# Atheists: Ever wish that God existed? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [May 3, 2012, 11:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/atheists-ever-wish-that-god-existed/620813 "2012-05-03T23:49:15Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**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:** [May 4, 2012, 4:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/atheists-ever-wish-that-god-existed/620813/21 "2012-05-04T04:25:01Z")
> [@DigitalC](#): > > The god most religions worship is scary as fuck and i would be terrified if it was real. This. And a benevolent, powerful god is not consistent with the world as we see it. > [@sevenwood](#): > > Oh, sure. Every time I contemplate my eventual death I envy those who believe in an afterlife and hope they’re right. > > …but I still don’t believe it. However, you can postulate gods with no afterlife, and an afterlife with no gods. And like the question of whether or not god(s) are desirable, one has to ask which afterlife? Floating around in eternal sensory deprivation because you no longer have sense organs is a lot worse than just vanishing upon death. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2012, 4:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/atheists-ever-wish-that-god-existed/620813/22 "2012-05-04T04:47:33Z")
> [@DigitalC](#): > > The god most religions worship is scary as fuck and i would be terrified if it was real. I’d say that atheism is a lot more terrifying than any religion. I’d be vastly comforted to think that there’s an omnipotent being out there watching over us and whose powers we can call upon. I’d also like to think that there’s a purpose to life and the universe. And I’d be happy to think that there’s an afterlife where I’ll be reunited with family and friends who have died and get to spend eternity with them. But I can’t find it in myself to believe any of this. As far as I can tell, there’s no meaning to our existence. We just live for a short while and then we disappear forever. ---
**Author:** ![Rodgers01](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/b19c9b/32.png) [@Rodgers01](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rodgers01)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2012, 4:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/atheists-ever-wish-that-god-existed/620813/23 "2012-05-04T04:50:09Z")
> [@Der\_Trihs](#): > > This. And a benevolent, powerful god is not consistent with the world as we see it. This is one thing I never understood about some organized religions. Why on earth would you claim that your god is ALL-POWERFUL _and_ benevolent, when the world clearly doesn’t match that proposition? Wouldn’t it be far more believable to say your god’s power is great but limited, and opposed by a strong force of evil? Anyway, yes: if the god were more or less to my liking, of course I wish there was one. ---
**Author:** ![Rachellelogram](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rachellelogram/32/8689_2.png) [@Rachellelogram](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rachellelogram)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2012, 5:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/atheists-ever-wish-that-god-existed/620813/24 "2012-05-04T05:02:10Z")
Of course, in the same way I wish I were born into royal luxury. But it ain’t the truth, and pining hasn’t gotten me anywhere but sadder in this life. Meaning, I don’t think about it much. But sure. ---
**Author:** ![Trinopus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/2bfe46/32.png) [@Trinopus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Trinopus)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2012, 5:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/atheists-ever-wish-that-god-existed/620813/25 "2012-05-04T05:17:45Z")
> [@Acsenray](#): > > 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. Kali as only one aspect of reality is fine. Part of life does involve destruction. But if Kali were the one sole, single, governing God? Without the balancing aspects of creation and preservation? Holy muck! Not good! If I’ve chosen poorly, let me substitute Ares, or Dionysus, or even Aphrodite. Now, yeah, having a god of love/sex in charge would have some obvious advantages…but there are limitations… Instead of a single god, an entire pantheon might be interesting. Instead of only Kali, the entire Hindu rainbow. Everyone would be able to choose a tutelar. Broad diversity in many combinations (with apologies to Gene Roddenberry.) However, I do not wish that a pantheon existed, because of the risk of people being used as pawns in the gods’ infighting. It divides people. The gods are sovereign, and we are their followers. ---
**Author:** ![Makeitstop](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/bb73d2/32.png) [@Makeitstop](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Makeitstop)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2012, 6:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/atheists-ever-wish-that-god-existed/620813/26 "2012-05-04T06:17:25Z")
> [@DigitalC](#): > > The god most religions worship is scary as fuck and i would be terrified if it was real. Hence the term ‘God-fearing’, eh? 😃 ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2012, 6:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/atheists-ever-wish-that-god-existed/620813/27 "2012-05-04T06:43:01Z")
> [@YogSosoth](#): > > 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. You are assuming a specific kind of deity. There are other conceptions of deities that would not have to fit into this mold. I’m an agnostic atheist and, yeah, I wouldn’t mind if there was an evidence for a god or a Thereafter or whatnot. I suppose it depends on what type of god or Thereafter there is evidence for. ---
**Author:** ![VanillaGorilla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/f9ae1b/32.png) [@VanillaGorilla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/VanillaGorilla)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2012, 7:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/atheists-ever-wish-that-god-existed/620813/28 "2012-05-04T07:54:00Z")
I voted “On the contrary, I’m glad that there is no evidence for the proposition.” The existence of a god means that there may be a hell as well (depending on what religion you “chose” to believe in), and nobody deserves hell. ---
**Author:** ![Locrian](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/locrian/32/14146_2.png) [@Locrian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Locrian)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2012, 8:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/atheists-ever-wish-that-god-existed/620813/29 "2012-05-04T08:40:08Z")
Hey, if I’m wrong, I’m wrong. But if it’s a god that’s anything like Yahweh, forget it. I’d prefer a giant glowing carbon rod stuck to an asteroid that eats sunshine over all the ones we’ve created so far. ---
**Author:** ![manila](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e5b9ba/32.png) [@manila](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/manila)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2012, 10:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/atheists-ever-wish-that-god-existed/620813/30 "2012-05-04T10:02:38Z")
If there existed a deity as depicted in the Abrahamic religions, then that would be a no, actually a Hell no! But if it was the deity described by an ex of mine who after sitting around for eons, exploded into mainly anti matter and matter, which exploded even more leaving behind no trace of itself but all the matter that was to become our universe and scattered tiny fractions of life particles which became the fauna and flora of a million worlds. Then I could live with that. ---
**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:** [May 4, 2012, 10:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/atheists-ever-wish-that-god-existed/620813/31 "2012-05-04T10:14:52Z")
> [@Little\_Nemo](#): > > I’d say that atheism is a lot more terrifying than any religion. I’d be vastly comforted to think that there’s an omnipotent being out there watching over us and whose powers we can call upon. [You’d like to be watched over by an sadistic egomaniac? That is how most gods are portrayed. A sadist who we have no hope of defending ourselves from, one who we can’t even escape from by dying? I find such a scenario nightmarish. > [@Little\_Nemo](#): > > I’d also like to think that there’s a purpose to life and the universe. I on the other hand don’t want any such thing. I want to choose my purposes and my direction in life, not have them imposed on me. Tools are made with a purpose, not free people; and I want to be a free person, not a tool or a slave. ---
**Author:** ![manila](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e5b9ba/32.png) [@manila](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/manila)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2012, 10:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/atheists-ever-wish-that-god-existed/620813/32 "2012-05-04T10:37:40Z")
> [@Der\_Trihs](#): > > (snip snip snippety snip)… Tools are made with a purpose, not free people; and I want to be a free person, not a tool or a slave. I like this and will steal it and in several years claim it as my own ---
**Author:** ![panache45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/panache45/32/64_2.png) [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2012, 10:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/atheists-ever-wish-that-god-existed/620813/33 "2012-05-04T10:37:49Z")
I don’t care how benevolent and loving a deity is supposed to be, the mere existence of such a being would scare the bejesus out of me. It’s the stuff of nightmares. And I’m quite happy not having an afterlife. To believe in anything that’s omnipotent and omniscient, I’d have to totally suspend my critical thinking. No thanks. ---
**Author:** ![JKellyMap](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jkellymap/32/15880_2.png) [@JKellyMap](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JKellyMap)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2012, 11:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/atheists-ever-wish-that-god-existed/620813/34 "2012-05-04T11:11:47Z")
Other. Don’t “wish” for it, but nor am I “glad” there isn’t one. Both notions seem either ridiculous or meaningless. ---
**Author:** ![Grumman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/43a26b/32.png) [@Grumman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Grumman)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2012, 11:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/atheists-ever-wish-that-god-existed/620813/35 "2012-05-04T11:20:50Z")
_A_ god could be nice, but not capital-G God. I’m thinking Yondalla, not Mr. Genocide. ---
**Author:** ![Lord\_Mondegreen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/91b2a8/32.png) [@Lord\_Mondegreen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lord_Mondegreen)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2012, 11:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/atheists-ever-wish-that-god-existed/620813/36 "2012-05-04T11:22:36Z")
I said “frequently.” Basically it starts and ends with the issue life after death. I hate that there to be a day in the next 40 years after which I will never exist again. If there turned out to be evidence that this is wrong I would be delighted. So yes, I frequently wish that God exists. ---
**Author:** ![JKellyMap](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jkellymap/32/15880_2.png) [@JKellyMap](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JKellyMap)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2012, 11:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/atheists-ever-wish-that-god-existed/620813/37 "2012-05-04T11:33:40Z")
> [@CyclopticXander](#): > > All the atheists I know, including myself, would admit that sometimes we do miss those benefits believers enjoy… Nope, not me. I guess you don’t “know” me, so your “all” assertion still stands (though I find it implausible, or at least surprising). I honestly see no “benefits” that you can’t get without the self-imposed lobotomy of theism. None. Comfort about what happens after you die? Well, for one thing, as Der Trihs pointed out, that’s not necessarily equated with theism. But even if it were, I still feel much greater comfort in cold, hard (so to speak) facts. If I need to cry to Mommy that it just isn’t fair, well, I go cry to Mommy. Still no theism warranted. ---
**Author:** ![shiftless](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e9c0ed/32.png) [@shiftless](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/shiftless)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2012, 1:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/atheists-ever-wish-that-god-existed/620813/38 "2012-05-04T13:54:22Z")
Life after death would be very nice but that has nothing to do with any sort of god. In fact, if we knew for sure there was some sort of afterlife I’d rather there wasn’t a super powerful being deciding who got to do what in that afterlife FOR ALL OF ETERNITY, based on some vague rules he never explained. ---
**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:** [May 4, 2012, 2:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/atheists-ever-wish-that-god-existed/620813/39 "2012-05-04T14:17:47Z")
I don’t want to believe in a God that caused all the evil shit in history to happen, but even more I don’t want to believe in a “good” God that would _allow_ all the evil shit in history to happen. ---
**Author:** ![FuriousGeorge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/ecae2f/32.png) [@FuriousGeorge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FuriousGeorge)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2012, 2:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/atheists-ever-wish-that-god-existed/620813/40 "2012-05-04T14:27:31Z")
I’ve often said to my wife and kids (all believers of one faith or another) that in the deepest, darkest, scariest times of my life (like watching my mother lie semi sonscious in the last throes of her battle with cancer. RIP Mom) that I wished there was somethign to believe in, somethign to take comfort in knowing that the pain and suffering and fear was worth it. That there was something to make this make sense. Unforunately, there isn’t. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/atheists-ever-wish-that-god-existed/620813.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/atheists-ever-wish-that-god-existed/620813.md?page=3)