An otherworldy being who has control over everything you do? You’ve accepted the concept of god. You’re just arguing semantics now.
No, in the the example I quoted, it was otherworldly beings who were projecting dreams into everybody else’s thoughts.
I’m not an atheist because I ignore evidence-I am an atheist because to date there hasn’t been any evidence to show me. Oh, I would no doubt want any evidence examined carefully if it were brought forward, because history is filled with frauds flashing false miracles to the ignorant masses, but if falsifiable evidence is put forth that could only be explained by the presence of a deity, then I will believe that such a deity exists.
edited to add: What kind of evidence would convince me?
Stock answer-The kind of god described by the Bible would know exactly what it would take to convince me, wouldn’t he?
Also, as someone not sure about that whole God thing I think I could be inclinded to think otherwise. At some point the technology and effort that those bastards Aliens would have to pull off to do their pony show would be a bit much.
But also, at some point, it would become obvious there are 2 possible answers. Very clever aliens or God. At that point I could just as easily believe it is equally, if not more likely God is doing his version of saying “hi” as it is Aliens fucking with us.
Or, in other words, at some point IMO the people saying its gotta be aliens, not God are actively “wanting” it to not be God.
I admit, at this point in my life, I’m conditioned against accepting pretty much anything as a valid proof of God. I’ve given you all nearly sixty years of coming up with a shred of evidence that might make me consider it, and you haven’t come up with squat so, no. I’m pretty closed-minded on this subject.
My kids, both of whom I’ve brought up to consider the evidence carefully have, praise the Lord, also rejected the concept of God as faintly possible, though obviously their habits are not so ingrained as mine. But my unborn grandkids are the ones who, given a clear demonstration of God’s evidence, might be inclined to accept it.
There’s definitely a downside to lying to someone for decades on end–they tend towards great skeptism about anything you say. I take my cues, in a negative way, from religious people. If more religious people are Republicans, then I’m going to oppose Republicanism (whatever that is). If more religious people ate tuna fish than non-religious people, that would my last choice for lunch.
Any truth that was revealed and caused an upheaval in the way people think about the universe would immediately result in scientists excitedly studying its details and ramifications. Testing to make sure results were reproducible, investigating why other models work reasonably well in certain circumstances. I don’t think it would change anything about how reasonable people view the search for truth.
“If God were to hold all Truth concealed in his right hand, and in his left only the steady and diligent drive for Truth, albeit with the proviso that I would always and forever err in the process, and offer me the choice, I would with all humility take the left hand…” - Gotthold Lessing
Off-Topic, but for a good long while I was a believer in DeWitt Webb’s giant octopus. I felt that this unknown species was the best explanation for well-documented carcasses that occasionally washed ashore. Subsequent analysis of Verrill’s original specimens, as well as a near-identical creature that washed ashore in Chile, have shown this thing to have been a gutted sperm whale. Ergo, I don’t believe in what Wikipedia calls the “gigantic octopus” anymore. I would hope to have this same maturity when other beliefs of mine are challenged and proven incorrect.
I see God as a possible primitive means to describe aliens with technology better than what was current. So it doesn’t make much difference to me whether I’m looking at evidence of Jehovah or ET. If it has the power to control my life, I’m going to pay attention.
If this alien only influences humanity in general, I’m less inclined to abide by its rules. I may even try to fight against such a power. But if the alien has Santa Claus powers, I’m going to listen closely. There may not be a heaven, but there may be a planet where all physical and mental conditions are treatable, where I live a life of leisure while robots cater to my every whim. Where Mila Kunis scrubs my floors naked. That’s close enough for me.
So far, reasonable evidence has not been shown for the presence of god or aliens on Earth. I’ll try my best to abide by the Golden Rule, but will remain uncommitted on the rest of the religious dogma.
No, I would not be embarrassed. Disappointed? Yes, definitely.
But I wouldn’t be embarrassed because since I first felt called to God through Jesus Christ so many years ago, (among many, many other things) I have done my best to be the best possible example that I could be and there is nothing wrong with that. As I understand it, many atheists strive to do the same.
So if Jesus never does come back and if one day I were to die, (hang with me here) and it’s just* lights out, no more quarters in your pocket,* well, if nothing else I helped others, tried to do the most loving thing, put others ahead of myself, worked for peace, sought justice, was merciful, etc., etc. etc., then I personally lived an ethical, useful life.
Did I miss out on anything because of my Christianity? I don’t believe so. Many Christians do seem to reap rewards on this planet in one way or another, while any afterlife can be seen as a potential bonus. If I am reading the Bible correctly, Christians have the promise of Heaven but no guarantee.
But doing what Jesus would have done benefits many.
And that is (almost) all I have to say about that.
((Runs for cover from flaming spears and arrows that are sure to come.))
If “witnessing” in this forum is out of bounds, I do apologise for breaking the rules.
My reaction would be to declare a jihad against the infidels and wipe out all evidence of their blasphemy!
At first I thought I might experience something like embarrassment because of the hundreds of inmates I have spent hundreds of hours talking to about my faith. The hypothetical in the OP would seem to mean that I have spent those hours espousing a lie. On further reflection, I would not have been turned into a liar, but simply mistaken. Everything I have told others about my beliefs and their impact on my life has been true, even if those beliefs were mistaken. I guess that would leave me with no embarrassment, just profound disappointment.
Let us not assume that convincing a non-believer that god exists automatically makes said person a follower of God. Believing that God exists is not the same as believing in God, any more than believing that Hitler existed makes you a believer in Hitler.
I think that incontrovertible evidence of the existence of god would put believers and various organized (and ad hoc) religious organizations in a far worse position than incontrovertible proof of the non-existence of god.
But the OP is asking about the impact of the latter… non-existence of god… so atheists would get to say, “I told you so, morons”, and be smug about it for a while but really miss pointing out the logical fallacies of belief. Believers would have a mixed reaction from, “meh, it was worth a try and now my Sundays mornings are freed up for frisbee football league”, to, “life is meaningless, I’m outta here”.
[quote=“Aji_de_Gallina, post:13, topic:645691”]
No, I wouldn’t go around murdering blind orphans…QUOTE]
I would. It might be fun and there’d be no way to know until you’ve tried it.
If there’s no god then there’s no sin.