If You Were A Theist

[The Valkyrie]

Working on a laser scalpel . . .

[Iroscato]

Or at least you'd -believe- you had a lightsaber......

I'm sure Michio Kaku could sort me out at least an acceptable version.

[Catholic_Lady]

All 3 Abrahamic religions have an afterlife, right?

And so have most other religions - existing ones and no longer existing ones.

But why should that change anything?

I don't know. The poster I was responding to said it would.

[brewer]

I'm gonna take this as a conversion and not waking up with my entire past life being theist (then there would be no change, I wouldn't know to behave different).

Personality: In the beginning elation. I think in the beginning anyone who converts has an uplifting feeling. If there is no positive gain then why voluntarily convert. Later on, melancholy. The constant thoughts of: not living up to the standards for entry (not even exactly knowing what the standards are, OMG was that a sin over and over), potential hell punishment, why do I deserve when others don't or its reverse, did I pray enough, did I pray right. I have enough self worth and insecurity issues now (thanks mom). I can't even imagine my mental state if I knew that big daddy was always watching, assessing and tabulating my behavior.

Morally: god only knows.

[Neo-Scholastic]

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.

[abaris]

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.

Maybe you missed the values part. Though I doubt that, when looking at a guy who loves to get his marching orders and never tries to find two own brain cells to rub together. Makes life less complicated if there's an owners manual.

[Jenny A]

You'll have to pick a religion, cause they're all too different.

Without getting too specific, would it be ok if I said any of the Abrahamic religions, since they are the most common? Or do I have to pick a particular one?

I don't mean to be obstinate, but it would still make a hell of a lot of difference.

If I were Jewish it would change my whole eating pattern.  No more three cheese and sausage lasagna for me (especially if the sausage is pork), no more bacon, no more cheese burgers, no more shrimp or lobster.   And that's no counting restrictions before passover.  *Gasp* no yeast, baking soda, or baking powder.   How could I live?  *faints from hunger*  Seriously, being Jewish especially the more fundamentalist sects would require serious life style changes. . . .  So would becoming Mennonite or Amish.  No buttons?  Help! No education past the eighth grade, I wouldn't be me.

Islam would require me to change the way I dress and and my views about female equality, though come to think of it so would some Christian and Jewish sects.  Oh well. . .

And Christians, Christians are all over the map.  If I became a Lutheran semi-Evengelical, which is how I was raised, I could keep science and evolution (Genesis is all a metaphor for something or another) and even feminism generally, but I'd have to believe I was fundamentally sinful, and that life begins at conception. 

Go fundamentalist and I'd need to give up science, feminism, hate gays, and possibly people of other races, and stop reasoning all together at least on a certain list of topics.

Catholicism I no less about.

* * *

Here's the serious bit:

I'd have to give up rational thinking about at least one subject.  That might kill me.

And, I'd need to believe in the afterlife (disclaimer: some Jews do not) and if I really, really believed that it would change my whole view of what this life is for.  If I really had an eternity to come, I'd really spend now teaching as many people as possible how to have eternity.  And I would have no fear of death. . . . But wait, I've yet to meet a Jew, Christian, or Islamist, who behaves that way.  There are a few historically, but not many.  

So maybe I would be the say watered down theist as most people and nothing would change.

[Divinity]

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.

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.  

There are consequences to everything with or without god.  People say "Without god, what would stop me from raping people?"  and the answer would be "Hopefully you'd have a fucking conscience."  But if you really feel that way, I hope nobody tries to convince you otherwise.  For the sake of others.

[Neo-Scholastic]

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

[The Valkyrie]

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.

Speak for yourself, not for everyone else.

You show by your assumptions that you're not qualified to speak on my behalf.

We're accountable to someone with almost every action we take.  It's just not to your evil sky wizard