If You Were A Theist

[abaris]

Yes, I believe in not being quiet because some religious text written by some shepherds over two thousand years ago tells me to because I was born with a vagina.  If God expected me to be fucking quiet, he would not have given me a mouth.  

Some would call them half nomadic sheep shaggers. Although that rather applies to the authors of the OT. The NT was obviously written by Greeks. But as far as misogynistic views are concerned, the Greeks weren't that much advanced in comparison.

[Celestine]

Hello everyone, this is a spin off of this thread: http://atheistforums.org/thread-35404.html ...posted by Shuffle. 

While it is a a very difficult question to answer, I thought it was interesting to think about, and wanted to ask the rest of you and hear answers from the other side.  

Anyone can answer, of course, but I am most interested in hearing from those who have been atheist their whole lives, or at least, who have never been a devout/practicing theist. 

If you were a theist tomorrow, how would you change the rest of your life? Personality, morals, etc.

Thanks!

EDIT TO ADD: Any of the Abrahamic religions.

I'd worship Satan as the one true god, mainly because I don't think the god of the bible is all that he claims himself to be, and Satan seems like a pretty respectable guy aside from what god says about him. That is if I were a theist though.

Oh and I suppose most importantly, Satan has never threatened to damn me with eternal pain and suffering should I choose not to believe in him, he doesn't even ask that I worship him. I can not say the same for Yahweh, and I am not one to cave in under duress.

[Divinity]

And now you're going to explain how we get our conscience by a morally blind chance-based process that selects only for survival.

Sure thing.

First of all, the Abrahamic religions did not invent morality.  That existed before the Abrahamic religions (unless you are a young earth creationist, in which case logic will be ineffective against you).  The Code of Hammurabi pre-dates the Ten Commandments, yet share many similar values.  Now you either have to accept the Babylonian Gods as real, or you have to assume that these people came up with a set of values without the involvement of a god.

Oh and Mankind decided to get rid of slavery, without the aid of a religious text (and in fact in spite of people using said religious text to promote slavery)

Now explain to me why the fuck I should follow a text that tells me I should be quiet because I'm a woman.  I'll be waiting.  I'm sure you'll ignore that as much as you can.  Maybe it's because I'm a woman, and I shouldn't be teaching man according to that book of yours.

[brewer]

You see Catholic Lady, they cannot imagine being accountable to anyone other than themselves. They accuse us of wishful thinking, but in reality they find the notion that they can live however they want without any ultimate consequences irresistible.

If your comment was directed at me, you're an ass and completely wrong. Not surprising. I'm accountable in my life to a vast number of humans (and nature), society and my own perception of morality. The consequences I face and deal with are the ones set by humans, not the boogy man. Being accountable to perfection (your god right?) I would find disturbing on many levels.

Are you accountable to yours? Isn't there something about: Judge not, that ye be not judged. For with what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged: and with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you again. And why beholdest thou the mote that is in thy brother's eye, but considerest not the beam that is in thine own eye?

If not directed at me, apologies.

[Neo-Scholastic]

Go back and read what I actually said instead of offering up a bunch of unrelated rants.

[abaris]

And now you're going to explain how we get our conscience by a morally blind chance-based process that selects only for survival.

Psst, don't tell anyone. But I have reason to believe that one or two threads on morality exist on this forum.

OR SOME BLOODY MILLIONS!!!!

Might find some information there. If you're not out to just trolling a thread you don't like, that is.

Go back and read what I actually said instead of offering up a bunch of unrelated rants.

You more or less said this.

[Celestine]

You see Catholic Lady, they cannot imagine being accountable to anyone other than themselves. They accuse us of wishful thinking, but in reality they find the notion that they can live however they want without any ultimate consequences irresistible.

If your comment was directed at me, you're an ass and completely wrong. Not surprising. I'm accountable in my life to a vast number of humans (and nature), society and my own perception of morality. The consequences I face and deal with are the ones set by humans, not the boogy man. Being accountable to perfection (your god right?) I would find disturbing on many levels.

Are you accountable to yours? Isn't there something about: Judge not, that ye be not judged. For with what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged: and with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you again. And why beholdest thou the mote that is in thy brother's eye, but considerest not the beam that is in thine own eye?

If not directed at me, apologies.

Brewer, there is no need for insults.

ChadWooters, If I do something bad that I later regret, I can not pray to a god to be forgiven but rather that regret and that guilt sticks with me for the rest of my life. Say for example if I made a mistake and did something really stupid in a relationship that caused the one I love to leave me, I would be alone in my despair with no religion to act as a safety net. We, all of us, can live in the way we choose to Christian, or Muslim, Buddhist, or Atheist, but we should be mindful of the consequences which our actions will have as every action we make has a consequence whether it is good or bad.

[brewer]

Go back and read what I actually said instead of offering up a bunch of unrelated rants.

I did. I quoted you. Your response after my post. Ya want to just talk straight instead of being evasive? What rants?

[Anomalocaris]

Jedi or GTFO.

I would probably become more passive, encouraging peace and diplomacy as the best options for situations and using violence as an absolute last resort.

Pretty much the same as I am now, basically, except I'd have a fuckmothering lightsaber.

Jedi is not a religion.  It's a personal relationship with The Force.

If Jedi isn't a religion, how come there is a darth vader gargoyle on the national cathedral in Washington DC?

[Ravenshire]

If you were a theist tomorrow, how would you change the rest of your life? Personality, morals, etc.

Personality? Not much change other than the addition of a bunch of guilt for things that are "sins" but aren't necessarily bad or immoral.

Morality? No change at all. No one gets their morality from ancient, musty tomes anyway.