Hypothetical Question: What if it were proven there's only one true God and It w

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   Kylyssaposted 8 years ago

   Hypothetical Question: What if it were proven there's only one true God and It wasn't your God?
   
   For this question, you must use your imagination. You must pretend the premise of the question is true and then answer it accordingly. The premise is that God has been discovered and it's been proven there's just the one (and, for this hypothetical question, you believe it) and it isn't the God you currently believe in. For instance, if you believe in Yaweh, the God is some other God who doesn't conform to the personality or behavior of the God in the Bible in any significant way. For purposes of the question and only of the question, the real God is not yours and there are no others.
   
   

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   m abdullah javedposted 8 years ago

   Kylyssa, it is as if you are asking what would you do if you come to know that the distance you have covered so far in a journey doesn't lead to the destination you are intended for? Your argument may hold good for those who have just started their journey. But belief in God is not a matter of a day or two to think the way you have pointed out. In my view your question is of this sort. It takes years for a person to follow a belief.
   
   The relationship with God resembles a life journey. Every day we remember Him, worship Him, obey Him, try to follow His instructions for all the matters that constitute our social and economic life. We invoke Him every now and then. We ask for forgiveness. We ask Him to accept our prayers and fulfill the necessities.  As a result of which we all are highly indebted by virtue of His limitless favors. Our lives have been characterized by His bounties. Then how come all of a sudden a person inversely realizes something entirely different, and he says... Wait, whom am I worshiping? He is not my God?
   
   If the concept of God has an enormous expanse that He is omnipresent, All Powerful, Authoritative, Sustainer, Cherished etc, then the days and nights will have a seal of His true obedience. This ultimately results in strengthening  belief in God.
   
   With such an encompassing concept of God and a life embodiment of His command will never know the turning back. The life depicts a sustainable journey and continues in all circumstances with even more speed and fervor. The prerequisites of God's obedience is that a person should worship Him passionately and untiringly no matter what.

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      Kylyssaposted 8 years agoin reply to this

      So are you saying that you would decide your earlier ideas about God were mistaken or just undeveloped and you'd change your beliefs to fit the revealed God or that you'd cling to your beliefs that didn't match the revealed God's reality?

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      m abdullah javedposted 8 years agoin reply to this

      What I am saying is true belief in God happens once for all.The moment one believes,the relationship with his God increases exponentially with his age & practices,so there is no turning back.Instead,weaker faith has no authenticity,it may change.

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      Kylyssaposted 8 years agoin reply to this

      So you would consider the revealed God, no matter how He might differ from your expectations, to be your God?

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      m abdullah javedposted 8 years agoin reply to this

      To believe God is one is human nature. When we believe in one God with complete willingness & without an external pressure then there is no logic in discussion. As far expectations, being His servant, worship means I need to fit to His expectatio

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      jonnycomelatelyposted 8 years agoin reply to this

      muhammad abdullah javed, it seems to me that you have not been able to answer the question which Kylyssa has put to us.  You have not been willing to step out of your beliefs to consider anything else with imagination.

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      Oztinatoposted 8 years agoin reply to this

      Johnny
      it is unethical to use the word imagination in lieu of the real subject which is simply atheism. The train of logic jumps the tracks into a swamp of paternalism and stereotypes.

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      Kylyssaposted 8 years agoin reply to this

      No, Alan, his answer is good. He's saying he'd worship the revealed God as He was in reality and wouldn't see it as a change in God but as a maturation of his own belief.

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      jonnycomelatelyposted 8 years agoin reply to this

      Oztinato, I do  use the word "imagination," ok, therefore I'm unethical..if you say so.   Yet, for me to use my mind in the process of imagination, to dance and have fun in thought, that for me is human life, integrated with science, totally ethical!

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      m abdullah javedposted 8 years agoin reply to this

      Dear Alan, the heart & mind facilitate imagination, but that should be within the realm of reality. You can imagine about the expanse of authority of the God but not about God itself as we are with limitation of senses.

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       jonnycomelatelyposted 8 years agoin reply to this

       Yes, I agree with that, Muhammad, good point.  So any imagination of a "god" has to be in terms of our physical experience.  Hence, I suggest the personal understanding for each  must be individual and unique?  In this way I can honour and respect.

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       m abdullah javedposted 8 years agoin reply to this

       Yes Alan we should honor the view points and opinions of everyone, atheist or theist doesn't matter. With the given senses we can easily arrive at a concensus, what needed is beautiful admonitions and we all have equal rights for the same.

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   Oztinatoposted 8 years ago

   For this question it's not imagination that you need but stereotyping and misinformation. It's based on a fond wish that atheists have to promote divisions between religions. There are many such biased themes posing as alleged logic. The usual pattern is "if I was a believer this is what I'd believe" which is plainly illogical. It is structured to try and get a specific response or to "educate ignorant believers" which is very paternalistic and insulting. Evolved religious beliefs clearly show that the essence of such religious beliefs is the same. Various cultural images of God relate to specific cultures and races from various times,places and circumstances. I'd go into more detail but attempts to use free speech are often stifled but certain sections of the HP community.

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      Kylyssaposted 8 years agoin reply to this

      No, I wondered if believers could imagine their particular God not being real after reading answers to Brad's question that showed some can't imagine a world in which no God exists. I'll keep your rant so people can see what kind of person you are.

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      Oztinatoposted 8 years agoin reply to this

      K
      it makes no difference. The question is paternalistic and relies on stereotypes.  Realists will appreciate logic not paternalism. Imagining there's no God is like imagining how to be  stupid: a pointless and foolish and foolish exercise.

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      Kylyssaposted 8 years agoin reply to this

      You didn't even read the question if you think I asked people to imagine God wasn't real. I asked people to imagine God is real, but just not what they expected. You stereotyped atheists & believers in the rant that you posted instead of an answe

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      jonnycomelatelyposted 8 years agoin reply to this

      Oz, there is no conspiracy here that I can see.  Warm to that free speech in all of us.  Have no fear that you need to relinquish your own beliefs.  Just allow unbelief.  Simple.

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      Oztinatoposted 8 years agoin reply to this

      Jonny I have been vigorously defending Ethical atheism for over two years on HP in my hub about the failures of new atheism. We can't sit back and shrug off religious intolerance as just atheism: it's not atheism and has nothing to do with atheism.

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      jonnycomelatelyposted 8 years agoin reply to this

      That's fair enough.  But if a person who is not a "believer" gets the impression he/she is being told to "believe or be damned," then it's religious bullying.   Maybe that is where the "new" atheism is getting its energy.

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      jlparkposted 8 years agoin reply to this

      I believe you may have missed the entire point of the question by being blinded by where you think HP is going. This isn't an atheist vs believers question - it's a 'well if, then?' Question. The only one making it A v B is you.

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      Kylyssaposted 8 years agoin reply to this

      Asking people to imagine something outside their current view of reality isn't stereotyping. How is it a stereotype to suggest people have their own individual ideas of God? Your talk of "evolved religious beliefs" is stereotyping.

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   Ericdierkerposted 8 years ago

   This is a cool question. I have always viewed everyone's God as different. Based more on a personal relationship with God than on an "everyone's picture" of God. One true God would mean everyone's relationship would be the same and that would be strange indeed. When my mom died us six kids were talking about her. She loved us all but loved us all differently and so our view of her was different. But she was just human and just one mom. A God to me would be one that would be all things to all people.
   So if it were proven and that God was not my God I would have to establish a new relationship with God. I wonder if that would be a different relationship.
   I think all this would just mean that my vision of God was wrong. Let us see: All powerful, all loving, all caring, alpha and omega, omnipresent and all things to all people. What would a God look like that was different? Weak, all hating. not caring, one dimensional in finite time and only in a given place and only one thing to all people.
   Well if it was that different God. I would probably want nothing to do with it.

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      Kylyssaposted 8 years agoin reply to this

      Thank you. For purposes of this question the God revealed can be assumed to be neither evil, finite, nor uncaring just different from the God you expected in the details, like maybe God is genderless and didn't write or inspire the Bible.

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      Say Yes To Lifeposted 8 years agoin reply to this

      I like this answer!

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      Oztinatoposted 8 years agoin reply to this

      Eric
      expressing opposing view points is healthy.
      It is inadvisable to pander to social media if one wants to get to the truth.

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      Ericdierkerposted 8 years agoin reply to this

      You insult me greatly

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      Kylyssaposted 8 years agoin reply to this

      I like this answer, too, Yoleen.

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   Say Yes To Lifeposted 8 years ago

   According to my studies of near-death experiences, the various religions are facets of the True God.  Therefore, if I were raised Christian (which I was), and I discovered the God of Baha'i Faith was the True God, I would simply convert to Baha'i Faith.
   The reason I used Baha'i Faith as an example is, they take the best of 5 major religions - Judaism, Christianity, Islam, Hindu and Buddhism - and combine their teachings into their own.  They strive for one world order with no poverty or prejudice.  They believe every 500 years or so, a prophet reveals new teachings to benefit mankind.  They believe Jesus is such a prophet, along with Gautama Buddha, and all the other great religious leaders.  So according to them, I would not be changing gods at all; I would simply change my view of Him.
   P.S.  Baha'is are really cool people.  They enter communities in trouble, organize leaders according to the community members' talents, and work to improve them.  Though my current leaning is more towards Buddhism, I enjoy hanging out with Baha'is.

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      Kylyssaposted 8 years agoin reply to this

      This makes a lot of sense and I appreciate your insight. The Baha'i probably wouldn't have many adjustments to make and it sounds like they'd be there to help everyone adjust, accept, and thrive after what might be a shock.

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   jonnycomelatelyposted 8 years ago

   I regard any personal concept of/belief in a god as just that:  personal.
   My personal concept at this time is of the possibility of some force/entity that has set in motion the physical world as we know it.  I have rejected the notion of a judgmental "supernatural being," that sits up somewhere, looks down on me and judges my every move/thought/intention.
   Now, if as you suggest Kylyssa, I suddenly found my concept/belief was proven wrong, then it would be an enormous emotional and mental somersault. I would react in a very human way, reject the new findings initially, fight the very idea of it, argue, deny, ridicule.....
   Yet, if the new findings were real and substantiated, there would be no way to erase those findings.  They would simply wait for my mind and my desires to catch up with reality.
   So the question remains:  are my current concepts/beliefs real, or just imagined?   
   The Eternal Conundrum.   The only way I can live with this is to say:  My concepts are ok for me.  I must accept that Oztinato's concepts are ok for him.  Erik's concepts/beliefs are ok for him.  We can and must live freely with the diversity which our human minds play games.
   It's a wonderful world.

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      Kylyssaposted 8 years agoin reply to this

      You described something like the stages of grief in there. Would it be fair to say you'd grieve your old beliefs and then change at your own pace to accept and live with the new reality?

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      jonnycomelatelyposted 8 years agoin reply to this

      Yes, that clarifies it well, thx.  My main concern is to have control over what I believe....not have someone else try to convince me along the lines they regard as acceptable. Truly free choice if you like.

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   bradmasterOCcalposted 8 years ago

   I would say that God is a bad God to not let his creation know they are going down the wrong path.

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      Kylyssaposted 8 years agoin reply to this

      Thank you for answering. What if the God's plan is for us to go through the pains of  growing up on our own and making our own mistakes?

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   ambassadorbutler7posted 8 years ago

   It's just your imagination running away from you. You have to much time on hand to fantasy land and the consequences will follow naturally from your imagination and good luck what you will find at the end of your imagination. I hope you like what you found at the end of your imagination. What If Is A Big Unknown Question And You Have Seen What Happened To That What If With Lucifer Who Is Now Satan. What If?

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      Kylyssaposted 8 years agoin reply to this

      Writing a question to get atheists and believers to think about beliefs is a waste of time but leaving a personal attack on such a question isn't? Why does the question make you so angry you had to answer it with your rant?

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   jlparkposted 8 years ago

   Firstly, I'd be a bit surprised, given my personal view of God is that I don't believe in any.
   
   After I got over the surprise, I guess I'd take the God/s as they stood - not by the words of their  followers - so not by the Holy texts which have been written by those who believe in them. Humans are fallible, and if there is a God, regardless of which one it is, then I'd rather hear it from the 'Horses Mouth' so to speak - or at least a personally authored holy text - not one written by hundreds of people over thousands of years, translated through many languages, and subject to translator bias.
   
   My world view would change slightly - how things got here etc.
   
   I couldn't tell you if my change would be greater than that of a faithful who's God is not the one true God....because theirs would involve a grieving for something they believed in, where as all I have to do is adjust to the proof we've always asked for and never been provided - until this one true God in your hypothetical situation presents itself.

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      Kylyssaposted 8 years agoin reply to this

      I'd be mighty surprised myself as I don't believe in any Gods either. I think reactions would all be quite personal. Thank you for your answer.

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    Ashley Shindlerposted 8 years ago

    God belongs to everyone. No matter what religion you are. No body knows who or what God looks like until they witness God first hand. My God is your God and your God is mine. It is how you believe in God and what God stands for, what you as a person make God out to be.

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       jonnycomelatelyposted 8 years agoin reply to this

       With which sense or senses do you "witness" your god?

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       m abdullah javedposted 8 years agoin reply to this

       Thanks Ashley for an insightful response. We are sure to mee our Lord on the day of judgment but how would be that meet is a matter of realization. As far in the world, we all can make use of our senses to sense the sensibility of God's existence.

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       Kylyssaposted 8 years agoin reply to this

       Ashley, I can't understand your answer. Are you saying you have no preconceived idea of God or that your idea of God already includes all possibilities? Or something else?

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    Beer Pongposted 8 years ago

    This is a great question. I guess the answer depends on the person's intentions. If I convert, I guess it would be driven by fear of the consequences of the afterlife. If I remain faithful to my belief, it would probably be due to my innate sense of loyalty to a cause (and this goes beyond religion). So I am not sure what I would do, but that's a great philosophical question.

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       Kylyssaposted 8 years agoin reply to this

       I find your response interesting. What if the revealed God had no Hell option for people, just a healing of every spiritual illness in the afterlife instead?

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       Beer Pongposted 8 years agoin reply to this

       Now that I have had some time to let this deep question sit in my head, I don't think my life would be changed by all of this. I just focus on being a person of integrity, compassion, and generosity. That's all that matters to me.

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    sunitibahl9posted 8 years ago

    It is your belief that makes the difference. If I get to know my God is not real while someone else's is..i would still believe in him unless and until it gives me positivity and still prevents me from doing wrong to others.

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    danctasticposted 8 years ago

    No one really knows all that God is because it has not all been revealed to us, and will not until we meet Him face to face.  But, I'm so elated and happy with the God I serve is omni-present, omni-potent, and omniscient that I can't imagine Him being able to be any better than that!  You should except Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior and you would not even want to imagine that there's any other God besides him.  He offers you forgivness of your sins and everlasting life!! What fool wouldn't accept that gift and it cost you nothing but cost him everything.  He did that just for you!  OHHHH, I get estactic just thinking about it!

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       jonnycomelatelyposted 8 years agoin reply to this

       You are entitled to feel and think that way, Andrea.

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    peter565posted 8 years ago

    If the one and only true god is the Christian god, then I will side with Lucifer and revolt, because this god is evil.
    
    Chronicles 15:12-13 
    And they entered into a covenant to seek the Lord, the God of their fathers, with all their heart and with all their soul, but that whoever would not seek the Lord, the God of Israel, should be put to death, whether young or old, man or woman.
    
    Deuteronomy 22:20-22 
    But if the thing is true, that evidence of virginity was not found in the young woman, then they shall bring out the young woman to the door of her father's house, and the men of her city shall stone her to death with stones, because she has done an outrageous thing in Israel by whoring in her father's house. So you shall purge the evil from your midst.
    (My cousin is a the type of girl that slept with the entire football team. Definitly not a virgin. Anybody want to kill my cousin for not been a virgin will have to go through me)
    
    If the god is some other god...well...that would really depend on circumstances. (I have my finger cross on Satan been the real god, because if Christ is such an ass, and Satan is his opponent, chances are, Satan is in fact a very good guy.)

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    Eleshposted 8 years ago

    There is only one God, all others are gods. You shall know the truth and the truth will set you free.

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       jonnycomelatelyposted 8 years agoin reply to this

       .....and you don't think there is any superstition involved here, Elesh?

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    Michaela Osieckiposted 8 years ago

    Well, since I don't think "God" can really be accurately comprehended by the feeble human experience, this question seems rendered a bit moot. But for the sake of imagination, personally, if it turned out that the God depicted in the Christian Bible was proven to exist in exactly that manner, I don't think I'd suddenly change up my ways and worship him - there's a reason I rejected that religion/dogma in the first place.

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