If Gods existence was proven...

Coriolanus

Basically, I just finished a really interesting short story about a modern world where God was manifested on a regular basis. Angelic visitations, both Fallen and ... Loyal (?), glimpses of heaven and hell, miracles and so on and so forth.
The basic premise that the existence of Jehovah was more or less indisputable.

What really interested me was an account of how even in the face of all this, there were still large groups of people who refused to worship, on moral grounds.

So, I'm wondering, as an atheist or otherwise, if Gods existence was proven (by whatever criteria it'd require for you), would you worship or turn away, do you think?

I'd like to think that I wouldn't be sufficiently cowed to back down on a position I arrived at through a lot of thought and introspection. I rejected the worship of God before I became atheist, ie: what I saw of the church, and the bible, and the world, was incompatible with my own internal moral standards. Actually flirted with some gnostic texts before rejecting the whole idea wholesale.

Edit: Poll there, I think I covered all the relevant povs.

Thomas_S_Hunterson

If a gods existence was proven it would be ridiculous to turn away.

It would be like maintainging that the sun revolves around the earth.

Coriolanus

I'm non-Christian but otherwise religious and I'd convert.

Sean_K wrote: »

If a gods existence was proven it would be ridiculous to turn away.

It would be like maintainging that the sun revolves around the earth.

No, not quite. In this case, the person beleives in it's existence but for whatever reason doesn't beleive that the god in question deserves/is worthy etc of worship or obeisance.

Hagar

I'd start a class action suit against him on behalf of those he should have taken care of a bit better than he did.

Genghiz Cohen

I'm non-Christian but otherwise religious and I'd convert.

I would acknowledge him, but never worship him.

Saruman

Im not sure there is a poll option for me. I used to believe in God, now I do not or at least I certainly believe no religion on earth is even close.

If God was proved, it would depend on what he wanted. If there is a God, I doubt he is so needy as to require us to worship him or accept Christ and repent for "sins" which we never actually commit ourselves.

It would all boil down to what God wants from us.

Jesus1222

I'm non-Christian but otherwise religious and I'd convert.

If you're talking about the Biblical God then you would only worship out of fear. That God is has a vindictive, contradictory personality. If you're talking about a being we would understand to be God, then it would depend on the nature of this "God".

Hivemind187

If god existed it would imply that he/she was a quantity that could be measured - especially if he/she was made manifest.

This universe has finite space and finite materials available. Therefore, there would be a limit on the entity of "god". Limitations defy the omnipotence claim.

Cutting a long story short it implies that god can be questioned. If said god answers these questions those answers are subject to analysis by those hearing them. We could, in effect, debate with god.

This means we could ask him/her to justify the things that he/she perpetrated (atrocities etc).

I doubt there is an answer that he/she could give that would satisfy many of us that it was justifiable to lie and murder in such a position.

Of course if there really were a God he or she could simply alter reality to make us believe anything we wanted (assuming the omnipotence bit again).

Galvasean

I would never bow down to such a tyrant! :mad:

I say that now...

Goduznt Xzst

Eh, this poll fails... there's no "You will receive force powers and a lightsaber if you worship him"

I'm open to the idea that a powerful God like being exists, heck I'd say most rational Atheists are. I'd worship an advanced Alien race if it would grant me immortality for 80 odd years of obeisance (what's a humans lifetime when compared with infinity)

Again, like all religions, it's all about returns and what the individual selfishly desires.

But in your scenario, the Atheists would be the equivalent of Creationists now, denying the existence of cold hard facts that are staring them in the face.

sink

I'm an atheist/agnostic and it wouldn't change a thing.

I wouldn't worship him without a decent reason, but I woudn't deny his existence.

Jesus1222

I'm non-Christian but otherwise religious and I'd convert.

Hivemind187 wrote: »

If god existed it would imply that he/she was a quantity that could be measured - especially if he/she was made manifest.

This universe has finite space and finite materials available. Therefore, there would be a limit on the entity of "god". Limitations defy the omnipotence claim.

Cutting a long story short it implies that god can be questioned. If said god answers these questions those answers are subject to analysis by those hearing them. We could, in effect, debate with god.

This means we could ask him/her to justify the things that he/she perpetrated (atrocities etc).

I doubt there is an answer that he/she could give that would satisfy many of us that it was justifiable to lie and murder in such a position.

Of course if there really were a God he or she could simply alter reality to make us believe anything we wanted (assuming the omnipotence bit again).

It's a hypothetical question. A thinking point. Not a literal scenario to be picked apart.

Galvasean

Hagar wrote: »

I'd start a class action suit against him on behalf of those he should have taken care of a bit better than he did.

Handsome Bob

If "God" gave the population of this world an audience and explained why there is so much suffering in this world then I might worship him. I wouldn't worship a God that remained a loof and that didn't feel he had to explain himself to his lower beings.

faceman

Its a very ideallic question and one that would never come to fruition IMO. Nor would i want it to (as a Christian) as it undermines the premise of faith.

Coriolanus

I'm non-Christian but otherwise religious and I'd convert.

Yeah, I mean the Christian God.

And no, it wouldn't put atheists in the position of Creationists. As is pretty explicit, his existence in the thought excercise is proven. The question I'm asking is whether or not you'd worship.

Zillah

Does Hell exist?

If no, then screw you God you're a jerk.

If yes, then I will fall to my knees and praise him in his glory and forcibly brain wash myself to accept Jesus Christ as my saviour. And I'll call anyone who is all like "No I won't do it on moral grounds" a total idiot for choosing to put themselves in agony for eternity. Nothing is worth that. Nothing.

Luckily the scenario is so absurd I'm barely even going to contemplate it.

Dades

Zillah wrote: »

Luckily the scenario is so absurd I'm barely even going to contemplate it.

You totally already contemplated it.

Genghiz Cohen

I'm non-Christian but otherwise religious and I'd convert.

Dades wrote: »

You totally already contemplated it.

Pwnt

Zillah

Er, maybe I'm missing a joke here or something but I specifically said "barely contemplate", as in I took two or three seconds to contemplate it and responded.

faceman wrote: »

Its a very ideallic question and one that would never come to fruition IMO. Nor would i want it to (as a Christian) as it undermines the premise of faith.

You're so hilariously brain washed it's horrible. It's an ingenious trick that religion has pulled to convince people that in the absence of evidence having belief is a good thing...but to go so far as to say you'd rather not have evidence because that some how lessens faith...mind boggling. Absolutely mind boggling.

Seems to me that a God that actually existed wouldn't care so much about blind faith. A God that doesn't actually exist...now that would have all sorts of reasons to require blind belief.

Zillah

Mind boggling.

pinksoir

Zillah wrote: »

Mind boggling.

Extremely mind boggling.

Handsome Bob

Whoever said this place wasn't confrontational?;)

Genghiz Cohen

I'm non-Christian but otherwise religious and I'd convert.

LZ5by5 wrote: »

Whoever said this place wasn't confrontational?;)

Shut up! No one said that!




:pac:

pts

LZ5by5 wrote: »

Whoever said this place wasn't confrontational?;)

Behead those who say Atheism is violent

faceman

Zillah wrote: »

You're so hilariously brain washed it's horrible. It's an ingenious trick that religion has pulled to convince people that in the absence of evidence having belief is a good thing...but to go so far as to say you'd rather not have evidence because that some how lessens faith...mind boggling. Absolutely mind boggling.

Seems to me that a God that actually existed wouldn't care so much about blind faith. A God that doesn't actually exist...now that would have all sorts of reasons to require blind belief.

Brainwashed by who exactly and in what way?

You say that its hilarious? Is the moral or spiritual well being of an individual funny because it doesnt have the same foundation of your belief? Would you rather people agree with you, regardless of what they believe themselves because it would make you feel better and would be less hilarious?

I guess ignorance isnt just reserved for those who have some form of religion.

Max Power1

I'm an atheist/agnostic and it wouldn't change a thing.

I am an atheist by rationalisation - obviously if the existance of hypothetical a god or gods can be proven beyond reasonable doubt, than i would have to "believe". The thing is, at that point it wouldnt be a "belief", it would be a "fact".

I wouldnt have a blind faith in religion - in the same manner, i dont have a blind faith in atheism either.

AnotherYou

I'm an atheist/agnostic and it wouldn't change a thing.

I think there's a better question here, well, a different one.

For all the believers in god, Imagine for a second we managed to prove there was a DIFFERENT god, for example a jewish bhuddist or muslim god, or perhaps an even more far-fetched god we'd never even heard of.

But imagine this god existed, and we somehow learned of his/her/its existance undoubtedly. Would you abandon your current "faith" or would you chalk this up to the "trying to test our faith" arguement?

I always love seeing how the human mind can rely so much on identity that when the believes someone has used to define themselves are threatened, All bets are off and the name of the game is "make up as far fetched a story to explain why I'm still right to think what I think"

And that applies to athiests and theists


I hear its called spiritual materialism.

Micky Dolenz

faceman wrote: »

Its a very ideallic question and one that would never come to fruition IMO. Nor would i want it to (as a Christian) as it undermines the premise of faith.

If it were to happen, I don't think we would actually see God, but instead, proof of Gods existance.
Aren't Christians meant to belive that Jesus will come again on judgement day? If so, when the second coming happens, that will be the proof.

AnotherYou

I'm an atheist/agnostic and it wouldn't change a thing.

Micky Dolenz wrote: »

If it were to happen, I don't think we would actually see God, but instead, proof of Gods existance.
Aren't Christians meant to belive that Jesus will come again on judgement day? If so, when the second coming happens, that will be the proof.

I'll wait here shall I?

Genghiz Cohen

I'm non-Christian but otherwise religious and I'd convert.

AnotherYou wrote: »

I'll wait here shall I?

I'll bring drinks.