be very, very exasperating, I can promise you that.
My mothertongue is very metaphorical. If I say I flew home...in my language it means I rushed home, walking.
In English it means I took the plane.

So we don't focus on the literal meaning of words, but on the usage and the point one wants to make.

 

[Revoltingest]

I need to define what godless means first :

I sense some crotchelfestery to be afoot.

godless means to believe in nothing.

Wongo pongo!
We just don't believe in gods....especially
your very vicious vengeful version.

To believe life is meaningless.

We find meaning other than serving
a malevolent master out of fear.

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.

Your claims become contradictory.

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

Nah...just the rejection of gods.

And trust me, there are theists who are godless, because they think religion is just a cultural figment.

Did you just invent the no-true-theist fallacy?

So godless doesn't mean necessarily atheist.

"Godless" means not murdering abortion doctors,
not killing women who've been raped, not waging
war in the name of Jesus or Islam, not enslaving
other people because the sacred book says to,
etc, etc.
Godless is good.

 

[Estro Felino]

I sense some
Godless is good.

The American intelligence is godless because they used Ukraine as battlefield for their personal war against Putin.

The mere idea terrifies me, because it's something Satan would plan.

 

[PoetPhilosopher]

The American intelligence is godless because they used Ukraine as battlefield for their personal war against Putin.

The mere idea terrifies me, because it's something Satan would plan.

Putin started the war. And if I recall, there were clauses or agreements where United States was suppose to protect Ukraine from war as part of an old agreement between Ukraine, US, and Russia (despite Ukraine not being part of NATO).

 

[Revoltingest]

The American intelligence is godless because they used Ukraine as battlefield for their personal war against Putin.

The mere idea terrifies me, because it's something Satan would plan.

Christianity (Islam & Hinduism too) is worse than godless.
With the church's blessing, Putin sends prisoners
into Ukraine to bomb hospitals & schools, rape
& torture people, & seize land that isn't his.
About your God....
It's time for regime change.

 

[PureX]

English is too, too literal as language. There is an obsession with the literal meaning of words.
Which can be very, very exasperating, I can promise you that.
My mothertongue is very metaphorical. If I say I flew home...in my language it means I rushed home, walking.
In English it means I took the plane.

Actually, it just means 'moving through the air'. It doesn't connote speed or mechanism.

So we don't focus on the literal meaning of words, but on the usage and the point one wants to make.

And the point being made, in this instance, was wrong. Mostly because the word "God" was being way, way too broadly used.

Now I'll grant you that "God" is a difficult term to define. But that's all the more reason NOT to make the definition absurdly inclusive, as opposed to restricting it's intended meaning as much as possible for the sake of clarity as it's being used.

And I have witnessed that, regardless of the language one is using, when someone tries to make the words they're using be very broadly inclusive like that, they are generally trying to "muddy up" the conversation so as to hide some nonsense they are about to spout.

 

[lukethethird]

@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

"The godless person is not a person who has no god, for everyone has gods, including the atheist."

If this is true, words have no meaning, god or godless is the same thing. No doubt it was written by a theist.