[split] Are Questions About God Important?

[The Grand Nudger]

No, it’s not. I claim that the change in emphasis is important. Before is a better way to say it than regardless. Once we decide whether God exists or not, then the importance of the questions changes depending on how we’ve decided. Please reread what I had afterwards with that in mind. Let me know where it was unclear as an explanation of this point.

If a divine being exists, then the other questions are very important for everyone. If not, then they are only as important as a person wants them to be. If some person doesn’t think they are important, then how would you argue they are?

If a divine being exists then there are questions that may be important -to that divine being-, or -to that divine beings community- - but we all already accept that such subjective and relative importance exists and there doesn't have to be a god for that.  Could be god..or..well..you.  Gods community.,.or yours.  

Now, because I'm an objectivist, when I want to argue with a person over whether or not something is or could be important and how.... I don't launch into a pointless other argument about whether or not some god also exists. I talk about the thing I'm making claims about itself.

I protect the weak.  I feed the hungry.  That's what I'm supposed to do.  I was built for it.  I'm unencumbered by guilts and doubts and reservations that prevent other people from doing this.  If not me...then who?

And I thank you for that.

Well I clearly didn't do it for you, you can't think of any reason to do or not do anything except for ghosts.....honestly, most of the people like that were on the other end of my rifle.

...or else...you see..I would have been someone else, something else, with some different mission or purpose........we would not be talking..about me.

Exactly! And what is the reason you are here and not someone else? You gave a list of events that occurred. Could those events have happened in another way? Did they have to happen just as they did?

There are more reasons that I'm me than I can possibly recall to you.  Many of which happened before I was able to form a memory.  Before...I was born. Sure, I think things could have happened some other way, but not by flipping a coin.  You'd have to go through and change all of those other things, themselves also not the product of a coin flip.

"Chance" is another term doing a lot of work...which, like the last one, won't survive even the the slightest amount of scrutiny. Watch. Do you think -god- flipped a coin to make me the way I am? That, no matter what other circumstances and people and influences were involved..he rolled the people wheel and it came out Joe? If god wanted me to be Not-Joe.....even though I'm from a long Joe tradition..would he have stepped in and un-Joed me?