If God doesn't exist, what difference does this make?

If my wife didn't exist, that would make a huge difference in my life for the worse. Same goes if my daughter, her husband, and my granddaughter didn't exist. I'd feel the loss terribly.

But when it comes to God, so what? 

God has had absolutely zero influence on me during my 73 years of living. I've never had any sort of relationship with God. 

The only effect God has ever had on me came from my attitude toward God, my belief or lack thereof in God, my imaginings about God. 

So if God exists, or if God doesn't exist, that makes no difference to me. Or I'd say, to anyone else, for we all create God in our image, or non-image.

There's no evidence that God has ever had any effect on anybody. All we can say is that believing in God, or not believing in God, has effects on people.

This is much different from, say, gravity. Gravity, unlike God, clearly is real. I drop something and it falls to the floor. That's gravity at work.

If gravity didn't exist, that newfound lack would change life on Earth so dramatically, life wouldn't even be possible anymore.

With God, though, believers and unbelievers in God live their lives in the same way, because God has no evident causal influence on anything or anyone.

If you disagree, share in a comment exactly how you know God makes a difference in your life.

What would be different if God didn't exist? To atheists like me, that's a trick question, since we're virtually 100% certain that God is a fantasy, so God already doesn't exist in the lives of believers.

Again, only their belief in God exists, not God.

As noted in a recent blog post, Philip K. Dick said, "Reality is that which, when you stop believing in it, doesn't go away."

When people stop believing in God, God goes away. This shows that God isn't real. By contrast, stop believing in gravity. You'll find that gravity is unaffected by belief.

Comments

[um]

>>As noted in a recent blog post, Philip K. Dick said,
"Reality is that which, when you stop believing in it, doesn't go away."<<

Well .... That being the case there is a simple question

"Is there something that remains, when you stop believing"?

and ..

"is there a satisfying prove for the outcome of the answer"?

[UM]

Or ....

"Is there something that goes on to change and change" .... always changing and still remaining unchanged?

The unique and endless variations of sameness.?

"What you see out there in the world, as "not" you, is that "not you" or noyt??

Funny questions... hahaha ... must be the coffee that I got as a present.

I learned the word God, in school. Priests and teachers told me what it was all about. To me it is a word like "democracy" of which people say that it exists,. I never saw "democracy", had the pleasure of shaking hands, not even an picture I saw" Still they insists that it exists and are willing to kill an be killed for it.

Funny things ... abstractions

The a peice of paper being a dollar
or
another human being, being your wife ... hahaha

[UM]

Or ....

Is "that , what can be named, all there is to be

What did Wittgenstein adress when he said:

"that what can not be named, should not be spoken off"
and ...
left the aula to work as a gardner.

The santa claus God, does not exist .. grown ups all agree and no grown up needs to go around telling other grown ups that, such a god doesn't exist.

[Appreciative Reader]

“The santa claus God, does not exist .. grown ups all agree and no grown up needs to go around telling other grown ups that, such a god doesn't exist.”

……….But that’s kind of the issue, isn’t it, UM? That so many “grown ups” do still persist in believing in Santa, in some form or the other? That in fact not all agree that he isn't real, that he does not exist?

In some cases it’s a harmless enough belief, that affects nobody really; but even in those cases it does make for valid discussion for those interested in the subject. And in many cases it is way more than merely some anemic harmless belief, and actively seeks to enforce on others the consequences of those cross-eyed and often toxic beliefs of theirs, so that discussion around and about them becomes not just valid in the abstract but in fact a pressing necessity.

[um]

@ AR

Again you are right in your observation.

BUT ......

After the observation made .... there are many ways to deal with it.
The reasons to act are not outside but inside.

So If I am questioned about something I will respond.

Within the safety of my own world, I will expressed my thoughts whenever and to whomever I deem fit ... because I do not ask them to agree, understand or whatever ... it is all up to them what to do with it.

The very fact that I am disgusted etc about what others think and to is no reason for me to act.

[um]

@AR

I am NOT my brothers keeper

I have not the power to change anything, let alone the world

I am solely resposible for my own life, actions, thoughts and feelings

I am not a savior

[Dungeness]

@ [ With God, though, believers and unbelievers in God live their lives in the same way, because God has no evident causal influence on anything or anyone. ]

How do you unravel the causal chain though... looking outward at material effects?
Or do you inspect what's inside yourself and consciousness to find the genesis of
all these hopes, fears, decisions, particularly about an entity as all encompassing
as God.

For instance, if you opt to believe God's a myth that arises out of a need for special
status for the chosen few, where do you probe to really understand why and explain
it. Scholarly articles? Religious doctrine? Some may resonate with you but there will
always be seeds of doubt unless you experience the proof inside consciousness.

The mystic chooses a deep path of mindfulness that purports to reveal answers to
this search for God. Not outside but within where you can, in theory, grow into that
awareness.... know the truth and not be left with guesses.

[El]

This is almost an impossible conversation to have. We are all only aware of what we are told, what we have read and what other people say... what research proves according to the researchers, and then what we make of it all. Much of this is subject to change.
We are practically brainwashed into society from infancy and without it we can't even be rehabilitated to fit back into society. So ... how independently are we able to think? The whole concept of what this 'god' is, if there is one, could be wrong.
To answer this hod no god question I like to go back to when i was a little child and feel what I felt then. I felt in tune with LIFE. Now I'd refer to that as life force which pulsates through all. I closed my eyes every night (I was a burden and was put to bed at 7pm for years and years where I would lie quietly and obediently literally for about 11 hours )...and after a while things were magical.
After having lived many decades I'll say that feeling is all that's True. 💓 I'm glad I found it early.
Besides that, one other thing is true. I was a well rested child.