Yeah, I know. “Define ‘God’”! Well, any sort of benevolent omnipresent type figure fits. Christians believe it of God, Muslims believe it of Allah, Jews believe it of YHWH. For whatever reason, atheists don’t believe it.
Off the top of my head, there are a few benefits to belief in God. The idea that a loving, caring creator watches over your can be a great comfort, leading to a happier life. Believing that God will help you through your problems may help you through your bleak periods, epitomised by that ‘Footsteps’ poem people like to put on commemorative plates. The belief that you will meet up with your relatives in the afterlife and that there is a cosmic all-knowing justice at work to punish the wicked. Even Pascal’s Wager, hedge your bets and what do you have to lose?
Of course, to quote GBS; “The fact that a believer is happier than a skeptic is no more to the point than the fact than a drunken man is happier than a sober one.”
Still, the question stands. Do you ever wish that there was evidence that you could accept for the existence of God?
I was raised Christian, but I really like the sound of a lot of the “NDE” accounts of a more disembodied, euphoric, peaceful and timelessness existence as far as afterlifes go.
It makes the most sense, I suppose, of any idea of God; that if he/it exists, that it is the universe itself in a way, and our consciousness returns to it, assuming we ourselves are eternal (as opposed to coming into existance upon mortal conception/birth).
I’m certainly not holding my breath, though. But it’d be a nice surprise.
All the atheists I know, including myself, would admit that sometimes we do miss those benefits believers enjoy. If I could CHOSE what to believe in order for me to have the best possible life I would be a liberal christian, secure that I’ll see my loved ones again and that my life has meaning and that I’ll share the most common belief structure as most of the people around me. Unfortunately it doesn’t work like that and I cannot just believe this bunk without a whole lot more evidence. I simply cannot will myself to believe even if part of me wants the comfort of it.
Ultimately though it’s not all that bad having my world view. I am free to find my own meanings to things, so I’m good.
I will admit that yes, there have been times I wished that.
It was during difficult times, and I thought damn, wouldn’t it be cool if it were true? If there was a God and he was right here and watching over me and everything was going to be ok and blah blah?? Wouldn’t the be comforting and neat and stuff?
But nope. I couldn’t get myself to believe it, even though it would have been a nice crutch at the time.
I dunno about a “God”—especially the Judeo-Christian one, who often seems to be described alternately as a merciless middle-eastern tribal chieftain and a cheerful hippie, for some reason*—but I’d be happy for a decent enough afterlife, especially if there was a Hell involved for bad people.
*Hey, you want Xenophanes-level material, go hire Xenophanes.
I kinda wish for some kind of omnipotent entity simply for the knowledge it might have. I’d like to ask it about trends in my life, and how things would have turned out differently given a few changes in my timeline. I’d ask it questions about my life and myself that I could never answer, and could only be answered by an objective, all-knowing entity.
Also, I’d like to know the secrets of the universe and such. Does any religion allow us to ask God this stuff in the afterlife or are we merely relegated to sitting around with family and playing harps or whatever? I mean, it’d be nice to see departed family members again, but it’d also be nice if the afterlife offered an entirely new experience as well.
I’d rather not put my fate in the hands of some temperamental deity who can sentence me to an eternity of torment, so no, I have never and will never wish that.
Jeepers, that’s my number-one point of opposition!
To begin with, there are too many people who believe I am a bad person.
Also, there are a lot of people who mix bad and good so thoroughly, you can’t really say they are one or the other. Other than a handful of Hitlers, who is really “all bad?”
And then, Hell appears to involve infinite punishment for finite wrongdoing. That ain’t justice, that’s just sadism.
Yeah, I’d like to see bad people get a good stern talking to. Maybe a spanking for the real scum. I think the world’s collective soul would enjoy Hitler getting a good spanking. But burning in fire forever? Not even Hitler…
The feel good God is love God, yeah, I think if it existed would be good. It would be nice to see loved ones and family I never met. That can be comforting, as long as they go away while I’m in the bathroom or not being the “master of my domain”.
The vile monster I discovered when I actually read the Bible, hell no, I’m glad that thing is purely imaginary.
Why exactly do you think Kali would be less pleasant than Nice Big Sky Guy? People who worship Kali now don’t believe that she executes a reign of terror on the world.
When I said I would choose to be a ‘liberal christian’ I really should have defined what I mean by that term. I know I a lot of “weak” Christians. Basically they are politically liberal and wonderful open-minded people who are still Christians.They always have been and they haven’t found the need to really think about what their religion really says or means. They think of the fluffy happy parts of religion, but pretty much choose to not believe in hell or all the judgmental parts. I’m a much more logical kind of thinker so I could never do that, but they do.
Now I would never want to believe in or worship the God of the Bible, but the God they are picking and choosing parts of wouldn’t be so bad. If I could will myself to believe like they believe, I think I would be all the happier for it.
This, pretty much. I would LOVE to know there is something to live for, except just death and nothingness. I think I’d be a lot happier if I were ignorant.
To my memory just the one time. When my grandmother died after 60 years of marriage, my grandfather was predictably devastated. But he found peace after several long talks with his minister, secure in the knowledge that she was in a ‘better place’ and they would see each other again. Try as I might I can’t feel that way about death, and I was jealous of the comfort his belief gave him. That would be nice to feel sometimes. But I just can’t, so that’s that.