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Why should anyone even want a relationship with God?
January 14, 2013 at 10:08 pm
The rules you must follow to have this are arbitrary and nigh-impossible to actually fulfill. This can only be because God does not want a relationship with a normal human being, one who values empathy and understanding over slavish devotion and submission to a being which refuses to even prove its own reality. One who makes cruel demands and inflicts random disasters and miseries even upon his most dedicated followers.
There's no evidence that even those sorry rewards are actually real, so why should I waste my precious time working on them? As a normal human being, why should I even want to know this God?
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RE: Why should anyone even want a relationship with God?
January 14, 2013 at 10:36 pm
For me, if there really is a god out there, then it seems like I have no choice but to accept it as my Creator. Lucky for us, all the stories we have ever heard about what it wants and how it interacts with us are just myth. Hypothetically, if they weren't though, I think that in itself (i.e. the fact that it's truth) is enough reason to worship that particular god, because I value truth and there's nothing that can be done to change the fact that it wants its ass kissed.
"It is the mark of an educated mind to be able to entertain a thought without accepting it" ~ Aristotle
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RE: Why should anyone even want a relationship with God?
January 14, 2013 at 11:02 pm
If there was certainly a God, that would make things easier. But, I'm aiming more for reasons why one should offer devotion, rather than reasons for simply believing.
To put it another way, if God existed exactly as the Bible asserts, I would believe in him but I would never worship him.
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RE: Why should anyone even want a relationship with God?
January 14, 2013 at 11:02 pm
Quote:Why should anyone even want a relationship with God?
Human ego run amok.
Quote:There is, in fact, no worldview more reprehensible in its arrogance than that of a religious believer: the creator of the universe takes an interest in me, approves of me, loves me, and will reward me after death; my current beliefs, drawn from scripture, will remain the best statement of the truth until the end of the world; everyone who disagrees with me will spend eternity in hell.
--Sam Harris Letter to a Christian Nation
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RE: Why should anyone even want a relationship with God?
January 14, 2013 at 11:15 pm
(January 14, 2013 at 11:02 pm)Ryantology Wrote: If there was certainly a God, that would make things easier. But, I'm aiming more for reasons why one should offer devotion, rather than reasons for simply believing.
To put it another way, if God existed exactly as the Bible asserts, I would believe in him but I would never worship him.
Ah I see. Well, I personally would because I owe my life to him... as much as that would make me cringe. But I'm truly thankful for this bizarre occurrence that is my life, so I think I would have personal reasons for worshipping it.
"It is the mark of an educated mind to be able to entertain a thought without accepting it" ~ Aristotle
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RE: Why should anyone even want a relationship with God?
January 14, 2013 at 11:22 pm
Stockholm syndrome comes to mind.
Even if the open windows of science at first make us shiver after the cozy indoor warmth of traditional humanizing myths, in the end the fresh air brings vigor, and the great spaces have a splendor of their own - Bertrand Russell
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RE: Why should anyone even want a relationship with God?
January 14, 2013 at 11:29 pm
Why should anyone offer devotion?
Fear. It all boils down to fear.
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RE: Why should anyone even want a relationship with God?
January 15, 2013 at 12:34 am
(January 14, 2013 at 11:22 pm)Faith No More Wrote: Stockholm syndrome comes to mind.
Without this hypothetical god, you wouldn't be telling me about Stockholm syndrome.
"It is the mark of an educated mind to be able to entertain a thought without accepting it" ~ Aristotle
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RE: Why should anyone even want a relationship with God?
January 15, 2013 at 2:54 am
(This post was last modified: January 15, 2013 at 2:55 am by The Grand Nudger.)
You know that your parents exist, and their parents before them FTR - you owe your life to them (in the same sterile sense that you might owe your life to this hypothetical god anyway). Erected any altars to your ancestors recently?
I am the Infantry. I am my country’s strength in war, her deterrent in peace. I am the heart of the fight… wherever, whenever. I carry America’s faith and honor against her enemies. I am the Queen of Battle. I am what my country expects me to be, the best trained Soldier in the world. In the race for victory, I am swift, determined, and courageous, armed with a fierce will to win. Never will I fail my country’s trust. Always I fight on…through the foe, to the objective, to triumph overall. If necessary, I will fight to my death. By my steadfast courage, I have won more than 200 years of freedom. I yield not to weakness, to hunger, to cowardice, to fatigue, to superior odds, For I am mentally tough, physically strong, and morally straight. I forsake not, my country, my mission, my comrades, my sacred duty. I am relentless. I am always there, now and forever. I AM THE INFANTRY! FOLLOW ME!
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RE: Why should anyone even want a relationship with God?
January 15, 2013 at 2:58 am
(January 15, 2013 at 2:54 am)Rhythm Wrote: You know that your parents exist, and their parents before them FTR - you owe your life to them (in the same sterile sense that you might owe your life to this hypothetical god anyway). Erected any altars to your ancestors recently?
It's the same deal -- without the hypothetical god I wouldn't have had parents that would produce me.
"It is the mark of an educated mind to be able to entertain a thought without accepting it" ~ Aristotle
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