Suppose It's Proven That There Is No "God"

[Angel]

Reprise

+

= The Major Organized Religions of the World​

God is the elephant in the room of the world, Quag, and we are all the blind men.

Religion in a strict sense is any individual's connection to the elephant.
Organized religion is collective connection to the elephant.

All the inspired stories about the elephant, however different in their various versions, are about the elephant and in so far as these various versions are about the elephant in the room of the world, they are true.

[I have assumed that everyone is familiar with the poem "The Six Blind Men and the Elephant," but I can post it if need be.]

All the objections and criticisms aimed at religion these days, obviously all the objections and criticisms aimed at religion here at DP, are chiefly directed at the Personification of Divinity, not at the Existence of Divinity, about which objection and criticism are ultimately otiose.

 

[Quag]

Are we to understand that Angel thinks that the Hindu pantheon of gods actually exist?

From what I gather yes but they are just different aspects of the Jewish/Christian/Muslim God. Which would actually mean that the Jewish/Christian/Muslim and Hindus are all wrong.

 

[zyzygy]

Reprise


All the objections and criticisms aimed at religion these days, obviously all the objections and criticisms aimed at religion here at DP, are chiefly directed at the Personification of Divinity, not at the Existence of Divinity, about which objection and criticism are ultimately otiose.

Well dodged. Do you believe that Krishna, Kali, Vishnu, Ganesh and Shiva actually exist?

 

[Quag]

Reprise


All the objections and criticisms aimed at religion these days, obviously all the objections and criticisms aimed at religion here at DP, are chiefly directed at the Personification of Divinity, not at the Existence of Divinity, about which objection and criticism are ultimately otiose.

Again you need to modify your claim about them all being correct to all religions are correct about the existence of the divine. However that would still remain nothing more than a claim as there has never been any evidence or logical argument for the divine.
Yes I know we went through this before but your arguments failed to even come close.

 

[Angel]

Are we to understand that Angel thinks that the Hindu pantheon of gods actually exist?

Why don't you ask him. He won't bite your head off. He's actually very simpatico.

 

[zyzygy]

Why does the divine have so many conflicting stories about creation and the like? I would say that the reason is that the stories were invented by mankind.

 

[zyzygy]

Why don't you ask him. He won't bite your head off. He's actually very simpatico.

Ok, I'm asking you.

 

[calamity]

If a God manifests themselves as 1 or as many it doesn't change the fac that those claiming many would still be wrong because the many would still be one and vice versa. Now if all religions claimed that God can also be Gods they could be correct but they dont do that hence thy cannot all be correct.

Maybe their many are one or vice versa. They aren't "wrong," if god or gods want them to see it that way.

...at least not in the eyes of God or gods.

Now, the big guy, he made it clear. That god, who many call God, laid it down in writing: there is only one god, and it's Me! So, anyone believing in Him who also clings to other deities, like the Jesus god, is clearly wrong. God said so.

 

[Quag]

Maybe their many are one or vice versa. They aren't "wrong," if god or gods want them to see it that way.


...at least not in the eyes of God or gods.

Now, the big guy, he made it clear. That god, who many call God, laid it down in writing: there is only one god, and it's Me! So, anyone believing in Him who also clings to other deities, like the Jesus god, is clearly wrong. God said so.

The different religions cannot be right when they claim they ARE right about there being many or just one.
It isn't about what God(s) are that is the problem, it is about what the religions claim that is the problem. You are looking at the wrong end of this

 

[calamity]

The different religions cannot be right when they claim they ARE right about there being many or just one.
It isn't about what God(s) are that is the problem, it is about what the religions claim that is the problem. You are looking at the wrong end of this

I said it was the only possible explanation....or something like that. What they see is what they get. Gods could be many or one at the same time--quantum gods. :lol:

 

[Quag]

I said it was the only possible explanation....or something like that. What they see is what they get. Gods could be many of one at the same time--quantum gods. :lol:

Sure it could be that they are many and one at the same time but then those claiming monotheism and those claiming polytheism would all be wrong.

 

[calamity]

Sure it could be that they are many and one at the same time but then those claiming monotheism and those claiming polytheism would all be wrong.

I'm sure they aren't right.

 

[Angel]

[

Well dodged. Do you believe that Krishna, Kali, Vishnu, Ganesh and Shiva actually exist?

Why does the divine have so many conflicting stories about creation and the like? I would say that the reason is that the stories were invented by mankind.

Ok, I'm asking you.

All inspired religious stories (the Personification half of the equation in the heuristic paradigm reprised at #551) are about the nature of Divinity just as all great literature is about the human condition. The Great Gatsby, Madame Bovary, Anna Karenina, Pride and Prejudice are in this sense all about the same thing, and all true -- true to the human condition. Their truth in this sense is precisely the measure of their greatness and why they are part of the literary canon.

The Hindu pantheon comes out of inspired stories about Divinity. They are part and parcel of Personfications characterizing Divinity in an ancient culture. They are as true to Divinity as great literature is true to the human condition.

Do Krishna, Kali, Vishnu, Ganesh and Shiva actually exist? They virtually exist. What they represent actually exists.

 

[zyzygy]

[




All inspired religious stories (the Personification half of the equation in the heuristic paradigm reprised at #551) are about the nature of Divinity just as all great literature is about the human condition. The Great Gatsby, Madame Bovary, Anna Karenina, Pride and Prejudice are in this sense all about the same thing, and all true -- true to the human condition. Their truth in this sense is precisely the measure of their greatness and why they are part of the literary canon.

The Hindu pantheon comes out of inspired stories about Divinity. They are part and parcel of Personfications characterizing Divinity in an ancient culture. They are as true to Divinity as great literature is true to the human condition.

Do Krishna, Kali, Vishnu, Ganesh and Shiva actually exist? They virtually exist. What they represent actually exists.

Do they actually exist?

 

[calamity]

Do they actually exist?

That's just it. If they [d]do[/b] exist, all bets are off. They can be one or ten or none all at the same time. That's the beauty of gods. They can be anything.

Personally, I don't get it....but, I sort of do. lol...see two things that are different happening at the same time, and neither one is wrong.

Allow me to explain.

I'm a guy who has for decades known how to avoid stress. It's probably kept me free of high blood pressure, heart issues, diabetes, ulcers, etc., even though I work in a pressure cooker environment and have seen my share of challenges in the personal life as well. What's my trick?

Well, a bit like the god people, I know how to take care of my business and allow those things I cannot control take care of themselves. I just do it without god. But, I certainly understand why some people cannot do that. So, they lean on some imaginary power to fix things. Me, I just let cookies crumble.

 

[Dragonfly]

I don't get it.

I think I can sum everything up.

Religion answers all that can't be answered.
It's the nice little bow on the package of life.

Every single question that anyone could ever have about anything that has no honest and factual answer, can be easily answered by religion.

Some people need that. Some people don't.

It's a safety net. A soft cushion to lay on. A crutch to walk on.

In a word, it's hope.

Everything sucks in this world, but at least I know one day I'll be in heaven.

 

[Angel]

...
Everything sucks in this world, but at least I know one day I'll be in heaven.

Your sense of humor is your salvation, son.

 

[Angel]

...Do you believe that Krishna, Kali, Vishnu, Ganesh and Shiva actually exist?

All inspired religious stories (the Personification half of the equation in the heuristic paradigm reprised at #551) are about the nature of Divinity just as all great literature is about the human condition. The Great Gatsby, Madame Bovary, Anna Karenina, Pride and Prejudice are in this sense all about the same thing, and all true -- true to the human condition. Their truth in this sense is precisely the measure of their greatness and why they are part of the literary canon.

The Hindu pantheon comes out of inspired stories about Divinity. They are part and parcel of Personfications characterizing Divinity in an ancient culture. They are as true to Divinity as great literature is true to the human condition.

Do Krishna, Kali, Vishnu, Ganesh and Shiva actually exist? They virtually exist. What they represent actually exists.

Do they actually exist?

I've answered this question as far as good faith allows.
Any answer beyond what I've provided is for Hindus alone to make.
The inspired stories of every organized religion are the interfaces between the human and the divine for true believers. Outsiders may acknowledge their virtual existence as the vehicles by which connection (religio-) to Divinity is facilitated in these various organized religions. For outsiders (=non-believers)to press the question beyond that point is presumptuous and rather pointless. The essential thing is the connection to Divinity which organized religion provides, not the inspired stories offered about the nature of Divinity. The nature of Divinity is a Mystery.

As a Christian I believe in one of these stories. A Hindu believes in another. An atheist believes in none of these stories. That's fine too.

 

[Dragonfly]

As a Christian I believe in one of these stories. A Hindu believes in another. An atheist believes in none of these stories. That's fine too.

If everyone thought that way there'd be no problems at all.

Trouble is, SO MANY want to insist that:"Whatever you believe is wrong, and if you don't switch to what I believe you'll burn in hell forever."

Don't create laws based solely on your faith.
Don't force your faith on others.
Don't condemn those who don't share your faith.

You have your personal journey. I have mine. If neither of us forces our ideology on the other, we'll live in harmony.

 

[Quag]

I'm sure they aren't right.

That could also be possible, but they cannot all be correct.

 

[calamity]

That could also be possible, but they cannot all be correct.

Probably not, but they could all be describing the same thing.

 

[Angel]

Suppose that somehow it's proven beyond a shadow of a doubt that there is no god.
...
There is no "god". There is no Jesus. There is no Muhammad. There is no savior. There is no Jehovah. There is no heaven. There is no hell.
...
Knowing and understanding that there is no god, do you change the way you live your life?
Do you change who you are? Do you change what you do?
Does the previous "you" all of a sudden disappear and a new "you" take form?
...

If God does not exist, then life is absurd.
If life is absurd, then nothing matters.
If nothing matters, then everything has changed.

Returning to the OP, it is now clear that the OP question proposes a thought experiment in which God (the "elephant in the room of the world") is proved not to exist and asks how this development changes things.

Of course, the corollary here is that all the inspired stories (the "Personifications") could no longer be believed, as they would be shown to be about nothing at all.
But this is relatively unimportant.

The important consequence is that the world would no longer have any larger meaning (this view is represented in my early reply to the OP and quoted above).
More importantly the world could no longer have any larger meaning.

Such stories as might be inspired by the absurdity of existence can connect man with nothing outside his own accidental existence.
Heroic and defiant these stories might well be, but at bottom they are merely the cries of despair of victims of a cosmic accident.

 

[Lenina]

Suppose it's proven you have no brain?

 

[Soopairik]

Suppose it's proven you have no brain?

And this addresses the topic, how?

 

[Dragonfly]

Suppose it's proven you have no brain?

Since you failed to quote anyone specific, can we assume you're asking for help?