Without Religion and Spirituality... How would your life change?

As some of you know, I've made a quantum leap away from religion. Many questions have been raised in my own mind without answer. I want to see what answer you all come up with. Answer honestly and openly...

1) If there is nothing special after death, what would you change about your life? ..This is assuming that you become reintegrated with the universe, so you are as content as a rock is.

2) If you found out that God was evil, what would you change about yourself? Would you fight back against Him?

3) If you are waiting for some "Heaven" to make your life better, why not make it better now? Why expect things to just "magically" be "all better?"

4) Would you be willing to go to Hell to truly be free?

5) Would you be willing to say that God screwed up? Why or why not?


I think that is enough for now, but these are honest questions to big problems.

1. nothing, it would give those with no heart aa ticket to be evil,, if you have a heart
you would remain the same as if it (were) heaven.


2. if god was evil he would not creat the commands agianst evil.
if god was evil then how come humans are good and are made aafter god, this implying
god implants love and the law in our heart.


3. nobody waits for heaven, it is granted for the just, heaven on earth is living by
the commands and living by those who live by them, considering the way of earth, heaven on earth is impossible, only
by materialism is the false heaven in peoples minds, true heaven does not exist on earth.


4. hell has no freedom but an amount of people who are haaefull, ignorant, yelling, cursing, human souls, who have no freedo other than
the freedom of hate. if you want to go to hell to have freedom join the kkk because this is what hell consist of.


5. god cant screw up, we can, and we blame god for it because of our freewill and descisions. human mind canot understand this because
we compare god to us which is a creature of mistakes.


protector what happened?

you were faithfull months ago to christ?

peace.

1. Well we don't have to worry about this one, because you can not "cease" to exist

2. Well seeing how god is creation I don't see how "it" can be evil or good. It is all that we are...everything.

3. That's why I'm a Freemason

4. I guess you mean here, if by being free in Hell you mean you are allowed to think freely. I always felt that being a good man, if I were to be "sent" to hell if say the Catholics or Muslims were right afterall, I'd fight for myself, and win, unlike the loser devil...God would unwittingly create a 3rd party...those who serve satan because they are evil, those stuck in hell because they thought differently, and the hevean wenies The 2nd choice would be me...and Yeah I'd be kicking some godly butt.

5. God can't screw up, at least the way I see it, God is all of Creation, it simply is what it is, no perfect or wrong just devine order. I think too many do personify god, god isn't a person handling fates, although fate seems to be a part of existance, god is us and the trees and rocks...and that small ball of hyper-gluon plasma we all exploded from. God I guess you could say is Existance, and we are simply individuals, that still belong to it.

Sincerely,
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1. I'd probably be more careful about crossing the road- believing in an afterlife has made me rather casual about life and death. But I wouldn't really change the way I live, and it wouldn't invalidate my religion.

2. If by 'God' you mean the force that created the universe etc, I would certainly do my best to discourage his worship if I believed him evil, as that appears to be the only way of fighting against an omnipotent being.

3. Not waiting- you should always be trying to improve, yourself or the world.

4. To have freedom of thought, to believe what I want to believe? Yes. Have to, according to the Christian religion, as I can't love someone who'd force me at pain of eternal torment.

5. Should God screw up- as opposed to humans acting in his name- I would point it out and trust in God to be loving and smart enough to admit his mistakes.

(edit-typo)

[Edited on 13-1-2003 by Gryphon]

Whose god?

This is a serious question. Depending on whether you believe "God" to be the Islamic deity, the Christian deity, the Wiccan deity, the Hindu pantheon, the Buddhist concepts or whatever, the answer varies VERY wildly.

Wiccan take:
1) I wouldn't change a thing. I like what the Dalai Lama said: that all things are in need of compassion and it is our compassion and understanding that makes the world better. I find that the world is better for me (with or without afterlife) if I treat the world with compassion.

2) Hard to see Cernunnos as evil (particularly in light of some of the other deities.) Although, if he was counted "evil" then Cerridwin would probably be his balancing "good." It'd turn into a dualistic religion like Christianity. I'm not sure I'd go along with that. I'd probably become Buddhist.

3) I'm not waiting. I have done lots to make my world better -- and it IS better. I have a solid marriage, good kids, good job, much better quality of life. I have a lot of fun and am not plagued by depression. I continue to move forward with that.

4) I don't believe in the Christian hell, and I'm not sure what YOU think you mean by "free." Question needs restating?

5) Which deity? And 'screwed up' how?

I have a question Byrd: Do earth-based religions/faiths have outer space deities?

I would have to disagree with your 'vary very wildly' comment. So far, everyone seems to be answering relatively the same.... even you.

umm.. about "being free," would be the state of free mental choices, separate of any creator's or deity's choices... Ultimate freedom of thought and personal expression.

I don't believe in "deities," because that sounds more like a religious bases, where I worship a statue and an ideal, but not a reason, passion, and inspiring source... so which "deity" is really my way of saying "the universal" in your life or religion (if you have one).

Screwed up: When the supposed "greater good" calls for stepping all over children, families, loved ones, friends, and anyone that gets in the way. When one moment of suffering is justified by an all-power being. When 'balance' is more important than having happiness (or the positive side alone). When life gets its lowest, you find out that it goes lower. When the truth is: there is no point to existance... you just "are."

I do not see God (the universal) as just, caring, understanding, or even important. I believe the feeling is mutual. At BEST, God might be a friend (used loosely) that never interferes, nor seems to really care what happens to you. .. which makes him/her/it more of an aquaintance. God probably hates me these days, but I can't really say that I care. I've given up on blind faith, I've given up on blind hope. All I'm left with are questions with no answers... the story of my life.

So you see, the questions are real. Assuming that God is out there, which I do, what is his/her/its excuse? I recently saw an episode of Everwood. When the grandfather was talking to the dad, he lashed out at the dad for standing back and not taking a part in the grandson's life. He said (paraphrased), 'You can't stand back and not play a role in your own son's life. You can't use "I'm not getting in his way," as an excuse. You are a father, so start being one.'

Assuming there is a God..... I'm waiting for Him to start being one.

"outer-space deities"??? I'm not sure what you mean.

I would believe that aliens might have religions, yes, and they might be incomprehensible to us, and they might worship some sort of creator god that embodied those qualities. Would I associate this deity with the Lord and the Lady? No. Would I see them as faces of a universal power that manifests itself differnently to different societies and different worlds? Perhaps.

Since the concept of the Lord and the Lady don't include omniscence (knowing all from the start to the end of time), then yes, freedom is possible. It's only under an omsiscient and omnipotent and omnipresent deity that you have no freedom.

Our Wiccan deities (I believe in a "Terry Pratchett" system, where our deities are created by us) taught us the principle of "an thou harm none, do what thou wilt." I don't see them breaking that pact. I did have some serious questions about the ethics of Jehovah (even as early as 10 years old when I wondered why he had to kill babies and little children in the flood and couldn't have saved them or given them new mommies.) This is why I'm no longer Christian.

So that might answer some of it... I found that deity's principles and practices to be something that didn't sit well with me. And I changed religions.

By Earth based religions, I mean Wiccan... where you deify nature. Outside of the planet (outer space/not earth), there is a new nature. .... I had more to say, but screw it... I'm not in the mood for this.

All religions require "faith"... which is something that I don't have and don't supply.