Believers in God deserve to have the What if...? gambit turned back upon them.
They enjoy telling atheists, agnostics, and other non-believers in a supernatural divinity that nasty things await them -- hell, for instance. Failing to accept the reality of a world beyond this one supposedly leads to undesirable consequences (in this life and an imagined next one).
But what if the atheists are right and believers are wrong?
This is extremely likely, as I noted in last year's "Religious believers, what if you're wrong?" That post includes some quotes from a book by James Lindsay, "God Doesn't; We Do."
-- What if you, believer, are right about there being a God but picked the wrong one?
-- What if you're right about God but picked the wrong religion to worship Him, as Muslims, Jews, and Christians mutually claim about each other?
-- What if you're right about God and your religion but wrong about which denomination, sect, or church has it right?
-- What if no demomination or person has figured it out correctly yet?
-- Can you, in your little corner of faith, in your tiny denominational box, shaded by your own personal perception, interests, likes, and dislikes, really be so sure that all of these billions of others have it wrong and that you have it right?
-- What if you are wrong about God's existence?
-- What, then, are you doing with some or much of your life?
-- How much time and effort are you wasting chasing fairy tales out of a book that is ancient literature turned social-control manual?
-- What are you doing to yourself, to your psychological well-being, when you must constantly lie to yourself about your worldview, which does not match your view of the world anywhere you look without relying on rationalizations and contortions of facts?
-- What are you ignoring or failing to learn about the world or yourself because you think you already have answers or because you want them less than your cherished beliefs?
-- What are you doing when you support inhuman social policies, hold back education, suppress healthy expressions of sexuality, oppose beneficial measures in regards to sexual health, deny others their basic human rights, curse the names and lives of your enemies or go to war with them, vote for idiotic politicians because you like their beliefs, held without evidence, enough to act without regard of their backwards ideas on key matters of policy?
-- What are you asking from those of your friends, your family, and your community who do not believe and yet are currently all but forced to listen to and to pretend to respect your religious beliefs, delusional rambling, misplaced thanksgiving, and unflattering solipsism?
-- What actions and thoughts do you deny or attempt to deny yourself on the grounds of your faith, activities and mindsets that might bring enjoyment, pleasure, meaning, or fulfillment to your life?
-- Which of those do you do anyway, needlessly hating yourself for it even while you do it?
-- What do you do only because you hope for bonus points with your imagined creator, selfishly trying to improve the chances that you will get your reward?
Several of Lindsay's questions reminded me of an email exchange I had with a woman who was in a religion that had a rule: No Sex Outside of Marriage. She was in a close sexless relationship and wondered what I thought about this.
Here's part of my reply:
Don’t let irrational fears about the future interfere with your present day happiness. Religions prosper because they make people fearful. They claim that unless people act in a certain way, they are doomed.
Problem is, different religions have different moral codes. In truth, the way I see it, there is no absolute right and wrong. Just how individuals and cultures view right and wrong. So follow your heart, not someone else’s moral code.
...Life is short. The time for joy is now. You seem like a caring woman who wants to do the right thing. Relax. You’re doing the right thing if you love someone and want to have sex with them. This is a natural part of life. It brings two people closer together. Enjoy yourself.
W H A T I F
what a narrow minded NON sense
An entity who can do all that foreseeing supernovas and the rest
isn't bothering . . . , , collects only "nice"
BTW
Whatever religionist feeling HAPPY all the time or half the time
about something even "wrong" or badly defined during his life is better of
a win-win as long as she is compassionated c q nice
777
Posted by: 777 | July 13, 2015 at 06:44 AM
777 you say "An entity who can do all that foreseeing supernovas and the rest isn't bothering . . . , , collects only "nice"
This is fascinating (for me). What entity are you describing here? Is this the God of the religions, who I think is probably Kal, the negative power keeping us trapped in its realm?
I think you also speak of many powerful entities, are these like the Greek gods and goddesses?
I like your emphasis on having compassion. Will have to try to be more happy! Don't like this world (but am trying to be nice) lol
Jen
Posted by: observer (Jen) | July 13, 2015 at 04:36 PM
“On this path effort never goes to waste, and there is no failure. Even a little effort toward spiritual awareness will protect you from the greatest fear.” (Bhagavad Gita)
If you dont know how to swim you cannot swim at the time of death. If you dont know how to die then death will remain a mystery to you.
Know the state of your inner being; meet with the Guru and get
rid of your skepticism. To reach your True Home after you die, you
must conquer death while you are still alive. (Guru Granth Sahib, 21)
Posted by: AV | July 13, 2015 at 11:43 PM
If the solar system was brought about by an accidental collision, then the appearance of organic life on this planet was also an accident, and the whole evolution of Man was an accident too. If so, then all our present thoughts are mere accidents-the accidental by-product of the movement of atoms. And this holds for the thoughts of the materialists and astronomers as well as for anyone else’s. But if their thoughts-i.e. of materialism and astronomy-are merely accidental by-products, why should we believe them to be true? I see no reason for believing that one accident should be able to give me a correct account of all the other accidents. It’s like expecting that the accidental shape taken by the splash when you upset a milk jug should give you a correct account of how the jug was made and why it was upset?
Posted by: AV | July 15, 2015 at 06:39 AM
http://www.thenewsnerd.com/health/apa-to-classify-belief-in-god-as-a-mental-illness/
Posted by: x | July 16, 2015 at 09:21 AM
AV
Accidents, may be you can call them so but deliberately brought about
knowing that eventually all atoms will transform into Love
when their time comes
I mean The Maker does 'anything' in a zillion ways
and it turn out to be fine
There is no other way, . . no other escape.
THAT is a certainty.
Everybody is bound to hear the sweet sweet sound of the way back
YEN
The all Powerful entity is YOU, still YOU
but if we grow proud of that even when understanding
we miss the target for the time being
If we love ( with compassion VG , we are sucked back by light speed
Book Mirdad : Love is the reward for Love
as hate is for hate
By Our Love these 7 vertical Heavens are esthablished
Its easy : just start smiling
GREXIT : Yes
At that time their believes created their environment
Many of them still exist in the 1/7 Heaven and we can join ( being sucked ) them
as many religions propose to join their 'say' dhyan, imaginations
via the lower chakras and if y'r serious : mega ascese.
This 7th chakra, Crown Chakra is such an unbelievable method
To fool them all
and just BECOME the beautiful uninterrupted Sound
Be happy
777
Posted by: 777 | July 16, 2015 at 12:38 PM