# Would you believe it if God revealed himself?



## LucasM (Jan 22, 2009)

Just curious, similar in vein to "do you believe in God".

If God revealed himself to the world in a manner without doubt, would you believe it to be God or an imposter?

(himself/herself/itself/english fails here)


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## LucasM (Jan 22, 2009)

Personally, I am tempted to say imposter. Unless it was the end of the world.


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## bubblePOP (Aug 8, 2014)

Mmn, I don't want to vote because I don't want to give a definite answer. But even if it does turn out to be God, it doesn't necessarily mean that I'm going to drop everything and start believing in him again.


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## LucasM (Jan 22, 2009)

bubblePOP said:


> Mmn, I don't want to vote because I don't want to give a definite answer. But even if it does turn out to be God, it doesn't necessarily mean that I'm going to drop everything and start believing in him again.


Why should you? (I am assuming by believing it will affect your lifestyle not just be a fact in your head)


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## Ephemerald (Aug 27, 2011)

Well, since the question included "without a doubt," I suppose I would.

But believing in something does not equal respecting it.


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## bubblePOP (Aug 8, 2014)

LucasM said:


> Why should you? (I am assuming by believing it will affect your lifestyle not just be a fact in your head)


Well, I've been in quite a few religious debates where the Christians have asked me why don't I believe in God, and in a water-downed version, I simply say because there's no proof he exists. So then they ask me what if he was to prove himself to you, would you then start believing? And I told them that no, I don't think I would. They immediately demand I tell them why I wouldn't, of which I tell them that I don't have a direct answer for them, and I still don't.


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## FearAndTrembling (Jun 5, 2013)

bubblePOP said:


> Well, I've been in quite a few religious debates where the Christians have asked me why don't I believe in God, and in a water-downed version, I simply say because there's no proof he exists. So then they ask me what if he was to prove himself to you, would you then start believing? And I told them that no, I don't think I would. They immediately demand I tell them why I wouldn't, of which I tell them that I don't have a direct answer for them, and I still don't.


That really doesn't make any sense. If something is proved to you, it is implicit that you now believe it to be true. How can one be an atheist, if God is a fact?

To the OP: whomever could impersonate a God, would have to have some kind of great power. It would certainly make me reconsider the subject.


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## LucasM (Jan 22, 2009)

Ephemerald said:


> Well, since the question included "without a doubt," I suppose I would.
> 
> But believing in something does not equal respecting it.


Hmmm... This makes my head hurt. Without a doubt doesn't mean that you can not have doubt but the sign is readily verifiable and definitely not of this world. Else it would be mind control :shocked:


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## bubblePOP (Aug 8, 2014)

FearAndTrembling said:


> That really doesn't make any sense. If something is proved to you, it is implicit that you now believe it to be true. How can one be an atheist, if God is a fact?
> 
> To the OP: whomever could impersonate a God, would have to have some kind of great power. It would certainly make me reconsider the subject.


I didn't mean that I won't believe he's not real. Technically speaking, I currently don't believe he isn't real, either, which is why I don't call myself an atheist. However, if he was to step up in front of me and tell me that he was God, and prove it to me, that doesn't mean I'm going to start following him.


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## refoT (Aug 10, 2014)

As someone said earlier, the question includes without a doubt. Well, if God revealed himself in such a manner then I don't see why I would call him an impostor. It'd be revealed and I would believe this God exists and I would no longer call myself an atheist. However, this does not mean I'll worship, respect, praise or love this being. It simply means I'd believe. 

I'm not even sure if believe is the right word ...it'd simply be a fact of life. Reality. But I'm probably looking too much into it.


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## Clyme (Jul 17, 2014)

LucasM said:


> Hmmm... This makes my head hurt. Without a doubt doesn't mean that you can not have doubt but the sign is readily verifiable and definitely not of this world. Else it would be mind control :shocked:


So, without a doubt doesn't mean that one can't have doubts? I'm baffled.

Anyway, it sounds like you're referring to something specific, as though evidence has already been presented, but ignoring that for now, it seems like you're talking about "Would you believe in God if substantial evidence supported the God hypothesis?" Well, it would depend on what sort of "evidence" it was. If we're talking about anecdotal evidence such as the Bible, then I don't concede it to be sufficient for the claims that it makes. That's not really the point though. You mention that the "sign" is verifiable and not of this world. When you say "not of this world", I imagine you mean supernatural, as in it exists outside of nature. If you mean that it exists outside of nature, or our natural world, and thus outside of reality because that is what our natural world is, then this sign would have to exist outside of reality, and thus not really exist. Excluding that though, how can we verify something that exists outside of reality? Even conceding of a sign of God outside of reality, it could only verify a god outside of reality, and thus God wouldn't actually be real because God would remain outside of reality.

If there were evidence to support the hypothesis of a god, where this deity existed within reality, and this evidence made a strong case, then I would concede that a god likely exists insofar as the evidence suggests. Thus far though, I'm not sure of any such evidence that exists beyond anecdotal evidence, which isn't really evidence at all. Beyond that, as others before have said, despite suggesting (or even proving) the existence of a god, it doesn't mean that I would automatically respect it or the tenets it has set forth. Rather, I would respect it or its tenets based on their own merit. If we discovered a wealth of evidence to indicate that there was some omnipotent god that reigned over our universe and this god demanded me to slaughter ten children in a school, I wouldn't do it or respect it. The existence of a god doesn't automatically grant respect.


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## Pinion (Jul 31, 2013)

Reading through this thread just confused me to the point of exhaustion, so I just chose "I slept in." Gonna nap now.


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## ScarlettHayden (Jun 8, 2012)

Having experienced this myself I can safely say that for a long time I did not believe what I saw. I rationalized it to hell. But after a while it made no sense to keep being in denial so I had to come to terms with it. My life has been much better ever since.


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## Agelastos (Jun 1, 2014)

Well, duh! I would have to be pretty foolish to deny Him/Her/Them/It if He/She/They/It revealed Himself/Herself/Themselves/Itself to the world in such a manner, wouldn't I?

Doesn't necessarily make Him/Her/Them/It mystical/supernatural in any way, though.
"Any sufficiently advanced alien [...]".


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## Griffith (Mar 26, 2012)

It's hard to find an evidence that god exists, unless I'm a part of it (fully conscious of it, like my consciousness).Showing great power is not enough, since this is not different from advanced technology or knowledge that a life form could acquire.


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## lightwing (Feb 17, 2013)

I voted yes, but it would depend on what "without a doubt" looks like and who's determining that the revelation really is "without a doubt."

In my mind, "without a doubt" would look something like: given his word previously (intelligence, responsibility), and then kept it (accountability, truthfulness, reliability, potency). Anything less, I might as well pick my favorite philosophy and follow it instead (stoicism is probably closest to my speed :happy.


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## Riptide (Feb 13, 2014)

Only and only if I was offered the chance to be God himself for, well, forever. Riptide Almighty.


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## kindaconfused (Apr 30, 2010)

"Without a doubt" is very subjective. But if he cured all of the worlds ills, I would believe. And maybe even worship.
But worshiping a god that has let so many horrible things happen to so many good people, he may not deserve my servitude.


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## nix1 (Jun 25, 2014)

Well, if there's no doubt, then yes. But I'm sure I would feel very uncomfortable then, not because I was _sure_ that there was no God, but mostly because I'm used to living _without_ a God.
Basically, I would acknowledge God's existence, but I wouldn't follow him.


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## Agelastos (Jun 1, 2014)

Griffith said:


> It's hard to find an evidence that god exists, unless I'm a part of it (fully conscious of it, like my consciousness).Showing great power is not enough, since this is not different from advanced technology or knowledge that a life form could acquire.


"Any sufficiently advanced extraterrestrial intelligence is indistinguishable from God". 
Since there is no coherent, universal definition of what constitutes a "god"--how would you go about deciding that a being with such awesome power and knowledge is _not_ a god? Lack of omniscience or omnipotence certainly wouldn't be enough, since most gods throughout the history of religion have lacked those attributes.


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## Apolo (Aug 15, 2014)

ScarlettHayden said:


> Having experienced this myself I can safely say that for a long time I did not believe what I saw. I rationalized it to hell. But after a while it made no sense to keep being in denial so I had to come to terms with it. My life has been much better ever since.


Ditto! Between that exact type of experience, and my exhaustive amount of research I put in to the subject, and all of those surrounding it... I came to my conclusion and could not be happier with how things have proceeded since. 

So, you can guess my vote... Lol


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## Turlowe (Aug 4, 2014)

Interesting question. You sasked if it was shown without a doubt, and later clarified that to mean, a verifiable supernatural event. Firstly, it would rather depend on the nature of the event, making cows sing an aria, making it rain frogs, something like that wouldn't convince me at all. Making a new star appear in our solar system, that might convince me, assuming it didn't destroy us outright. Secondly who does this verification, theres a short list of people or organizations I would trust to be both impartial and competent enough to do so. Too many would be either biased, or see this as an opportunity to use this for their own ends. Third, which god? Yahweh, Krishna, the Flying Spaghetti Monster, or maybe Zeus? I presume you're referring to the christian diety.
So assuming that the event was of sufficient magnitude, and that it was verifiable in a way that convinced me, I would I suppose believe. That however still wouldn't convince me to be a follower, I was a christian for years, and remember how that diety treated its followers, with contempt and capricious cruelty, remember Job? Besides I would not be able to respect a being that while capable of creating a universe would be so petty as to perform spiritual blackmail to get followers, or even really to need followers. I just find it unfathomable that any being of that magnitude could care at all what we get up to, any more than I care about the behavior of bacteria inhabiting my body. If they became a threat to the whole I might smite them with antibiotics or what have you, but I wouldn't punish them for transgressions and I certainly wouldn't care a whit whether or not they acknowledged my presence.

I'm not an athiest, I'm a skeptical agnostic, I don't mind if people believe in an invisible being who made the universe, but I seriously doubt that thats how it happened. I cannot however rule out the possibilty that something did so. Even if I were to be convinced that something did do so, that doesn't mean that I would feel in any way obligated to worship it. To paraphrase the philosopher Kahil Gibran, your children owe you nothing, they never asked to be born, you brought them into existence for your own purposes, you owe them.


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## Despotic Nepotist (Mar 1, 2014)

If I ever experienced something along the lines of supernatural, I would immediately assume it to be my Ni gone whacky and thus a hallucination.


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## Griffith (Mar 26, 2012)

Agelastos said:


> "Any sufficiently advanced extraterrestrial intelligence is indistinguishable from God".
> Since there is no coherent, universal definition of what constitutes a "god"--how would you go about deciding that a being with such awesome power and knowledge is _not_ a god? Lack of omniscience or omnipotence certainly wouldn't be enough, since most gods throughout the history of religion have lacked those attributes.


If I witnessed such a being with awesome power and knowledge(or an ancient roman god), I wouldn't be able to decide if it's a god or not.I just wouldn't know.It could be an advanced "technology", the probability would be very high.An evidence like power or knowledge is supposed to speak to our mind, to convince it and our mind is limited by what we cannot understand or observe.If gods wanted us to know who they are, why would they produce an evidence that our mind is not able to fully accept ? I don't think any evidence is enough for the human mind.In order to believe in god, I imagine we would have to reach a state of consciousness(beyond everything we've experienced so far) that allows us to know the reality of this god without any possibility of second guessing, same as(or even stronger than) the fact that we know that we exist as beings (or at least that something exists).That's what I meant by being conscious of it, or part of it.But saying that, I'm already assuming that my mind can grasp the idea of god(which contradicts the definition of a god who transcends everything, including this definition), so eventually I could be completely wrong.


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## Apolo (Aug 15, 2014)

Griffith said:


> If I witnessed such a being with awesome power and knowledge(or an ancient roman god), I wouldn't be able to decide if it's a god or not.I just wouldn't know.It could be an advanced "technology", the probability would be very high.An evidence like power or knowledge is supposed to speak to our mind, to convince it and our mind is limited by what we cannot understand or observe.If gods wanted us to know who they are, why would they produce an evidence that our mind is not able to fully accept ? I don't think any evidence is enough for the human mind.In order to believe in god, I imagine we would have to reach a state of consciousness(beyond everything we've experienced so far) that allows us to know the reality of this god without any possibility of second guessing, same as(or even stronger than) the fact that we know that we exist as beings (or at least that something exists).That's what I meant by being conscious of it, or part of it.But saying that, I'm already assuming that my mind can grasp the idea of god(which contradicts the definition of a god who transcends everything, including this definition), so eventually I could be completely wrong.


That my friend, is where faith comes in.


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## Sourpuss (Aug 9, 2014)

No. How could I ever be sure it was God? I mean what is more fantastic, some supernatural being or a very advanced but wholly mundane being? 

I think the very concept of a "God" is pretty ludicrous.


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## LucasM (Jan 22, 2009)

Well, as a bible believer myself... I would not believe it to be God as outlined in the bible unless the signs corresponded with what the bible says... Such as the prophecy of Armageddon. Otherwise it may be some powerful entity that did not correspond with the Bible, or outright disproved it. Then obviously my idea of God would be false and it would be an impostor as not the God I would believe in. (Ie Joel 2:31). Then I would have to redefine my faiths and my worship? Depends on whether this power deserves my respect.

So would it be God? Only if it corresponded to pre-existing patterns of belief.


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## Max (Aug 14, 2014)

You know they're apparently trying to fake a second coming -- project bluebeam anyone?


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## Sadist (May 23, 2013)

LucasM said:


> Just curious, similar in vein to "do you believe in God".
> 
> If God revealed himself to the world in a manner without doubt, would you believe it to be God or an imposter?
> 
> (himself/herself/itself/english fails here)


There is a saying in Buddhism where it instructs one to kill buddha if they see him on the road.

That.
I would believe it to be an impostor.


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## Apolo (Aug 15, 2014)

LucasM said:


> Well, as a bible believer myself... I would not believe it to be God as outlined in the bible unless the signs corresponded with what the bible says... Such as the prophecy of Armageddon. Otherwise it may be some powerful entity that did not correspond with the Bible, or outright disproved it. Then obviously my idea of God would be false and it would be an impostor as not the God I would believe in. (Ie Joel 2:31). Then I would have to redefine my faiths and my worship? Depends on whether this power deserves my respect.
> 
> So would it be God? Only if it corresponded to pre-existing patterns of belief.


Win.


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## Agelastos (Jun 1, 2014)

Sadist said:


> There is a saying in Buddhism where it instructs one to kill buddha if they see him on the road.
> 
> That.
> I would believe it to be an impostor.


That saying is unique to the Linji/Rinzai schools of Chán/Zen Buddhism.
Also, it wasn't a comment on theism or false prophets.
It was about freeing oneself from any and all external influences in order to achieve enlightenment.

"Followers of the Way [of Chán], if you want to get the kind of understanding that accords with the Dharma, never be misled by others. Whether you're facing inward or facing outward, whatever you meet up with, just kill it! If you meet a buddha, kill the buddha. If you meet a patriarch, kill the patriarch. If you meet an arhat, kill the arhat. If you meet your parents, kill your parents. If you meet your kinfolk, kill your kinfolk. Then for the first time you will gain emancipation, will not be entangled with things, will pass freely anywhere you wish to go."


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## ae1905 (Jun 7, 2014)

I can doubt my own existence so I could certainly doubt any experience I might have. If God revealed Himself to me alone, I would doubt my senses. If God revealed Himself to the world, then I would conclude this being exists, but not that He was God. If God's demonstration did not involve a violation of a law of nature then I would doubt this might be another natural being disguised as God. If the demonstration involved an apparent violation of a law of nature--ie, it looked like a _miracle_--then I would doubt my own understanding of nature since it would still be possible the being _is_ wholly natural and using laws of nature I had yet to understand. These would be the two possible demonstrations. Since I could form a reasonable doubt in both, I could not conclude this being is God or an impostor. Therefore, I would go back to sleep.

In short, no being, including God Himself, could prove He is God. (God cannot prove His own existence.)


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## Wonszu (Sep 25, 2013)

I would probably think "Another crazy, American/Western thing, their media are so bored... " sort of thing. Off course it would be an imposter.


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## action9000 (Jun 15, 2013)

I'd be going against basic logic if I said anything other than "Yes!" due to the fact that the question stated "without doubt". Is this an IQ test? :tongue:

*Note* I'm an atheist


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## RomanGuy (Jul 13, 2014)

No I would not. There is no God as described in any human religion that exists anywhere. There may be beings of a different dimension of existence that may have even created this one, but they would not be without their own limitations as beings even if they seem like Gods to us and our morality and meaning would not come from them.


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## Trenchary (Aug 25, 2014)

No I would check myself into the nearest psychiatric hospital, even though that would terrify me and go against my values for the most part.


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## action9000 (Jun 15, 2013)

RomanGuy said:


> No I would not. There is no God as described in any human religion that exists anywhere. There may be beings of a different dimension of existence that may have even created this one, but they would not be without their own limitations as beings even if they seem like Gods to us and our morality and meaning would not come from them.


Wouldn't a being (or group of beings) that created our very universe and existence effectively be a god for all intents and purposes? Whether or not they have any effect on our morality is irrelevant; they're still our creator.

It almost seems like an issue of semantics/language at this point: Define "God" versus "being who created life and the universe".


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## RomanGuy (Jul 13, 2014)

action9000 said:


> Wouldn't a being (or group of beings) that created our very universe and existence effectively be a god for all intents and purposes? Whether or not they have any effect on our morality is irrelevant; they're still our creator.
> 
> It almost seems like an issue of semantics/language at this point: Define "God" versus "being who created life and the universe".


In my experience such discussions do come down to definitions. To me, using the word "God" attributes the wrong meaning to an impersonal, deist creator being.

If such being revealed itself I still wouldn't believe it anyway. Every single other possible explanation would have to be discredited first.


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## Mair (Feb 17, 2014)

I'm an atheist but if I had undeniable proof that some deity exists, I would believe in it.


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## 66393 (Oct 17, 2013)

I will believe so long as he gives me a spiritual high-five.


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## 66393 (Oct 17, 2013)

Agelastos said:


> That saying is unique to the Linji/Rinzai schools of Chán/Zen Buddhism.
> Also, it wasn't a comment on theism or false prophets.
> It was about freeing oneself from any and all external influences in order to achieve enlightenment.
> 
> "Followers of the Way [of Chán], if you want to get the kind of understanding that accords with the Dharma, never be misled by others. Whether you're facing inward or facing outward, whatever you meet up with, just kill it! If you meet a buddha, kill the buddha. If you meet a patriarch, kill the patriarch. If you meet an arhat, kill the arhat. If you meet your parents, kill your parents. If you meet your kinfolk, kill your kinfolk. Then for the first time you will gain emancipation, will not be entangled with things, will pass freely anywhere you wish to go."


This is not a religion I recommend following ^^^


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## Agelastos (Jun 1, 2014)

kev said:


> This is not a religion I recommend following ^^^


Not if you're a literal-minded person, no.


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## Pippi (Dec 24, 2016)

If it were "to the world" then I wouldn't believe it. Didn't the Bible say, "If they tell you he's in the _____, don't go to that place"?


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## Abbaladon Arc V (Jan 16, 2018)

i try to understand gow od is god and bbecome another god 

Kill god 

And become a monster understand the world , create a univers in constant evolution destruction creation with doubt in any ways onlyy to feel better bbecause i'm a lonely fucking god


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## Blazkovitz (Mar 16, 2014)

An alien super-being playing trick on us. Something like the Archailects, made by some other civilisation before us.


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## TeamPB (Aug 10, 2017)

How would he (I just assumed God's gender : whatchagonnadoboutit, huh?) manifest himself?


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## Jaune (Jul 11, 2013)

I can't imagine this scenario happening, but I guess I'd have to believe if it was "without a doubt" like in the question. I'm sure I'd consider the possibility of it being an impostor, but if it became an undeniable fact I'd have to accept it. I wouldn't become a religious or even spiritual person because of it, though. I have other problems with the idea of God besides the fact that I do not think it exists.


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## soop (Aug 6, 2016)

Eventually I probably would. I try to make a habit of being a late adapter.


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## Zidane (Sep 9, 2015)

I don't even know how the answer this. Such a weird question.
But I guess I would. But then again I will always have my guard up that this God is maybe a reptile humanoid who wish to lower our guard by enchanting us with bliss so they can then eat us when the time is right. I also won't follow a God if that promises me a ticket to heaven, because I don't care whether I go to top or down. Sure, they might have angels up above, but the succubus are down below. So each has its perks. Make the best of it wherever you are is my philosophy. So imo people who follow a religion because they want to get a nice afterlife are all doing so out of self-interest/ego. This is ironic because it goes completely against the concept of self-sacrifice which I always thought to be the core of the cross religion. And I haven't even talked about the stupidity, because the idea of hell being an eternal torture chamber is ludicrous and comes straight out of the wicked imagination of someone who should be making horror movies instead. I mean, first of all, if you die, you don't have flesh, no flesh, means no pain neurons. So how the hell can you get tortured as a spirit? (Nvm eternally...)


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## Kelly Kapowski (Apr 26, 2018)

I avoid the religious topics on here because I'll get worked up, and I don't enjoy getting worked up. Esp something that I take personally. Nor do I think becoming argumentative about christian beliefs sets a good example of a christian. I'm not looking to debate or try to convince anyone. Just throwing it out there for something to think about, I think it's an interesting analogy. Obviously it's written by a christian, so I apologize if it seems offensive in tone to those who are not christians. Personally I believe in God. I can understand why others wouldn't though. Sorry if my typing is crap, I have to run so I'm not going to edit. 

In a mother's womb were two babies. One asked the other: "Do you believe in life after delivery?" The other replied, "Yes I do. There has to be something after delivery. Maybe we are here to prepare ourselves for what we will be later." "Nonsense," said the first. "There is no life after delivery. What kind of life would that be?" The second said, "I don't know, but there will be more light that here. Maybe we will walk with our legs and eat from our mouths. Maybe we will have other senses that we can't understand now." The first replied, "That is absurd. Walking is impossible. And eating with our mouths? Ridiculous! The umbilical cord supplies nutrition and everything we need. But the umbilical cord is so short. Life after delivery is to be logically excluded." The second insisted, "Well I think there is something and maybe it's different than it is in here. Maybe we won't need this physical cord anymore." The first replied, "Nonsense. And moreover, if there is life, then why has no one ever come back from there? Delivery is the end of life, and in the after-delivery, there is nothing but darkness and silence and oblivion. It takes us nowhere." "Well, I don't know," said the second, "but certainly we will meet mother and she will take care of us." The first replied "Mother? You believe in mother? If mother exists then where is she now?" The second said, "She is all around us. We are surrounded by her. We are of her. It is in her that we live. Without her, this world would not and could not exist." Said the first: "Well I don't see her, so it's only logical that she doesn't exist." To whick the second replied, "Sometimes, when you're in silence and you focus and listen, you can perceive her presence, and you can hear her loving voice calling down from above."

The end. Hope everyone is having a good day.


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## Electra (Oct 24, 2014)

What could even exist without the help of a higher power...


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## ae1905 (Jun 7, 2014)

revealed himself?


you mean like send me His dick pic?!



naw, it'd just make me gaynostic


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## He's a Superhero! (May 1, 2013)

This somehow reminded me of Luke 16:29-31...
"Abraham said, ‘They have Moses and the Prophets; let them listen to these.’ Then he said, ‘No, indeed, father Abraham, but if someone from the dead goes to them, they will repent.’ But he said to him, ‘If they do not listen to Moses and the Prophets, neither will they be persuaded if someone rises from the dead.’”

*"Moses and the Prophets" (also, "The Law and the Prophets", i.e. from the Torah to the books of the Prophets) is an expression that refers to the old testament, that is the Bible.

In other words, if nothing else will convince you, neither will outright miracles.


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## Electra (Oct 24, 2014)




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## Asmodaeus (Feb 15, 2015)




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## aiyanah (Oct 25, 2018)

it already happened, no one believed it anyway.


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## tanstaafl28 (Sep 10, 2012)

LucasM said:


> Just curious, similar in vein to "do you believe in God".
> 
> If God revealed himself to the world in a manner without doubt, would you believe it to be God or an imposter?
> 
> (himself/herself/itself/english fails here)


* “Extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence” - Carl Sagan 

*I'd need some pretty good evidence before I'd believe. There's a lot of ways to fool people these days, as there always has been.


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## tanstaafl28 (Sep 10, 2012)

aiyanah said:


> it already happened, no one believed it anyway.


Might you be a little more specific (hearsay doesn't count)?


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## aiyanah (Oct 25, 2018)

tanstaafl28 said:


> Might you be a little more specific (hearsay doesn't count)?


nah that's all you get lol. 
ever heard of unconscious selective attention? there's an equivalent function occurring with the idea of God, I can't find your nose for you though I can only make you think I took it away.


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## tanstaafl28 (Sep 10, 2012)

aiyanah said:


> nah that's all you get lol.
> ever heard of unconscious selective attention? there's an equivalent function occurring with the idea of God, I can't find your nose for you though I can only make you think I took it away.


Is that anything like willful ignorance?


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## BigApplePi (Dec 1, 2011)

LucasM said:


> Just curious, similar in vein to "do you believe in God".
> 
> If God revealed himself to the world in a manner without doubt, would you believe it to be God or an imposter?
> 
> (himself/herself/itself/english fails here)


Wait a minute. You said "a manner without doubt." If there is no doubt for me, what am I supposed to believe? Can you rephrase the question please? Like what if I woke up and I was told there was a whole universe out there and the stock market would go up tomorrow and I would eat chicken on Thursday. Give me something to chew on.


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## aiyanah (Oct 25, 2018)

tanstaafl28 said:


> Is that anything like willful ignorance?


nah, that would be a conscious process.


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## Asmodaeus (Feb 15, 2015)




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## Rong Wong (Feb 16, 2018)

From the recreation room in the asylum ...

"So anyway, God turns up with a straight flush and all I've got is a pair of twos. I don't mind losing to God, but I think he stole a few of my brewskies".

@Kelly Kapowski 
Great analogy. That ruffled a few of my athiest feathers. 

@Asmodaeus
Kanye West is a God. :shocked:


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## Penny (Mar 24, 2016)

LucasM said:


> Just curious, similar in vein to "do you believe in God".
> 
> If God revealed himself to the world in a manner without doubt, would you believe it to be God or an imposter?
> 
> (himself/herself/itself/english fails here)


God revealed himself to me once. I saw like the "eye of God" and he told me to make hats. lol. why would someone want to imposter God and tell me to make hats? could it be Satan? hahahahah. no


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## Blazkovitz (Mar 16, 2014)

If God revealed himself in ancient or medieval times, why didn't he give people knowledge of modern medicine and agriculture, which would save millions of lives?


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## aiyanah (Oct 25, 2018)

RoseTylerFan said:


> If God revealed himself in ancient or medieval times, why didn't he give people knowledge of modern medicine and agriculture, which would save millions of lives?


they would become dependent on God providing knowledge instead of being able to discover it for themselves.


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## Eren Jaegerbomb (Nov 13, 2015)

He already has?


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## musixxal (Nov 14, 2018)

i already believe in god roud:


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## Aqualung (Nov 21, 2009)

As some have mentioned God revealed Himself to us once & said he will again & to watch for the signs. John 14:9 Jesus replied, "Have I been with you all this time, Philip, and yet you still don't know who I am? Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father! So why are you asking me to show Him to you?"


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## Noctis (Apr 4, 2012)

I'm a 'see it until I believe it' Empiricist.


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## Asmodaeus (Feb 15, 2015)




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## WickerDeer (Aug 1, 2012)

Only if he showed 'what is good.'

With other supernatural powers--like telepathy or inducing hallucinations, then no.

I'll believe in God when God is good, for sure.


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## Tropes (Jul 7, 2016)

LucasM said:


> Just curious, similar in vein to "do you believe in God".
> 
> If God revealed himself to the world in a manner without doubt, would you believe it to be God or an imposter?
> 
> (himself/herself/itself/english fails here)


I think there's a problem in the phrasing here.

If you asked instead:
"If a supernatural being revealed itself and claimed to be god, would you believe it to be god or an imposter?"

I think most people would vote imposter - not just atheists but also theists concerned about worshipping false idols. But when you are already telling us it's god revealing himself in the form of the question - which we would not have a way of knowing yet - voting imposter kind of suggests denial.


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## Folsom (Jun 20, 2018)

If we take literal mind-warping technology out of the equation - which we really can't do in this scenario - then I wouldn't ask this being to do anything in the physical world to prove that it was God. I would ask it to justify the world.

It should, if it really is God, be able to justify all of this mindless death and pain, mutation, mutilation, hunger and feeding, all 3.8 billion years of it, in a way that I would accept without having to change anything in my brain - which a highly advanced alien technology could potentially do.

I don't think that an alien could genuinely convince me that it has all been worth it, but a God in his omnipotence should be able to explain it in a way that I accept and understand as a completely unchanged version of myself.

So the answer really is that I would always be sceptical that I'm not looking at a piece of alien technology that simulates God. 
However, you did say, 'without a doubt' I'm just not sure what that would mean in reality.


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## Kratistos (Nov 30, 2015)

Depends, I would be very overwhelmed if the real God shows up. But if its an impostors I could most likely tell.


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## DudeGuy (Aug 5, 2013)

I don't believe we'd ever be able to prove the revealed god to be god, and probably wouldn't be able to disprove it either.


Glittery Blingtron said:


> What could even exist without the help of a higher power...


Assuming the high power didn't need help existing, I'd say the _higher power itself._


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## Asmodaeus (Feb 15, 2015)




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## bearlybreathing (Aug 6, 2013)

I would probably believe it for a week and then someone in my life would say it's a hallucination and I would believe them


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## KJL (Feb 7, 2019)

I don't care whether God exist or not, so, I would leave it to everyone else to question if impostor.


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## Schizoid (Jan 31, 2015)

I'm a believer of God, so yes I would.


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## Cthulhu And Coffee (Mar 8, 2012)

If they pulled off some scientifically impossible stuff like in Family Guy, then yes, most likely.


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## Aluminum Frost (Oct 1, 2017)

Wouldn't "without a doubt" mean you'd be convinced of it, even if it is a phony?


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## Lucan1010 (Jul 23, 2018)

I mean, the question kinda' answers itself, if a god were to reveal themselves in a manner without doubt, wouldn't that mean there's no doubt in if they're god? :laughing: Sorry, probably not the answer you're looking for.


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