How much would your lifestyle change

[Lsto]

.



If it was 100% proven that God didn't exist??

[Harbinger]

inb4 Christians don't understand the idea of a hypothetical situation.

[IraHays]

Obviously they would start raping and killing everyone.

[acharlong]

.



If it was 100% proven that God didn't exist??

0% change OP. ATHEISM FTW!

[NickD25]

No big deal

[PaulG]

Wouldn't change anything for most people. When I was stepping away from irrationality, I forced myself from Christianity and all the psychotic **** along with it... I still couldn't think of Jesus as just a man, took years for me. Indoctrination is a tough cookie.

[Procrustes]

Not much. In fact none at all.

But once the pious start going berserk, that might cause some trouble.

I'd rather have the sheep believing in their lies and be sheep.

[Adrogeus]

I think I'd become a monk. Dat ascetic righteousness. I'm sure there'd still be some religious orders out there who would be taking the whole "fool for Christ" thing to another level.

[Lsto]

I would like more input from the hardcore religious fanatics

[DizzySmalls]

I'd have to start preparing for a new wave of humanist *******s to scoff at for their silly egalitarianism. The idea that human beings are equal is:

#1. False. Almost nothing in the world is perfectly equal
#2. Not justifiable without a deity to weigh everybody the same or give everybody value

Chances are we'd just have more statists and environmentalists and all of you other secular *******s who can't find a proper meaning to life without subjugating the rest of society into "equality". More "progressives" who think that humanity is progressing towards one common goal which needs buy-in from everybody.

[MartinRoberts]

I would like more input from the hardcore religious fanatics

Trust me it starts off as fun but gets boring when they run out of material and say the same thing over and over or change the subject to something that doesn't make sense or start with personal insults and deliberately read your posts wrong and answer a question you never actually asked...

[MartinRoberts]

Obviously they would start raping and killing everyone.

I've explained this in detail many times. Atheists don't rape and murder simply because we choose not to, religious people don't rape and murder because they're scared of Hell and believe they are always being watched. If you remove religion the religious will show their true colours.

[DizzySmalls]

I've explained this in detail many times. Atheists don't rape and murder simply because we choose not to, religious people don't rape and murder because they're scared of Hell and believe they are always being watched. If you remove religion the religious will show their true colours.

Yes, because you definitely don't fear retribution from the human authorities or anything...

Also, different people have varying levels of empathy. Not all atheists would avoid theft for example if it was guaranteed that they would not get caught. If an action benefits you more than it hurts you, and you personally don't care about harming somebody else because there will be no retribution, then you would take that action. This idea that atheists are a bunch of moralists is funny to me. Replace the word atheist with "humanist", aka people w/ socially conditioned religious ethics without ontological belief in an afterlife

[MartinRoberts]

Yes, because you definitely don't fear retribution from the human authorities or anything...

Also, different people have varying levels of empathy. Not all atheists would avoid theft for example if it was guaranteed that they would not get caught. If an action benefits you more than it hurts you, and you personally don't care about harming somebody else because there will be no retribution, then you would take that action. This idea that atheists are a bunch of moralists is funny to me. Replace the word atheist with "humanist", aka people w/ socially conditioned religious ethics without ontological belief in an afterlife

I don't believe in hell but I do believe I could get away with murder or rape so no, fear of retribution on a social or authoritive level is not something I fear. If anything I think I'd prefer the prison environment (bar the other prisoners obviously).

[DizzySmalls]

I don't believe in hell but I do believe I could get away with murder or rape so no, fear of retribution on a social or authoritive level is not something I fear. If anything I think I'd prefer the prison environment (bar the other prisoners obviously).

I don't think that's an option ^.

And I'm not trying to suggest that ALL atheists are only stopped by the law and are actual a-moral beasts, but that you can't assume that it is only the "god" mechanism that is preventing antisocial behavior or that all atheists are humanists. My main beef is assuming that humanism is the default position post-religion, when I think that the United States original idea of a system of individual rights and individual freedom are a far better system of ethics designed to promote equality among the rabble and the herd.

People are NOT equal. People do not have the same goals and should not be forced to prop up everybody else in a collective mediocrity. My goal isn't to have as many happy, well-fed cows nibbling grass as possible until they have calves and die and then rinse and repeat. The freedom to pursue your own goals with the rewards of your labor opens more doors to the future than clinging to Christian ethics to try to give live a "mission" or an objective meaning to "progress".

[MartinRoberts]

I don't think that's an option ^.

And I'm not trying to suggest that ALL atheists are only stopped by the law and are actual a-moral beasts, but that you can't assume that it is only the "god" mechanism that is preventing antisocial behavior or that all atheists are humanists.

Actually it is. If I explain that I will slaughter the other inmates I will be removed from the general population, the reason most don't take this approach is because they can't handle solitary confinement whereas someone like me would rather be left to their own thoughts.

If you ask a religious person why they won't do something bad their response will always be "because of God", every single time.

[IDNeon]

St. Paul said if ever it was proven Christ was false he'd just give up and live, he said there is no reason to believe something that is false.

[DizzySmalls]

Actually it is. If I explain that I will slaughter the other inmates I will be removed from the general population, the reason most don't take this approach is because they can't handle solitary confinement whereas someone like me would rather be left to their own thoughts.

If you ask a religious person why they won't do something bad their response will always be "because of God", every single time.

^Religious people use that justification sometimes, but I have known a plurality of religious people who have just as much individual empathy as an atheist and don't act out of "fear of God" but "love of God". Christianity actually teaches that you shouldn't just love God because you are scared of hell or scared or retribution, and that you need to get beyond your self-interest in the equation.

This whole issue of ethics and religion is not nearly so clear cut as to say religious people would throw away all of their teachings without heaven/hell. The behaviors/beliefs have been conditioned into them in childhood just as much as they have been conditioned into an atheist in childhood.

[Rebounds45]

Actually it is. If I explain that I will slaughter the other inmates I will be removed from the general population, the reason most don't take this approach is because they can't handle solitary confinement whereas someone like me would rather be left to their own thoughts.

If you ask a religious person why they won't do something bad their response will always be "because of God", every single time.

strong generalization bro. what is this? A nice person is a nice person, doesn't matter whether they follow a religion or not. I'm pretty sure not every people that believe in God would answer like that. I'm pretty sure people know stealing, raping, killing, etc is wrong.

[MartinRoberts]

strong generalization bro. what is this? A nice person is a nice person, doesn't matter whether they follow a religion or not. I'm pretty sure not every people that believe in God would answer like that. I'm pretty sure people know stealing, raping, killing, etc is wrong.

But when you ask them why those things are wrong they will refer to religion, or something they have been taught. A prime example is personal experience, I was brought up by a racist homophobe and also spent a few years at a Church of England school yet I'm a non-racist Atheist who is heterosexual yet has quite a few gay friends.

[Lsto]

I'm loving the energy in here.. Nothing gets my dick harder like a good ole fashion debate

[Rebounds45]

But when you ask them why those things are wrong they will refer to religion, or something they have been taught. A prime example is personal experience, I was brought up by a racist homophobe and also spent a few years at a Church of England school yet I'm a non-racist Atheist who is heterosexual yet has quite a few gay friends.

oh, you're talking from personal experience. I understand, that's alright. I guess it doesn't matter if they refer to what they have been taught, as long as it is good.

[MartinRoberts]

oh, you're talking from personal experience. I understand, that's alright. I guess it doesn't matter if they refer to what they have been taught, as long as it is good.

I'm not talking just from my personal experiences I only voiced them to give an example, in other words it doesn't matter how you're brought up or taught as many of our actions and beliefs from an early age are instinctive.

[DocHol1day]

i hate to say it but i would probably struggle a lot.

[DizzySmalls]

But when you ask them why those things are wrong they will refer to religion

As is consistent with their world view, which has an objective basis (God) for morality. Without that, there is no objective right and wrong. Killing/raping/stealing is not wrong in and of itself, you have to make a subjective value judgement to in order to arrive at that. Most civilized people are obviously not going to allow these actions to happen, as they are at odds with the peace a society needs in order to function. The social contract whereby humans, out from their natural state as animals free to kill and conquer and do anything according to the laws of nature, agree to not infringe upon the purported "rights" of other. The social contract is like a collective subjective valuation, not an objective source of right and wrong.

People who kill indiscriminately are not sinners, they are not evil, they are simply animals acting in an unacceptable manner and must be prevented from continuing or else no society of individuals can exist outside of warrior tribes. Morality is a human construct, but practically it doesn't really matter if theists think that morality is an objective truth if the behavior that results from the morality is consistent.

[MartinRoberts]

As is consistent with their world view, which has an objective basis (God) for morality. Without that, there is no objective right and wrong. Killing/raping/stealing is not wrong in and of itself, you have to make a subjective value judgement to in order to arrive at that. Most civilized people are obviously not going to allow these actions to happen, as they are at odds with the peace a society needs in order to function. The social contract whereby humans, out from their natural state as animals free to kill and conquer and do anything according to the laws of nature, agree to not infringe upon the purported "rights" of other. The social contract is like a collective subjective valuation, not an objective source of right and wrong.

People who kill indiscriminately are not sinners, they are not evil, they are simply animals acting in an unacceptable manner and must be prevented from continuing or else no society of individuals can exist outside of warrior tribes. Morality is a human construct, but practically it doesn't really matter if theists think that morality is an objective truth if the behavior that results from the morality is consistent.

Lions hunt prey, they attack, kill without mercy, yet they don't kill one another unless under rare circumstances. Lions don't believe in God.

Morality is an evolved trait, without it we would not have managed to develop to the stage we are at today.

It doesn't take religion to say what is right or wrong, good or evil. A high court judge, Parliament, Monarchy etc have just as much power as a Deity in telling you what is right and what is wrong. Telling me it's "right" that I'm taxed to pay for an MP's second house's garden to be tended doesn't make me believe it so, so why does God saying something give it credit?

[MartinRoberts]

i hate to say it but i would probably struggle a lot.

This is one of the main reasons why I fight against religion. You need to find something in this life that is worth living for, you shouldn't be a victim of religion.

[DocHol1day]

This is one of the main reasons why I fight against religion. You need to find something in this life that is worth living for, you shouldn't be a victim of religion.

i have lots of things in my life that are worth living for.

[pkahnman]

i have lots of things in my life that are worth living for.

So why do you need God?? Why would you struggle if you knew he didn't exist?

[DocHol1day]

So why do you need God?? Why would you struggle if you knew he didn't exist?

i find praying about problems to be therapeutic, it helps me step away from a problem and gain insight. it also helps me deal with anxiety. i dont have anxiety 99% of the time, but i had extreme anxiety about break ups from long term (2+ years together and in love) relationships/marriages ending. it helps me manage the anxiety as well. its a comfort thing.


i wouldnt expect you guys to understand. i was very much an atheist for several years. my post history can confirm this. after a ton of personal struggles i found my faith again and my life instantly got better in every aspect.

i'm sure i'm going to catch a lot of ridicule for this but i dont really care.