Do you need god? I bloody well don't!

[Tank]

Is it just me or do theists continually harp on about how atheists are missing out because we don't suck up to some ancient mythological institutionalised superstition?

I think the TV programme on the BBC last Sunday "Is there any evidence fo God?" was getting on for the last straw for me. The smug Imam sitting there like he owned the fucking world! What an obnoxious little prick. And the Christians were no better. They had nothing to offer but their ingrained belief and faith. Some (most?) didn't even understand what constitutes 'evidence'!

I don't need a bloody God thank you very much! I'm not missing out because I don't hide under a comfort blanket of superstition!
[/rant]

[philosoraptor]

I suppose this is an entirely rhetorical question. ;-)

I don't need a bloody/damn god, a stupid god, a jealous god, an evil god, an intolerant god, a misleading god.  But you are right, in that so many religious folk seem smug about their faith, which is kind of counter intuitive.  Smugness almost has an element of neener-neener I have it you don't to it, where I'd argue that a person who's truly religious and in the proper "spirit", so to speak, would feel pity of sympathy to the non-religious without any need for the smarmy bullshit.

[Asmodean]

Not only do I not need their god, I don't even want it.

And no, I don't believe in it deep down inside. Really. Deep down inside, that's where I digest my food.

[Sandra Craft]

Is it just me or do theists continually harp on about how atheists are missing out because we don't suck up to some ancient mythological institutionalised superstition?

To me this god-pushing suggests a sense of insecurity -- a feeling that the belief doesn't, or at least might not, stand on its own so they need to shore it up by having everyone on board.  Not just the majority, which they already have, but everyone. 

[Firebird]

Daniel Dennet once wrote that to religious people, giving up religion was akin to asking someone to give up music. IE, let's say a scientific study discovers that listening to music is harmful to your health, and that people should stop listening to music. How many of us would actually do that? It's an irrational action to continue listening, but many of us (myself included) would because it's so important to us on an emotional level. That was the closest explanation someone ever gave me to why religious people feel so strongly about their religion and god. Giving it up is akin to letting a part of themselves die emotionally.

[Sweetdeath]

To me "believing in god" is like a t.v series I couldn't get into.

[Ateo]

I need a god .... just like I need another nipple that doesn't work on my chest.

If god were to disappear, how would we know? That's it, if he's never been here, we wouldn't know either.

And the winner of the 2011 World Hide and Seek championships , for the 2011th year running , is Jesus !.. Jesus couldn't be here to accept his award , as he's already in training for 2012.

[Sweetdeath]

I need a god .... just like I need another nipple that doesn't work on my chest.

If god were to disappear, how would we know? That's it, if he's never been here, we wouldn't know either.

And the winner of the 2011 World Hide and Seek championships , for the 2011th year running , is Jesus !.. Jesus couldn't be here to accept his award , as he's already in training for 2012.

Haha! Brilliant.

[Velma]

Is it just me or do theists continually harp on about how atheists are missing out because we don't suck up to some ancient mythological institutionalised superstition?

I think the TV programme on the BBC last Sunday "Is there any evidence fo God?" was getting on for the last straw for me. The smug Imam sitting there like he owned the fucking world! What an obnoxious little prick. And the Christians were no better. They had nothing to offer but their ingrained belief and faith. Some (most?) didn't even understand what constitutes 'evidence'!

I don't need a bloody God thank you very much! I'm not missing out because I don't hide under a comfort blanket of superstition!
[/rant]

Had a god, got rid of it, am much better off for it.

[Thunder Road]

I wouldn't say I need a god, but I do feel somewhat "emptier" since I shed god.

Of course, that's the stark reality of the universe, and it doesn't mean we should hang on to an irrational security blanket.


I equate it to a child growing up into an adult.  When you're a kid, you know your parents are always looking out for you.  But when you grow up, they're not there to look out for you anymore.  You're responsible for yourself now.  But that doesn't mean you should be scared and move back in with mom and dad.


So no...I don't need god, but I see how some people do and how it can make some people feel better.

[pytheas]

obviously not. But like  a walking aid, using it even if you could walk in the first place, eventually atrophises your walking muscle, disputs you walking coordination and reduces your independence capacity

So the real question is Should "god" be available?

NOT SO FREELY, as with other legislated life substitutes

[Too Few Lions]

the imams on that show were definitely pricks, particularly the one that says science has found nothing that contradicts the Qur'an, because the Qur'an is the word of God. So science teaches us that the Earth is flat with seven levels of heaven above it, and the Sun and Moon travel in set trajectories in two of those heavens over said flat Earth, like the Qur'an tells us....

I've got no problem with people believing in sky fairies per se, I think everyone's entitled to their beliefs however factually incorrect or deluded they might be. It becomes my problem when they go around telling everyone their mythology is 'the Truth', or that not believing in their god or not following what their archaic mythological scripture says makes you immoral or 'sinful'.

But as far as the OP goes, I'm with you Tank, as I imagine most of the other folk on HAF are too. My world works fine without any gods, and I don't see any reason to believe in their existence.

[Traveler]

I've never had a god, and I can't imagine what I might be missing. Religion today seems no less superstitious nonsense than religions of the Mayans, Aztecs, ancient Romans, or anyone else in our history. How can I possibly miss something that makes no sense, and that equates us to our ignorant forebearers? I was looking at some images from the Hubble telescope the other day. I found myself full of awe at the sheer scope and beauty of the universe. I had a huge "aha" moment about god, wondering how anyone could see the sheer size and wonder of it all, and believe in such a petty being as that described in the bible. Unbelievable.

[Guardian85]

I need a god about as much as I need a pink thong.
Have no desire or use for it, and the result would not be pretty if I did....

[Sweetdeath]

I need a god about as much as I need a pink thong.
Have no desire or use for it, ant the result would not be pretty if I did....

I also don't understand the empty feeling ex-religious people get. Why empty?