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What if there is a god?

Has anyone here every thought about what if there happened to be a god. It doesn't really matter what god or what religion just if there is one. When you die what do you think they/him/her would say and how you would react? If they were a god that passed judgment, do you think that they would understand your reasons for not believing and forgive you or would they punish you without question?

I was raised Christian and while I don't believe anything they say, the above still crosses my mind quite often. I'm a musician and I get a lot of gigs playing for church services, especially around Christmas and Easter. It's hard not to listen to the sermon and try to understand their way of thinking during these times and these questions always pop into my mind during and after the service.

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Permalink Reply by Mary O'Grady on December 26, 2010 at 3:04pm

This is the best and most constructive response to the problem of the existence of a deity.

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Permalink Reply by Lyra Silvertongue on January 15, 2011 at 5:15pm

I love this! I also have not read the 45 pages, but this all made me think of "Smith's wager" which I came across while websurfing not too long ago.

1. The existence of a god, if we are to believe in it, can only be established through reason.
2. Applying the canons of correct reasoning to theistic belief, we must reach the conclusion that theism is unfounded and must be rejected by rational people.

More details are in the link, and the conclusion is:

1. If there's no god, you are correct.
2. If there's an indifferent god, you won't suffer in hell anyway.
3. If there's a just god, you have nothing to fear from the honest use of your reason.
4. If there's an unjust god, you have much to fear but so does the Christian.

I found it comforting.

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Permalink Reply by Gary Burk on January 15, 2011 at 9:34pm

If there is an unjust god, we have much to fear under any conditions. Certainly it would make no sense at

all to attempt to propitiate it by sucking up - one might as well ignore it since it's response to kow-towing

behavior will be unjust. If, on the other hand, a just god existed, we might as well ignore it since no just, omnipotent,

omniscient being would deign to punish a mere mortal. (unless, of course, that god was also vain, in the Judeo-Christian

sense, in which case we're truly screwed!)

Woody Allen suggested yet another premise: What if a god exists; is benevolent, omnipotent and omniscient, but is also

an under-achiever?

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Permalink Reply by Stanley Post on January 16, 2011 at 8:20am

"Woody Allen suggested yet another premise: What if a god exists; is benevolent, omnipotent and omniscient, but is also an under-achiever? "

LOL!! yeah, I like that quote too ;)

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Permalink Reply by Stanley Post on January 2, 2011 at 3:47pm

Danny,

Sounds like you have the same anxieties I had.

Though I never believed, for most of my life I was afraid to admit it.

I did not become an atheist overnight, or because I think it's radical, or for reading a book.

This has taken years, why? Because I want to be 100% satisfied with my belief, afterall,

it's nothing less than my own "soul" we are talking about here. What if I die suddenly tomorrow!?

If there were even the slightest shread of evidence, not proof, just evidence, or even a really good

philisophical argument for the christian god, I would know it, and take it very seriously.

You see, I always WANTED to believe.

My theist friends told me to pray. So, I prayed (though I did feel a bit silly!).

Does god not say in the bible that he will answer our prayers?

But I did not pray for material things, I prayed to god simply for the power of belief and faith.

Humbled and begging for him to at least guide me to the right path.

Even coming to me in a dream woud be nice, I could take it from there.

But, guess what, god never answered my prayers. No hint, no dream, nothing.

I was not expecting a "miracle", just asking for something very basic.

Since god wants us to believe and have faith, I would certainly think that this would be

the one prayer he would answer.

Nothing doing!!

My theist friends pray. They say their prayers are "heard", they avoid saying their prayers were

answered.

My christian friends have ailments, sickness, deaths of family and friends, etc. just like I do.

Yet, for all their love and devotion to god, not a single one of their prayers have been answered.

Dont be afraid to let go of the religion that has been a fixture your whole life.

It has done no one a bit of good other then being the incentive for fear and guilt.

Just trust and believe in your self :)

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Permalink Reply by Tarentola Mauritanica on January 12, 2011 at 8:19am

Well for a start I think it absolutely matters "what God or what religion". (your second sentence above). You cant say "just if there is one".

Because what "kind of god" exists (if there exists one) determines what the outcome of this would be.

Just an example:

If a Christian God exists then most probably it doesn't actually matter what you say or believed. If you didn't believe in Jebus in your lifetime, you are in trouble.

Also your other questions depend on the god that exists. For example i cant tell you if "God" understands my reasons when passing judgment unless we can agree that we talk about a God who is capable or incapable of doing so. If we agree on such a preposition, then the question becomes obsolete however.

You get my point?

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Permalink Reply by Stanley Post on January 12, 2011 at 10:22am

Another problem, one that philosophers have struggled with for eons, is that "god" is a nedulus concept.

What exactly does one MEAN when they say god? What attributes should we expect this god to have?

If you randomly assemble a group of theist's, you may well get several interprations and arguments about which concept is correct.

Theist's know they cant all be correct; so they rationalize their personal belief to be the true one, at the total exclusion of all others.

It makes me think of a Homer Simpson quote:

"Suppose we have chosen the WRONG god, every time we go to church, we are making him madder and madder" :)

This just illustrates the sillyness of it all to me :)

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Permalink Reply by Jim on January 15, 2011 at 5:54pm

If you're questioning because there is some guilt hidden away, then you are not free from the brainwashing of your christian background.

If it's just a hypothetical question (like what if our genitals were located on our palms*) Then we'd first have to establish WHICH god. The Desert God? Then he/she/it would certainly be cool with my non-belief. He created me with a critical mind. It would be a gift from the Sky-Pixie that he'd probably be pretty pissed off about if I let it lay dormant to follow Paul's Dogma.

*Handshakes would be either AWESOME or really really awkward.

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Permalink Reply by ChrisC on March 20, 2012 at 6:36pm

*Hi five on that one!.... wait!!!! :-(

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Permalink Reply by david perry on January 17, 2011 at 1:41am

Excellent article discussing Agnosticism. It seems like a great site overall as well.

http://atheismblog.blogspot.com/2009/12/whats-left-to-be-agnostic-a...

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Permalink Reply by Lyra Silvertongue on January 17, 2011 at 10:54am

Although I do consider myself an atheist since I don't have a positive belief in any gods, I identified with a lot that the author said about this hypothetical agnostic. It also sounds like some of my friends who do consider themselves believers, but have no meaningful conception of what their god is (although they would never consider themselves agnostic and/or atheist).