how would you live if God doesn't exist?

You should do something about that then.

 

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It's that kind of commentary I find most disturbing as it does little more than to demonstrate affront for all living things and a penchant for mankind's self-destruction over ancient myths and superstitions.

How incredibly sad the state of affairs for "modern" civilization.

I will pray to Zeus for your forgiveness.

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meanwhile certain other stalwart personalities cannot bear the notion of existing in the presence of god .....

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You are free.... nah... openly and encouragingly invited to provide that presence that I may bear witness. I will eat your hat, coat and mud laden boots if you can do so. I await your next move. :worship:

 

Since there is no God I'd be living the same way I do since I was born, free of mythology running my life!

 

Mind if I join you?

 

Did you ever read the OT? You know, flood the planet, kill almost all life ... if anything, they're pretty much acting like God!

 

Zeus would probably prefer a sacrifice or at least a libation of wine.

 

Let us then raise a glass and toast the salvation of Jessie, if only that we save her from herself, if nothing else.

 

1 thing that got me out of my childhood religion is I have to do the right thing regardless of religious teaching.
I can't live life completely disregarding possible/probable personal negative consequences of my actions but I mostly do the right thing because it's the right thing. I'm often punished for doing the right thing but I just can't seem to stop.

 

I grok ;-)

 

Good question!

Most theists would say #1.

It all depends on the morality of society. As long as people are reasonable and civilized, it would be #2. The heart of man is selffish, that is true. But, it is something that can be overcome by things other than God. The "Golden Rule" still applies in the absence of anarchy. If a collective exists, it will strive to grow together in peace and harmony. It's too bad everyone can't get with the program. Evil will always exist if people have free will, it is the price we pay for freedom. The problem today is the family unit. It needs to be fixed, or put away if we want to live #2 without the idea of God.

 

Apparently, most theists are imbeciles.

 

Remember to pour the first swallow on the ground. Zeus doesn't like the dregs and spit in the bottom of the glass.

 

Being moral is nature to human nature because we evolved through millions of years of living together in small groups. We are instinctively aware and concerned about the welfare of the group and those in it. We were this way clear back in prehistory before we even believed in gods, when we just thought everything had a "spirit."

Behavioralists have accumulated a lot of material on primate behavior and it is interesting to note that chimps exhibit a lot of social/moral behavior similar to our own. They do favors for each other and, like us, expect the favor to be returned. When it is not, they feel angry over the injustice just like we do. Their "leaders" (alpha males) take great responsiblity for the group. They pickup fallen infants, threaten misbehaving juveniles, patrol the perimeter of the territory and defend the group with their lives if necessary.

charles
http//atheistic-science.com

 

I don't believe in God (wasn't ever brought up with it, never accepted it, kind of toyed with it a few times), and I generally think that this is an advantage for me, but not for the usual reasons that the irritating kind of atheists provide (it's illogical, stupid, oppressive, blah blah blah) since I don't subscribe to a secular humanist ethical system either.

What I believe it allows me to do is be the source of my own meaning in life, without needing to live up to a static set of standards provided for by a traditional religious attitude. Not to say that I -invent- my values, but rather that I am always searching for them, always seeking to make myself more than I am, and always encouraging others to do the same. Of course, my notion of "better" is entirely my own.

But I also recognize the pitfalls and hazards of not having your values decided for you as a child
(not to say I wasn't given any, but they weren't very strong; I love my parents but they are mediocre people in the area of ideological dedication), and those include a tendency toward nihilism, depression, misanthropy, elitism, etc... basically a whole list of anti-social tendencies. I definitely ascribe these tendencies toward not having been brought up with a definite value system, be it religious or secular, and not having said system to define myself in opposition to when I got older. I am still young, but I don't ever foresee myself developing a definable ideology in the future.

 

But are most imbeciles theists?

 

Theism is nihilist, depressing, misanthropic & elitist.

 

If gods didn't exist, would it be necesssary to invent them?

 

I'm quite sure God exists, because I'm alive. I don't go around calling myself "God", though.
Except "I am".

I use a word that sounds quite different, and in fact isn't a word as such because you can't say it.