# Atheists, do you wish there was a god? Why or why not? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [June 11, 2012, 2:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/atheists-do-you-wish-there-was-a-god-why-or-why-not/624815 "2012-06-11T14:37:56Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![MyFootsZZZ](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/myfootszzz/32/12580_2.png) [@MyFootsZZZ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MyFootsZZZ)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2012, 2:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/atheists-do-you-wish-there-was-a-god-why-or-why-not/624815/1 "2012-06-11T14:37:56Z")
I’m an Atheist. I sometimes wish there was a god. Well, all the people that did me wrong… like kids that use to pick on me in school, would hopefully learn a lesson in some form or another. I wouldn’t want them to spend time in a place like Hell, but I would like them to feel the pain they caused me. I would also like to be rewarded for the good things I’ve done. I don’t blame people for who they are, (bad OR good). But knowing there’s no such thing as “karma”, I would like people learn/“pay” for their mistakes, (… and that includes myself), and learn/get rewarded for their good deeds. The fact that whoever picked on me in school will never be able to understand what they did to me really pisses me off. I’m not mad at them personally, I just wish they could empathize. I also wish my prayers would be heard and, um… considered too, (if I did pray). I wish I could go to church and meet new people. I wish there was meaning in life that doesn’t involve just populating the Earth, and god could answer all my questions. ---
**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2012, 2:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/atheists-do-you-wish-there-was-a-god-why-or-why-not/624815/2 "2012-06-11T14:47:34Z")
Depends. If he’ll smite my enemies when I pray for it, then he just might get my vote. As things stand, I’m cool with the status quo of there being no god. ---
**Author:** ![Death\_of\_Rats](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a6a055/32.png) [@Death\_of\_Rats](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Death_of_Rats)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2012, 2:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/atheists-do-you-wish-there-was-a-god-why-or-why-not/624815/3 "2012-06-11T14:48:45Z")
Keepin mind, if there were a God, other people could also use it to smite you. ---
**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2012, 2:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/atheists-do-you-wish-there-was-a-god-why-or-why-not/624815/4 "2012-06-11T14:49:48Z")
Not _my_ god they couldn’t! I’d own the bastard! ---
**Author:** ![MyFootsZZZ](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/myfootszzz/32/12580_2.png) [@MyFootsZZZ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MyFootsZZZ)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2012, 2:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/atheists-do-you-wish-there-was-a-god-why-or-why-not/624815/5 "2012-06-11T14:51:41Z")
I don’t want to smite anyone, I just want them to understand… that’s all. I don’t HATE these people. From Jurassic Park: “I don’t blame people for there mistakes, but I do ask that they pay for them.” ---
**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2012, 2:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/atheists-do-you-wish-there-was-a-god-why-or-why-not/624815/6 "2012-06-11T14:53:17Z")
Smite, pay. Tomato, tomahto. ---
**Author:** ![tdn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/94ad74/32.png) [@tdn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tdn)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2012, 3:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/atheists-do-you-wish-there-was-a-god-why-or-why-not/624815/7 "2012-06-11T15:00:52Z")
> [@MyFootsZZZ](#): > > The fact that whoever picked on me in school will never be able to understand what they did to me really pisses me off. I’m not mad at them personally, I just wish they could empathize. It’s quite possible that they fully get it now as adults, and maybe even feel terrible about it. > [@](#): > > I also wish my prayers would be heard and, um… considered too, (if I did pray). You can always meditate. > [@](#): > > I wish I could go to church and meet new people. You can. Find a UU church near you. > [@](#): > > I wish there was meaning in life that doesn’t involve just populating the Earth, and god could answer all my questions. You can infuse life with whatever meaning you wish, and you don’t need no stinkin’ god to tell you what that has to be. ---
**Author:** ![MyFootsZZZ](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/myfootszzz/32/12580_2.png) [@MyFootsZZZ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MyFootsZZZ)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2012, 3:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/atheists-do-you-wish-there-was-a-god-why-or-why-not/624815/8 "2012-06-11T15:02:44Z")
> [@tdn](#): > > You can. Find a UU church near you. UU church? ---
**Author:** ![tdn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/94ad74/32.png) [@tdn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tdn)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2012, 3:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/atheists-do-you-wish-there-was-a-god-why-or-why-not/624815/9 "2012-06-11T15:04:31Z")
> [@MyFootsZZZ](#): > > UU church? Unitarian Universalist. ---
**Author:** ![MyFootsZZZ](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/myfootszzz/32/12580_2.png) [@MyFootsZZZ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MyFootsZZZ)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2012, 3:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/atheists-do-you-wish-there-was-a-god-why-or-why-not/624815/10 "2012-06-11T15:05:41Z")
> [@tdn](#): > > Unitarian Universalist. I’ll look it up. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![MyFootsZZZ](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/myfootszzz/32/12580_2.png) [@MyFootsZZZ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MyFootsZZZ)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2012, 3:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/atheists-do-you-wish-there-was-a-god-why-or-why-not/624815/11 "2012-06-11T15:08:23Z")
> [@tdn](#): > > It’s quite possible that they fully get it now as adults, and maybe even feel terrible about it. I doubt that, but maybe. 😕 ---
**Author:** ![Der\_Trihs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/der_trihs/32/233_2.png) [@Der\_Trihs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Der_Trihs)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2012, 3:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/atheists-do-you-wish-there-was-a-god-why-or-why-not/624815/12 "2012-06-11T15:09:11Z")
No. If there was a god, the human condition and the nature of the universe implies that it would be _at best_ utterly indifferent to our happiness and welfare. The best we could hope for from this god would be nothing; and there’d always be the possibility that it would decide to do something disastrous to our part of the universe and we’d be utterly powerless to do anything about it. A human wanting a god is about as sensible as an ant wanting a human; what if it’s an exterminator? As for a purpose; tools have a purpose, and I don’t want to be a tool. ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2012, 3:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/atheists-do-you-wish-there-was-a-god-why-or-why-not/624815/13 "2012-06-11T15:11:01Z")
No, definitely not. Even if you don’t take it as far as Christopher Hitchens’ “celestial North Korea” argument there are more than a few downside to the concept. I don’t wish that a lot of the big issues and decisions in my life were delegated to someone else. > [@MyFootsZZZ](#): > > Well, all the people that did me wrong… like kids that use to pick on me in school, would hopefully learn a lesson in some form or another. Do you know that they didn’t? > [@](#): > > I would also like to be rewarded for the good things I’ve done. You’ve never gotten any kind of reward for doing anything good? I think you mean you want big rewards and want to see other people punished in a major way. This gets to be a problem if other people feel you’ve really hurt them. 😉 > [@](#): > > I wish I could go to church and meet new people. You could. There are more than a few atheists in Unitarian churches. > [@](#): > > I wish there was meaning in life that doesn’t involve just populating the Earth You’ve confused the drive to reproduce (which creates lives) with the meaning of life. They’re different things. Your life is your own, which means it has the meaning you give it. There’s not much point in wishing someone else could assign a meaning to your life- what if you didn’t like that meaning? ---
**Author:** ![MyFootsZZZ](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/myfootszzz/32/12580_2.png) [@MyFootsZZZ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MyFootsZZZ)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2012, 3:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/atheists-do-you-wish-there-was-a-god-why-or-why-not/624815/14 "2012-06-11T15:11:19Z")
> [@Der\_Trihs](#): > > As for a purpose; tools have a purpose, and I don’t want to be a tool. AH! I like that! ---
**Author:** ![zaipiaz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/85f322/32.png) [@zaipiaz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zaipiaz)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2012, 3:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/atheists-do-you-wish-there-was-a-god-why-or-why-not/624815/15 "2012-06-11T15:14:45Z")
I have always been a little jealous of people who have faith, because when they tell someone to “go to hell”, they have the comfort of believing that hell exists and wicked people end up there. …but for me, wickedness is a matter of perspective. Outside of the individual’s experience, the value judgement of “good” or “bad” does not exist, and things simply are. After I cease to exist, there will be no third-party evaluation of my actions. My first-person experience is of significance only to myself, and this places the weight of evaluation squarely on my shoulders. What is the joke? Christians are good for fear of hell, but Atheists are good for nothin’. ---
**Author:** ![Der\_Trihs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/der_trihs/32/233_2.png) [@Der\_Trihs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Der_Trihs)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2012, 3:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/atheists-do-you-wish-there-was-a-god-why-or-why-not/624815/16 "2012-06-11T15:15:17Z")
> [@MyFootsZZZ](#): > > AH! I like that! Thanks. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![zaipiaz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/85f322/32.png) [@zaipiaz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zaipiaz)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2012, 3:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/atheists-do-you-wish-there-was-a-god-why-or-why-not/624815/17 "2012-06-11T15:17:19Z")
I was raised by Unitarians. I call it Church for Atheists. They party, but BYOG- Bring Your Own God. ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2012, 3:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/atheists-do-you-wish-there-was-a-god-why-or-why-not/624815/18 "2012-06-11T15:19:12Z")
Didn’t we already do this? ---
**Author:** ![MyFootsZZZ](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/myfootszzz/32/12580_2.png) [@MyFootsZZZ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MyFootsZZZ)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2012, 3:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/atheists-do-you-wish-there-was-a-god-why-or-why-not/624815/19 "2012-06-11T15:29:03Z")
> [@Marley23](#): > > Do you know that they didn’t? Let’s say they are homeless now… I wouldn’t feel satisfied with that “punishment”. I would rather they be rich in this life, and learn in the after-life about how they effected me. The kids that picked on me, I highly doubt regret it. I want to fully understand what I’ve done wrong and overlooked too. It’s not about making people suffer. > [@Marley23](#): > > You’ve never gotten any kind of reward for doing anything good? I think you mean you want big rewards and want to see other people punished in a major way. This gets to be a problem if other people feel you’ve really hurt them. 😉 Don’t want to hurt people, I just want them to learn… “touch a hot stove” style. And most of the good things I do, no one knows about. “If you do good, you get a lollipop” > [@Marley23](#): > > You could. There are more than a few atheists in Unitarian churches. I don’t know what those are yet, I need to look them up. Do they worship god? Where does the money in the collection plate go? > [@Marley23](#): > > You’ve confused the drive to reproduce (which creates lives) with the meaning of life. They’re different things. Your life is your own, which means it has the meaning you give it. There’s not much point in wishing someone else could assign a meaning to your life- what if you didn’t like that meaning? I really don’t feel there’s ‘meaning’ to my life. I can’t give my own life meaning at this point… Just be a good person I guess. What if I didn’t like that meaning… good question. 🙂 I don’t know. ---
**Author:** ![MyFootsZZZ](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/myfootszzz/32/12580_2.png) [@MyFootsZZZ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MyFootsZZZ)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2012, 3:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/atheists-do-you-wish-there-was-a-god-why-or-why-not/624815/20 "2012-06-11T15:30:20Z")
> [@Czarcasm](#): > > Didn’t we already do this? If we did, I’m sorry… I didn’t know of such a thread. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/atheists-do-you-wish-there-was-a-god-why-or-why-not/624815.md?page=2)