If You do not believe in God, what do you have to lose by believing in God?

1. 52

   abt79posted 11 years ago

   If You do not believe in God, what do you have to lose by believing in God?
   
   In my opinion, even though some believe God is nonsense, is there any "risk" involved in theism?

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2. 81

   junksellerposted 11 years ago

   Life is about establishing priorities for one's time and energy. There's no real risk in daytime soaps, that doesn't mean there aren't a few gazillion better ways of spending one's time. I'd say the same thing about most religions. Risk or not, there is no reward.

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3. 70

   JMcFarlandposted 11 years ago

   There is a lot of risk in theism.  It's not strictly 50/50.  Either a god exists, or no god exists.  Those are the only two options, so right off of the bat, atheists/agnostics DO have a 50% chance that they're right.  Theists, on the other hand, do not.  There have been thousands of god claims over thousands of years, and the 50% faction that a god exists have their chances exponentially reduced by the various other, competing god claims.  Furthermore, believing in god DOES have a cost.  Almost every god claim comes with a list of requirements/behaviors that you're supposed to follow, whether it's contributing money to the church or avoiding other behaviors.  Say that there have been 2000 god claims through history (this is a gross underestimate).  When you divide 50% by 2000, any theist has a 0.025 chance of being right - and if they're wrong, would the RIGHT god smile more favorably on those who had no belief whatsoever, or on those who spent their lives worshiping, serving and sacrificing for the benefit of another deity?  I think you may be on the edges of a logical fallacy called Pascal's Wager, and it's been debated ever since its inception.  There's plenty of information on Pascal's wager and it's various rebuttals all over the web.

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   1. 52

      abt79posted 11 years agoin reply to this

      You are correct; and yet, in the scheme of things, your 100 year life span will most certainly be completely forgotten in, at most, about 1000 years. If there is a God, however, your soul will exist perpetually.

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   2. 70

      JMcFarlandposted 11 years agoin reply to this

      That depends on whether or not a particular god claim includes Assn afterlife or the concept of a soul at all if that god claim is actually discovered to be true.
      I don't care if I'm forgotten eventually.  I'm going to be gone.

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   3. 52

      abt79posted 11 years agoin reply to this

      So you feel your life has no purpose in the long run, except possibly continuing the human race through procreation?

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   4. 70

      JMcFarlandposted 11 years agoin reply to this

      My purpose is to exist, do good for the sake of doing good, loving my family and my life and doing what I can in the here and now to make a difference.  What happens after I'm dead and gone won't matter.

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   5. 52

      abt79posted 11 years agoin reply to this

      Good answer.
      But what happens after you are dead and gone will matter, just not necessarily to you.

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   6. 70

      JMcFarlandposted 11 years agoin reply to this

      It will matter to those I leave behind, and I will do my best to leave this world better than I found it.  What future generations do with it is their decision to make.

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   7. 52

      abt79posted 11 years agoin reply to this

      Wow you are a smart and intellectual person.

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4. 84

   M. T. Dremerposted 11 years ago

   I'm not sure why this question keeps popping up on HubPages lately. But I will tell you the same thing I tell everyone else; if there is a god, you can't outwit him. Someone who believes in god, because that's what's in their heart, has absolutely nothing to lose. They are just being true to themselves and, hopefully, not harming others because of it. The person who believes in god because they fear damnation, or because they find heaven more attractive, has the most to lose. Would a god really want you to fake belief in order to get a prize? Would he want you to bet your soul on the roll of a dice? If he would be okay with that kind of sportsmanship then he is not the loving, omnipotent father that he is often portrayed as. He's just a temperamental dictator in the clouds. Atheists have a leg up with any potential gods because at least they're being honest with themselves.

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   1. 70

      JMcFarlandposted 11 years agoin reply to this

      What makes you think we don't think about god/gods?  We are debating with believers constantly, and its continually put in front of us.  We just don't believe in a god.

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   2. 52

      abt79posted 11 years agoin reply to this

      Just because you think does not mean others do. Not every person in a specific group is exactly the same.
      No offense to anyone, but it is the truth

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5. 59

   The Agnosticposted 10 years ago

   First you lose an hour every Sunday. You lose countless time wondering whether you are going to suffer eternity in hell. This type of thought builds up anxiety and stress. You miss countless life experiences that a Christian couldn't participate in or try. You lose reason and logic. If you are devout, then you probably lose half of your life worshipping a non existent deity.

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6. 68

   Katherine Frankeposted 10 years ago

   I don't have anything to "lose." Wow, this is a dumb question. Here's the thing that so many religious folk don't seem to understand. My lack of belief in God is not a choice. I CAN'T believe. It simply isn't possible.
   
   I don't expect you to understand where I'm coming from, so I'll give you an example of a similar type scenario. Do you believe in Santa Claus? Of course you don't. There is no evidence for his existence. Would you be able to suddenly start believing in Santa if someone ordered you to? Of course you wouldn't. Belief doesn't work that way. Someone would have to give you PROOF that would lead you to conclude beyond a reasonable doubt that Santa Claus might, in fact, exist. It is the exact same situation for us atheists. No one can give me empirical evidence for God's existence, therefore, I don't believe in Him. I simply can't bring myself to. It goes against logic and my better judgment. Saying "I believe" would be fake and phony.

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