God Believers: What would be the worst thing about being wrong about your beliefs?

Question

There are lots of reasons that you all believe. To you, what would be the worst thing about "being wrong"?

Thank you!

I am not "mocking" anyone! I'm asking a sincere question in the politest language possible.

Answer 1

For me, it would be the disappointment and sadness that this being that I had loved so much turned out not to exist. I have a very personal relationship with God....my feelings for God feel almost identical to my feelings for my "earthly" dad. So if you can imagine what it would be like to suddenly wake up one day and your dad had just been a dream.... that's what it would feel like for me to find out that God didn't exist.

I agree with the others about the "no afterlife with my loved ones", too. But I mostly took this question to mean "the lack of God himself" rather than the lack of all the other stuff that goes along with belief in him, which is why I said what I did in the first paragraph.

Answer 2

You know, everything I can think of is really not something I'd regret.

My upbringing was a little rough. My parents go to church, but it's sort of a burden to them. A list of rules. Growing up, the Bible was something they threw at us or bashed us over the head with. I remember hearing a sermon as a teen about the Gospel being good news, and wondering what that was about.

They raised us not to have any external bad behavior, but they never taught us any good way of dealing with our emotions. There's only so long you can bottle anger and resentment before they bubble to the surface, no matter how much trouble you get into when it happens.

I had a crisis of faith in my twenties, and what I ended up with was more of a relationship rather than rules based religion. I still think the fundamentals are important, but it's from the heart that good behavior flows - not the other way around.

What I've struggled with is vengeance. I know I'm supposed to leave things in God's hands when someone slights me. Part of me would like to retaliate. But really, forgiveness - even though it's tough short term - is really better for me long term.

There have been times when I've thought about ditching my relationship with my husband. Husbands can be mightily difficult to deal with some days! But because of our commitment to God and each other, we've worked through those things and have come through stronger.

There are times when it seems like a lot of work. But it always proves to be work worth the effort. I'm a better person because of my relationship with God than I would have been without it. It pushes me to grow and let people in, where my upbringing taught me not to trust anyone or anything.

In the end, if I'm wrong, I still don't regret it. The life I've lived is better (and I've been better for others) than I would have been otherwise.

I think the people who are truly miserable in their faith (and there are some!) are the ones who are serving out of a sense of guilt or external pressure. When you decide it's what you want, what you give up, doesn't seem like much of a price at all.

Answer 3

As an agnostic, my answer will be a supposition at best, since your question is essentially unanswerable! Only by science's somehow proving beyond question that god is nonexistent and that the bible and other "holy" books are fiction would believers be compelled to concede that they were misled and are, therefore, "wrong" in their theologies. Thus, I shall assume that the above has occurred and that god has been absolved from having had a "hand" in the perpetration of the Cosmos. It seems to me that we are discussing Christians predominantly here since they represent the majority of theists in the United States. I would imagine that their entire belief system might be shattered OR that they would refuse to accept the evidence as they consistently refute scientific theories currently (i.e., the establishment of the "Creation Museum"). If the case for the nonexistence of god should be irrefutable, then I suggest that the former "faithful" would be most grieved by the realization that they were no longer destined to attain Heaven and that the concept of the "soul" and its survival of death has likewise no basis in reality. However, I tend to think that the total destruction of their theology would result in mass psychoses too numerous to be treated by the available mental health professionals! In other words, chaos would ensue from the Vatican to the Western Wall to the Dome of the Rock to Saint Basil's to the Crystal Cathedral!

Answer 4

First of all. I believe in God. He created all the universe. Second, there is no sin or hell. Concepts created by men to keep people in line so they could further their own agenda. Does anyone really believe that a Lord who loves us would send us to hell for eating shrimp? Only an idiot. If that "scripture" doesn't apply than NONE of them do. The bible was written by men and then re-translated many times by men. I think that Jesus was a prophet, as was Mohamed. No more the son of God than we all are. We don't need to be "saved", we already are. When we die we will crossover to live in the love of the Lord. Until which time we chose to come back in another life. Charlie, its organized religion that teaches intolerance and promotes fear. I don't think that its necessary to believe in God while you are here to crossover to be with him. Maybe that's why you chose this life in the first place. Anyway, none of us will know for sure until we die. Pay attention to your dreams, maybe they will shed some light on all the grey areas. Believing in God is not bad for your mental health. Believing anyone who tells you if you don't believe what I tell you to believe than you aren't going to heaven is definitely bad for our mental health. Don't buy into the scare tactics and the lies.

Answer 5

I think it's more about hoping that we are right about how we are living our lives FOR God and that I am not wrong about the choices I am making.
OK - I'll entertain the thought for a moment:
I think the worst thing would be that love was for naught. :(
love is so much fun. It would be hard to just give it up after death because I want it to go on and on.


blessings laptop :)

Answer 6

I appreciate your respectful tone. I guess the worst would be not knowing what to believe about what is left in life. Although many in faith spend much time trying to learn all they can, all that faith requires is just that- to believe...we don't need to "know" what we believe is true. It is simply a spiritual condition in which your heart and spirit have been compelled to change.
I would feel bad only if I didn't act in accordance with what I believed right.

Answer 7

If I live by my beliefs I have accomplished more with my life than I ever imagined. Whether my beliefs where right or wrong have no bearing on what I accomplished. The worst thing I could do was to not have any beliefs to live or to strive for.

To accomplish anything
You must first believe in yourself
2nd believe in others
3rd believe in your ability to complete the goal.

Belief is a must in life. There is never anything wrong with believing

Answer 8

There is no worst thing. What would be the difference between my life and yours? Do you really think I'm missing anything that good which you are experiencing? What day to day activity makes you satisfied and content with what you have and what you do? I'm completely content with everything I do and have. Nothing is going to be "worse".

I do not worry about money, food, global warming, global financial melt down, disease, terrorism, etc. Completely content.

Answer 9

My beliefs are not wrong, so there cannot be a worse thing. Therefore, the question that you pose is in and of itself inherently an impossibility. I know for a fact (if you can grasp that concept) that my beliefs in God are the full and total truth which originate from the Holy Spirit of God.........Can you understand that? Or do you want me to type slower?

Answer 10

Mobius: "Those who don't believe have to live with the fear that they may be wrong."

Kudos to you for actually opening your mind and answering Laptop's question. A few others had the courage, too, but many are apparently afraid to even consider the possibility that they are wrong for the purpose of answering a question.

One comment, though. We who don't believe in gods don't live in fear of being wrong. We really don't. I'm honestly no more concerned about going to hell than I am about being reincarnated as a burrito. Do you worry that you're wrong and Zeus will cast your soul into oblivion for never having sacrificed to him?