If you don't believe in God and treat people rudely and there ends up being a God, you are in for a rude awakening when you die. The flip side, if you believe in God and treat people nicely and God doesn't exist at least you've made the world a better place with your love. So, I say err on the side of believing and make the world a better place. What do you say?
2006-07-14 17:27:10 · 18 answers · asked by Greenwood 5 in Society & Culture ➔ Religion & Spirituality
These two items CAN be two different things. I'd say they are more related than not related. Good point, though, I'll agree that you can be a loving person, and still not believe in God.
2006-07-14 17:39:46 · update #1
I'm sorry ... I don't mean to come on here as a nonbeliever (technically agnostic) and sound like I'm bashing you, but even with your edit, I think you're wrong. Almost every atheist/person who doesn't believe in God that I have met has treated me perfectly well, and long before talk of religion ever came into play. On the other hand, some Christians I've met have been downright judgemental and hypocritical from the beginning. And many more have acted that way after I have revealed that I don't believe anyone can ever know if there is a God. In any case, my opinion is that Christians and atheists alike are equally capable of treating others with kindness and love, even if their reasons for doing so are different.
As for the other part of the question: I've actually asked myself this from time to time. Why don't I just remain a Christian and believe in God so that if it turns out he exists, I'm covered. But that almost makes me sick to say now. Bottom line is, you can't CHOOSE what you believe.
Er, let me rephrase that, because it came out wrong. You can't make yourself believe something that you just don't. Believe me, I've tried, and I'm just not talking about religion. I can say I believe something all I want, but I can't change the way I feel deep down inside. I can't help it if I just can't believe in God. I'm human. I have no way to prove it and perhaps that's just how I was put together, to need proof to believe in something. In fact, I would feel like a hypocrite if I went to church and preached about how wonderful God is because my heart would just never believe in it. And one thing I hate about the Christian God is that this is all you supposedly have to do to get into Heaven, is say you believe, and ask for forgiveness. Why would God want someone who couldn't even follow their own heart, who was a hypocrite and liar? Wouldn't he want someone who admits to uncertainty, who admits that there could be a higher power but, being human, can never know?
Anyway, I hope some of that at least made sense and didn't offend. I don't know if there are others who feel the same way as me, but I suppose I would just feel like a fraud and a bad person if I tried to pose myself as a believer when I just can't believe. I still have plenty of legitimate reasons for caring about other people and trying to make the world a better place.
2006-07-14 18:03:09 · answer #1 · answered by maypoledancer 2 · 2⤊ 2⤋
I do treat people well, I don't believe in hurting others and I don't believe. As to your question of not believing and being in for a rude awakening. Well if I live a life in which I don't hurt others, I care about people, and am moral, and if I happen to have been wrong. Well then I feel this way, if it is more important that I believe in a god than I am a good person I don't want anything to do with that god. A god who would choose murderers because they have been saved over someone who didn't believe but was was a good person is not anything I would want a part of.
Plus you can't make yourself believe in something, you either do or you don't.
2006-07-15 00:26:10 · answer #2 · answered by curls 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I don't think you can prove there is a God, but that is no reason at all not to believe. Treating people with kindness and love and believing in God are not connected at all. I know kind, generous, nice people, who do not believe in God. It's all about the choices each person makes.
2006-07-14 17:31:11 · answer #3 · answered by Johanna 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I treat people with kindness and love...
... but I'm Pagan, so I don't believe in your God.
:) It's still the same. We're both working to make the world a happy place, right? Just in our own ways.
- 16 yo Pagan
2006-07-14 17:31:33 · answer #4 · answered by Lady Myrkr 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I say :-
* some of the most judgmental people I've ever met call themselves Christians.
*some of the most horrific crimes and wars in history have been in the name of Christianity or religion.
I further say, let's just treat each other well, whether we believe in God or not. That's just one step towards making this a better world!
2006-07-14 17:53:09 · answer #5 · answered by Chencha 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Yes why not and what happened to people wanting to be on the winning team is every one on a loser trip if the world spent as much time and money trying to help each other as the world does on destroying it just think how this earth could be
2006-07-14 17:32:32 · answer #6 · answered by jamnjims 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
who say that to treat people well i have to believe in god?
i dont and i try to be as nice a person as i can
2006-07-14 17:35:04 · answer #7 · answered by locomexican89 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Good Coin Toss!
Now if only everyone could believe in THE GOD!
2006-07-14 17:30:40 · answer #8 · answered by whynotaskdon 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I prefer to treat people with kindness and love without my decision being influenced by bribes or threats from any form of mythology, thank you.
2006-07-14 18:01:43 · answer #9 · answered by ? 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I am a believer, I just want to Thank You for posting this.
Remember the love train song. Perhaps someday we'll see many join it.
2006-07-14 17:31:51 · answer #10 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋