Question for Atheists: The God Myth???

Question

I read a post here today from someone who said basically, "Believing in the God Myth is a luxury I can no longer afford"....and I wonder if any of you feel the same way; and if I can ask this respectfully to help me as a believer maybe better understand your POV - what do you mean by "luxury you can no longer afford" as I have heard that phrase before of course, but never used in this context?

Would really be sincerely interested in your replies....thanks!

Answer 1

I wrote the answer you quoted above. The god myth is a luxury i can no longer afford. Why? Christianity gives comfort because it affords people the luxury of believing in a backup ie, someone who's going to take just revenge on some con artist who screwed them, karma that's going to come back and make the injustices right, someone who's looking out for them and is going to reward them later on, someone who notices when they do good and keeps a tally of it, someone who sees the future and will assure that their future will be fine, someone who knows better than them and will always look out for their best interests. This is the myth of christianity. That is why most people follow it. It is like an investment. You do 'good' now (they call it doing good, i call it being obedient. and yes here is a difference) and you will be protected, looked after and rewarded later.
What happens when your world comes crumbling before your eyes as you watch helplessly and you come to the point of suicide and yet that god (or help) doesn't materialize? That is what happened in my life. I grew up a devout christian even though i had many many doubts and it made no sense to me. I had to face my beliefs when i met this failure in my life and i found that christianity's greatest toxin is that it disempowers people. It tells you you are a sinner, powerless without god, need to pray to god, worship him and then put your life in his hands. It tells you that if you don't submit to this god, you will be punished. It tells you that if you disagree with this god, you will be punished. It tells you that you do not know better and then the kicker: it tells you that as a woman, you are not worth as much as a man. In order to continue as a christian, i would have had to continue in this mindset of disempowerment and gender inequality and to face my problems at the time, i couldn't afford to continue in that state despite the mental protection it would have offered me. Plus it was easier for me not to buy into the mental protectio anymore because at the most crucial time in my life, it had completely failed me.
I left christianty planning to return after dealing with my problems but after studying the history of how it started and the validity of it, i know now that i can't believe it anymore. It's like the kid who can no longer believe the santa claus story after they see you come down at night and drop the gifts. I have lost that luxury. I have to say that i have met some problems in my life in which i wish i could still run back to the mythical god but i am going through a transition phase and i know i will be better when i develop my inner empowerment and self confidence

Answer 2

I can not say for sure what someone else meant by the phrase "can no longer afford." Obviously the general thrust of the statement is that belief in Deity costs something.

What could it cost?

Well for one thing, belief in Deity forecloses certain options. For example there is no point in asking where we came from if the preordained answer is god made us.

There is no point in medical science trying to conquer a disease if the death of people caused by that disease is god's will.

There is no point in trying to act morally and with honor for the sake of honor alone when the Deity tells us we only act honorably to get rewarded or out of fear of punishment.

There is no point even in trying to stay health and eat wholesome food when the Deity's book says we will die and be "raised up" "incorruptible." If that is our destiny then why take care of our bodies?

There is no point is working to establish a government that treats citizens more humanely when the model prayer as attributed to the Deity prays for the undoing of government and the establishment of the Deity's "kingdom."

There is no point to any of the natural sciences because only the Deity can know his handiwork.

It looks like the price of belief is to give up on intellect. That is indeed a very high price, a luxury that can not be afforded.

Answer 3

The person you ran into isn't really an atheist (though they may claim to be). They are the ones I like to call the 'Mad At God Crowd'.
Someone who is an actual atheist is so because all of the evidence points to the belief that there is no god. This is a position that may takes years to develop, but ultimately relies on logic and thinking through the various arguments for and against the existence of a deity.
The Mad At God Crowd are people who continue to believe in a deity but try to deny because they blame the deity for letting their kitten get hit by a truck or not letting them win the lottery or whatever.
Sometimes the Mad At God Crowd do end up becoming atheists based on logic and reason, but more often then not they become Born Again Christians or New Agers or Buddhists or Wiccans or some other thing. (And often they become zealots.)
Hope this answered your question.

Answer 4

It is something to consider.

A lot of people are of the attitude that they don't know if there is a god but they should believe in it anyway because it might be true and it couldn't hurt.

The thesis of the book, The God Myth, by Richard Dawkins is that the belief in god DOES hurt. I haven't read it myself, but have heard Dawkins speak about it.

My own opinion is that God is a neutral factor - that people use God to justify doing good or bad things they'd do anyway But I could still be persuaded otherwise.

Answer 5

I don't feel that way. I think that person might have been referring to tithing.

I don't believe simply because it's not in my nature to. I can't force my mind to believe something that I truly don't believe-- no matter how many times I go to church and pray, it just won't happen. It would be like you trying so hard to believe you could jump off the roof and fly-- no matter how hard you tried to believe, you'd still know you couldn't by common sense.

On the other hand, we have no proof either way that God does or does not exist. I can't say for sure either way, but I don't believe He can. Still, it's possible. So I won't profess to know either way, just say what I believe.

Thank you for being sincere, and thank you for being respectful. I wish more people on here spoke as you do.

Answer 6

personally i have never been able to see why belief without evidence is a virtue. i don't see belief in god as a luxury - it seems to me more like a carefully nurtured delusion. perhaps it's helpful sometimes, but that doesn't make it true. maybe that's the sense that was meant - a luxury can provide comfort but is not truly necessary or useful.

Answer 7

Yes, that is also my feeling as well. Believing in the God Myth cost me many years of internal suffering, guilt and fear. I have a short time on this earth and will no longer spend it that way.

atheist

Answer 8

well I go from agnostic to atheist alot (w/ jewish blood so luckily i never beleived in Jesus) I am envious of those who believe. it made life easier. Now it's not. I ask too many questions. I was shunned by the rabbi at my synagogue because I asked so many questions. It hurts when you feel left out. but you love it at the same time with the feeling you have the power to change the world!

Answer 9

It screws up things like science. You get people like SL up there talking about evolution and he in no way understands it. Science would be 1500 years ahead if it was not for religion.

If something is too good to be true, it usually is. This does not only apply to the Nigerian Lottery. People believe in fairy tales and when something amazing happens no one tries to figure out the cause, they just default to goddidit

Answer 10

I think it is brilliant the idiocy that people post regarding the spiritual quests of others. Of course you don't understand this spiritual stuff, you've done none of the study or the work to understand it. Atheists should gather on one side of the room and refuse to comment on the "God" things, and spiritual people should head over to the other side and quit trying to undestand the atheists. I wouldn't ask a mechanic about neuroscience; likewise, I wouldn't ask an atheist about god.

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