if there is no God indeed?

Question

...if there Is actually Nothing more than This

...would it matter whether you are a believer (in some god, whatever) or not? And if it's healthier to be a believer (gives hope and relieves stress - if used properly - and the rest of the stuff - crusades excluded) - then why be shy?

If there's Nothing beyond This, then "having the power to face the truth" wouldn't mean much either, wouldn't it.

Oh yes, but I will order a reasonably good red dry wine - I just tolerate it better then beer when it comes to large quantities, you know. Anybody else on wine here?...

...and it's not actually Pascal's wager, cause I'm not thinking about converting people with this. Of course that you either believe or not. It's just a - say - exercise about "being right" and "being wrong" and "being possibly both".

Answer 1

I have no problem with anyone's coping strategies, as long as they're not hurting anyone.

Answer 2

The problem with this is that people ASSOCIATE their existence with some higher power. In retrospect, many don't have the mental capacity to look beyond their own existence and see the universe for what it is.

So anything we don't understand (or have an innate fear of), we just say, "This is the work of______(insert deity name here).")

And so we've created a false religion from our own fears and the unknown. Recently, James Cameron claimed to have found the remains of Christ. And right now, most of the Christian world is at an uproar, because their man-made beliefs are being threatened by reality. If it turns out that Christ wasn't resurrected and he died a MAN, and not the son of God--then it blows a HUGE whole in this religion we call Christianity.

And not many are prepared for that accolade.

I myself don't have a strong religious faith. I did once, but then discovered it was a sham. Life itself was more of an alluring teacher than some kind of religion facade that promised everlasting life--if only I devoted myself entirely to the teachings of one (apparently MORTAL) man and one god.

So I stopped the false pretense and went on living my life as I wanted to.

Answer 3

Facing the truth is not easy 4 everyone and some people prefer live the lie. Belief is the only thing to hold on to in the mind of someone who can't deal with the realities that their doctrine could possibly be wrong.

It's not so much that God does not exist but the concept that is taught is not entirely the truth.

Answer 4

Believing in G-d doesn't necessarilly mean it will give you hope or relieve stress. I believe it is healthier for one to believe that they must depend on themselves to get what they want rather than put all trust in a being that has no established proof of it's existance. It would feel more like betrayal when the person doesn't actually get it.

Answer 5

I like Star Trek, Highlander, etc and yes watching those shows can be entertaining but I'm not about to try and delude myself into thinking that either one is reality.

However that is exactly what the religious do. They buy into a fantasy and not even a well written one and try to delude themselves into thinking this crap is real!

It is really sad how people will cling to crap that serves no purpose only because that's what they were told to think!

I prefer to live in the real world and not in a man made fantasy!

Answer 6

Good point, except that people seem to be incapable of keeping their nose out of each other's beliefs (see question for example). This (arguably false) belief in god is used to manipulate masses and masses of people. I don't really want to go there, and I just don't believe.

Besides that, I think a false belief in god allows people to slack on their responsibility to their communities. "Oh, that person is being abused. Instead of standing up for them, I will as my god to do something. That way, I don't have to do any thing AND I don't have to feel guilty about my inaction."

Why believe the sky is blue? Why not just insist that is really is flourescent green? Is there any harm in being wrong? Probably not, but it is hard to convince yourself to have faith in something that is not really there.

Answer 7

If you want to believe in a fairy-tale, that is your right.
If that gives you comfort, by all means.

But, there are to many religious people who try to force their views on others.
Things like trying to get 'creationism' taught in schools. Prayer in public schools, etc.
This is not somebody practicing their faith, but trying to force it on others. As long as there is religion, this will happen.

"and the rest of the stuff"?
The jihads, crusades, witch hunts, inquisitions, terrorism in the name of religion. Just pretend it doesn't happen?

Though individual belief may be fine, organized religion has caused more hate, violence, and murder than any other cause.

Answer 8

What are you talking about? Of course there would be value in knowing the truth! If nothing else, it would allow us to improve the world more. I mean, who do you think is more likely to try to improve the world, someone who thinks that as soon as they die they're going to go to Heaven anyway or someone who thinks this universe is the only one we have? Who's more likely to make the 'This' that there's nothing more than last as long as possible and be as good as possible? Think about it that way.

Answer 9

Yay!

I found a Pascal's Wager question. And here I was thinking I'd get through the day without one.

Answer 10

If God does Not exist, a person Loses Nothing by believing He does;
If God Does exist, a person wins Eternal Life by believing He does.
Nothing to Lose and everything to Win.

Answer 11

Ah, this is why I like my view of Divinity... all It is is what's put Order to the Universe... if that ends up being Astrophysics and Biology, so be it, if it's some dude who I can't see his face, so be it. If it's clouds and harps, I guess I'll manage, if it's wormfood, eh, who cares, I'll finally get some sleep.