I said “Hell Yes!” to both of them and one of the first things I’d say to everybody I saw would be,
“There is no God and no heaven. This is all we get. Make the best of it, make it beautiful, make it our own personal heaven.”
I’m a defense attorney. My closing arguments will be EPIC.
I need to explain this to you?
I’ll rule a country/ies of my choosing and Tom Sawyer/whitewash fence the locals into building me an imposing looking castle. For starters.
I find it interesting that the atheists of the thread would use it to make everyone on earth they came in contact with atheists. I’m kind of turning agnostic over time, but there is no way I would want to take religion away from people who believe. In many cases that’s destroying a core part of people’s being. You’re taking away comfort that they may have used in coping with grief, a mechanism that drives them to do good, an innate sense of wonder at the world and what may lay beyond. I might use it to make people stop using religion to drive policy for everyone, or those who use religion to stifle scientific innovation and discovery, or to teach those who use religion as a means to suppress, torture or kill others that it’s wrong, but I sure as heck wouldn’t take away any spiritual connection they may have.
Also, the one who said they’d use it to drive societies into chaos…you’ve got some seriously evil tendencies in you, buddy.
I can’t say I’d be entirely ‘good’ with this power, though I’d try to make that the core of what I’d use it for. I think the temptation to go into a bank and declare that I have the legal power to take whatever I desire out of the vault, would be a little too tempting.
But, I don’t think I could do morally wrong things for any length of time before feeling disgusted with myself and moving to help others.
Thanks. I try.
You know I adore you as much as my icy black heart allows, Mika, but that will backfire horribly.
Here’s why. The magic whammy makes you convincing, not persuasive. That is, you can compel people of the truth of a proposition, but a normative or imperative statement doesn’t do diddly. So your first two sentences will work, but the third one won’t.
Here’s why that is a bad thing. While theists are wrong about others needing God and/or the promise of Heaven to bring meaning, morality, and hope to their lives, they’re not necessarily wrong about themselves.
Take my little sister – the non-crazy one I never post about, as her sanity translates into a dearth of amusing or rant-inducing behavior. Our mother was her dearest friend, and her death was the hardest thing she ever experienced. When Mom died, LS’s one comfort was that she would see her again in Heaven, as she would see our grandparents and the others we love who have died before us. Being convinced of hte falsity of that proposition would devastate her. it wouldn’t make her a better mother or friend; she’s already an amazing mother and friend. But it would deprive her of hope.
On the other hand, if I understand correctly, telling people “God wants you to make it beautiful” or “God will reward you for making it beautiful” would work.
My first instinct, which I am still leaning towards, is to answer: I’ll keep the power, but I won’t use it. At least, I would use it very sparingly. I would be hesitant to use it, both because of the ethical reasons others have brought up, and because of the danger of it backfiring. But, situations might come up where I could prevent some evil by using this power, where the dangers and moral iffiness of using the power are dwarfed by the dangers or evils of not using it.
Yes, I am.
The blue girl? I can’t insult her any worse than Providence did when it gave her a head like a squid. Never seen the attraction of Twi’leks, myself.
this is not an attack on you or your sister in any way shape or form (other than in the most general sense)
religion is an anchor on the entire human race, if it had been abolished at the dawn of civilization we would all have jet packs already, colonies on the moon and mars, perhaps interstellar travel, computer and other tech that would flat out seem like pure impossible magic to people living today.
I personally am willing to let a generation suffer the loss of their comforting lies if it means future generations can finally be free from the chains we have bound ourselves with.
Please, if you want to be rich, just steal money from someone? You don’t need to be guaranteeing that guilty people go free to get paid.
Maybe I’d be the worlds best car salesman.
“Tell me your REAL budget for a car, something you can honestly afford”
“This car, which is legitimately within your price range, is the best car for you.”
“Here is a fair price for the car.”
“Thank you, sign on the dotted line.”
Make some nice coin, don’t have to worry about how many sales I’m making, don’t have to worry (much) about cheating anyone, because I’d sell them a good car for a fair price. That’s a trouble free life.
Heck, if one of the other guys is having trouble making his numbers, a quick word to the buyer on the sly can smooth things over.
No, I don’t have ambitions on changing the world.
Amen to that!
After I spent a year saying what you wrote then I’d move on to things like, “Yes, we know evolution to be true,” “Reality shows are BO-RING,” “Barack Obama is a natural-born American,” “Rap music sucks,” “Foster the People should be banned from all musical endeavors,” “I don’t ever have to pay for food, parking, or a mortgage,” “Child beauty pageants are disgusting,” etc…
And yet, sadly, nobody else said Sex.
Y’all are no fun.
I feel you could do a lot of good with a half-hour chat with a few world leaders. “Excuse me, God exists and told you to let me in to talk to his holiness, and tell him that contraception is A-OK and generally a good idea.”
I would be very tempted by nefarious and hilarious uses too, although I think we’d probably see the truth of “power corrupts”…
I’m a public defender in juvenile court. Money has nothing to do with it. It’d mainly be the lulz. I’d change nothing about how I practice–I wouldn’t try cases just because I know I’d win. But the cases I do take to trial? Hilarious.
Can I pull off statements such as “If you do X, Y will happen to you”? You stated above that the girl would believe she was blind if she didn’t have sex with you, but would she believe that she would go blind, or would she merely go blind after she refused to have sex?
Not that I plan to use it that way. Though there’d be an obvious out without contradicting yourself. Just say that blindness induced by lack of sex dissipates after 5 minutes.
Keep it and convert the world to Christianity.
I’d also help people with crippling phobias, since I had one of those as a kid.
I wonder how this can be used for good, other than education? I’m thinking it could replace anesthetics.