Why Care Whether God Exists Or Not?

[YmirGF]

Is there any reason we should care whether God exists or not? If so, why? If not, why not?

Caring about the existence of "god" will not affect your personal existence in any but highly superficial ways. You will mold your behavior around accepted dogmatic value judgments that are believed to be pleasing to your religion's/personal beliefs about what is ostensibly also acceptable to your imagined "god". (Just how convenient is that, eh?) For the most part that is just ducky, but the downside to this is the individual is using a secondary motivator to guide their behavior. Before long one trots about blathering that they are doing "god's will" and with time will claim to even know what "god" (their personal Invisible Friend, remember -- you know, the one they cannot actually prove exists in the first place) wants from his creations. The next logical step is to convince others to believe as they themselves do as delusion, like misery, works well in large groups. If one can get a very large group of deluded individuals into a nice herd formation then, by default, the deluded individuals can become the norm and the rest of us start looking for rocks to hide under.

In almost all cases, the person trumpeting this viewpoint will expect everyone to do what they themselves are already doing. This is one aspect of the Lemming syndrome and the only thing Lemmings really need is the fellowship of their brother and sister Lemmings. When you get a whole pack of Lemmings together they have an odd tendency to go running off the nearest cliff in order to become closer to their imagined "god". It is a somewhat indelible way to make ones point. Hopefully their imagined "god" will not look at them too harshly although the chances are that that god would be killing himself laughing at their self-created plight. Silly lemmings.

One thing I find a bit irksome is that as far as I am aware “god” doesn’t give a rat’s hindquarters to our miserable little self-created lives. Of course, “he” does wish us well, but figures that if “he” had to learn how to solve the problem of “creation” then his creations can take a tip from the “boss” and jolly well figure out the solutions to their own self-created problems on their own.

The bottom line is that belief in “god” is simply not essential. Due to the distorted rendering of “god” concepts by the world’s highly regarded religion’s they will give the very strong impression that the individual needs their much vaunted knowledge to live a full, happy and healthy life, but the simple fact is that it is all a well meaning confidence game. Man’s religion’s have a vested interest in telling people they need “god” and the need “men of god” to “dumb down” that “god’s” message for the unwashed masses. I rather doubt any religious group would grew very large by trumpeting the idea that the common human animal did not need their intercessions.

Suffice to say, if you believe in yourself, then you believe in “god” even if you are too timid to affix that label to what is perhaps our own unknown reality.

 

[McBell]

This is not what I was referring to. There are many deeper evidences of God. The point I was trying to make was that the discussion of whether or not God exists is endless.

It is endless merely because it cannot be "proven" either way.
I was pointing out that there are many who take this little fact and run wild with it.

If you're referring to Creation, then I'd have to disagree.

The fact is that the universe is amazingly complex because we, and all other life on earth make up part of it. And a complex design must have a designer -that's the rationalle, and there's noting irrational about it.

Says who?
Who says that a complex design has to have a creator?
Who says that the universe is complex?
You make to many assumptive premises to keep up with your flow of reasoning.

Depends. Not if it's by first class.

Fair enough

 

[EiNsTeiN]

I think we should search for God indeed cuz that means searching for the truth...
The secret behind your existance, and the deeper secret behind existing you that way..
Your life is full of mysteries..and you gotta search for answers..

In my opinion, anyone who would search for such answers will end up finding his God...
Here comes the second phase of truth finding, which is answering the question "which God?"

By answering this last question, you just found the truth you have been looking for..

Best regards

 

[Smoke]

You have implied that your the victim of the evil religious right, and I responded that China would be a good place for you to move because the evil religious people can't oppress you there.

I've got news for you, Skippy: I can oppose the religious right and complain about the religious right as much as I like, so don't give me that "love it or leave it" crap. If you don't want people like me in "your" country, you're the one who should leave.

And anway I'm a Christian; Iran is a Muslim theocracy.

If you've seen one ignorant fundamentalism -- or fundumentalism, if you prefer -- you've seen them all.

Would you fight an atheist state where religious people are limited in their practice to going to their weekly religious functions?

Of course not. As long as people aren't trying to write their superstitions into law or hurt anybody else, they should be free to practice any damn fool thing they like.

 

[Don Penguinoini]

If i realised he/she didnt exist, id be annoyed. i wake up early for him/her.

 

[EiNsTeiN]

If i realised he/she didnt exist, id be annoyed. i wake up early for him/her.

You know?...I would never let that thought come to my head..
Cuz I totally believe in Him

And if He doesn't exist, you won't even recognize

 

[Don Penguinoini]

My faith would bring him alive, to me.

 

[EiNsTeiN]

My faith would bring him alive, to me.

Even if He doesn't exist?

 

[Don Penguinoini]

`Thats, the point, he did.

 

[Mister Emu]

Yes. Because God cares.

 

[Nimrauko]

The assumption of god trumps all others and renders 'reason' nothing more than delusion.

Just because you string a bunch of words together trying to sound wise, does not make you such. Blind faith is idiotic and G-d doesnt render Reason more than a delusion, G-d furthers reason. It is reasoning that gives us a glimpse of G-d's works and how he does the wondrous things he does.

 

[Jayhawker Soule]

It is reasoning that gives us a glimpse of G-d's works and how he does the wondrous things he does.

Rubbish.

 

[.lava]

Rubbish.

-Rude

 

[Guitar's Cry]

For some it might matter; some need to know what's really out there. But at the end of the day God is a symbol for something only experienced, like everything else.

God is a just a symbol...

Really, that is enough.

 

[logician]

Rationalism and freethought leads to the reality there is no god, not the opposite.

 

[MoonWater]

Rationalism and freethought leads to the reality there is no god, not the opposite.

Not so. I have met many rational freethinking people who believe in God. Unless you think that believing in God automatically makes you irrational but that's just plain bigotted and ignorant not to mention arrogant.

 

[Super Universe]

For humans, it does not matter whether God exists or not. It would be like attempting to teach Einstein's theories to an infant.

 

[s2a]

Hello Luke17:2,

You said:

Whether God exists or not matters because, if He does, we best find out who He is and what He wants because He has absolute power over us.

Have you "found out" yet?

If so, what does your god "want" (of us)?

Specifically?

If He doesn't, then it doesn't matter.

Indeed...if "He" doesn't exist, then "He" doesn't matter. But that's a kinda obvious conclusion...dontchathink?

The fact is, there's no way to prove it one way or the other.

Which is a very compelling reason not to believe in your claimed god...dontchathink?

The universe is evidence of His existence, but that's the extent.

According to...?

From thence, people subscribe to one religion or the other. Except for Deists, most people are satisfied that they've found God. Deists content themselves with searching for Him, believing He exists and therefore sure that they're cause is just.

I subscribe to neither religious, nor faith-based beliefs. As you tender in premised concession..."it" doesn't matter".

But it's true; why would an Atheist care? Except for the irrational belief that God doesn't exist, they've nothing to care about at all.

Thus speaks the "enlightened" perspective of the adherent theist.

"Unbelief can not be rationally explained/defined."

Bunk.

I propose instead that "'Unbelief' can not be rationally explained/defined/conceived" by any ardently adherent theist. Prove me wrong.

Believe me when I tell you that atheists lend their best efforts to explain why they don't accept religious/faith-based claims as "rational" fact.

If I "didn't care", as you spuriously allege, I wouldn't bother to respond to your commentary.

Now what?

 

[gnostic]

Whether God exists or not matters because, if He does, we best find out who He is and what He wants because He has absolute power over us.

That's a load of...nonsenses.

If God really has absolute power...and if he is good, as Christians, Jews or Muslims believed to be, then he can easily stop the killing, raping, people starving, etc.

You know, that's a bigoted statement. You're no less bigoted then Pat Robertson. Actually, you're worse because he bases his on the belief in God, as you don't believe in God, you have no basis. He's a religious bigot; you're just a bigot.

But what MidnightBlue said is true, to some extent.

People use God's name far too often, often refusing to take responsibilities for their own actions. This is particularly true in time of war.

People will always see themselves in the right, and other people wrong, basically because they seriously believe God is on their side.

Take Israeli-Palestinian conflict for example.

Both believed they have the rights on claiming their lands as their own, because they believed God willed it. I don't think God gives a fig of who own that land, but that don't stop them killing in God's name. Neither side really care if innocents are slaughtered because they are too blinded by the light and their own self-righteousness.

Christians have done so in the past, with 3 of the crusades. And they have done so against other Christians even more times against the Muslims, all in the name of God. The inquistions, torturing and execution of heretics and witches, are classic examples of Christians justifying their actions because of what their religion dictates. Of course, their actions were also political motivated or motivated by greed for land and power, but they were also motivated because of their religion. Some Muslims are doing this now.

Violence mixed with religious fervour often make a person refused to take responsible for his own action, because in his sick mind, he believe he is the instrument of God's will.

 

[Guitar's Cry]

Rationalism and freethought leads to the reality there is no god, not the opposite.

While that might be true for some (I cannot presume to know another's reality), that certainly isn't for all. It's a generalization.

For me, it led to a better understanding.

How can there be a reality without "God," once the concept is introduced?