what would you choose if forced by zealots?
Posted on: May 24, 2008 - 4:39pm
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what would you choose if forced by zealots?
I have this question for everyone,
what if, in a hypothetical situation, you were forced by religious zealots to renounce your atheism and believe in a deity for the rest of your life, they allow you to choose any omnipotent being ever conceived by any religion or myth ever told in the world. Which being would you choose to worship?(just one, not a set of beings) and why?
"The longer you live the higher you fly,
the smiles you'll give and the tears you'll cry,
all you touch and all you see,
is all your life will ever be."
-Pink Floyd, The Dark Side of the Moon.
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The Flying Spaghetti Monster, as there aren't many restrictions on behavior or things you have to do. Incidentally, it's impossible to force someone to believe something - best they could do is make you pretend and go through the motions.
Matt Shizzle has been banned from the Rational Response Squad website. This event shall provide an atmosphere more conducive to social growth. - Majority of the mod team
I'm with Matt, the flying spagetti monster makes as much sense as any other god. Prove it doesn't.
"Very funny Scotty; now beam down our clothes."
VEGETARIAN: Ancient Hindu word for "lousy hunter"
If man was formed from dirt, why is there still dirt?
As Matt stated, no one could force you to actually believe anything, religious or otherwise.
But setting that aside I would probably adopt Mars, Ares, Tyr or some such god of war. I'm not a big fan of humanity so any diety that specializes in reducing the human population is ok with me.
well said, and I concur. I typed this question up to see what kind of responses this gets.
"The longer you live the higher you fly,
the smiles you'll give and the tears you'll cry,
all you touch and all you see,
is all your life will ever be."
-Pink Floyd, The Dark Side of the Moon.
ignoreing the cant be forced to beleve factor; Id go with the cristian god for 2 reasons.
1 I allready know someone who beleves in this one and
2 I think it would mimimize the probability of getting me killed.
The answer is simple... Myself, there is none more powerful... which does beg the question of why zealots could actually force me to do anything >.> ah well, all religions have their flawed dogma ^_^
What Would Kharn Do?
...I'd probably say whatever they wanted to hear.
But I love to think that what I'd do is spit in their eye. So please don't disturb my fantasy, here.
Conor
I'll go with Allah and issue jihads against all of you...or then again, that Mormonism sounds pretty good, 64 vestal virgins and all that, I just might become a theist anyway, hell, a lot of atheists believe this political nonsense and then ridicule theists for their blind allegiance...just another rant, kill em all!!!
I'd pick up sun worship I suppose, since I'd have no trouble at least proving it's there.
zealots won't give you a choice
In that case, I round-kick them all in the head and tear off in my Aston Martin.
Pick Judaism. It is the only religion in the world that has no problem with atheists being Jews.
Have your cake and confound the zealots too.
Jews stole the land. The owners want it back. That is all anyone needs to know about Israel. That is all there is to know about Israel.
www.ussliberty.org
www.giwersworld.org/made-in-alexandria/index.html
www.giwersworld.org/00_files/zion-hit-points.phtml
Zeus! Because Thor's lightning bolts just aren't as cool.
I'd choose the Norse religion - not that any of this garbage is real, but I'll play along for the hypothetical.
In the Norse religion, people worshiped at home, there were no real churches, save for a few public shrines. There was no official priesthood either, it was a shamanistic religion maintained by women, who in a round about way named a king.
Really though, I just think Loki is just about the coolest of all gods ever dreamed up.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Loki
I am against religion because it teaches us to be satisfied with not understanding the world. - Richard Dawkins
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modern Mormonism, because they believe that if you remain faithfull and shit, you get to become a God of your own planet when you die. Only if this hypothetical question assumes that you can just choose to change what you believe in, otherwise I'd just go "eeny meeny miney moe"
Wish in one hand, shit in the other, see which one fills up first.
Mithras. You get to kill a bull with a sword in open combat. If I die, I don't have to live in the theist-dominated world set forth in the OP. If I live, I look like a badass and nobody messes with me. Yet another parallel between enforced theism and living in prison.
"The whole conception of God is a conception derived from ancient Oriental despotisms. It is a conception quite unworthy of free men."
--Bertrand Russell
You just described Catholic School.
But there is always brainwashing and Stockholm syndrome. So maybe a better question is what religion would you prefer to be brainwashed into delusional belief?
My answer: "I am god and you're not."
Taxation is the price we pay for failing to build a civilized society. The higher the tax level, the greater the failure. A centrally planned totalitarian state represents a complete defeat for the civilized world, while a totally voluntary society represents its ultimate success. --Mark Skousen
FSM rules, evn though I don't drink beer. I'm sure his heaven has some alternatives.
Ooooh - good call. I'd still have to go with Pallas Athena, though. The Joan of Arc flavour to her angry maiden warrior bit is a little more appealing.
Saint Will: no gyration without funkstification.
fabulae! nil satis firmi video quam ob rem accipere hunc mi expediat metum. - Terence
I gotta go with Freyja. She's blonde, she's busty, she's promiscuous, she gives you the right to sacrifice (indeed, even demands it) and the ultimate coolness is achieved by her being directly responsible for every single war that has ever been and ever will be (and even makes sure that there always will be wars). How could any other god possibly top that?
"Nobody will ever win the battle of the sexes. There's too much fraternizing with the enemy."
What if you could pick any religion and it would become fact. Which would you pick. It would have to be an actual widely recognized religion just to keep it interesting. Oh, and if you pick it, since it would be fact you can assume most of the worlds population would also follow suit....
(just so you know it is fact there is actual verifiable proof...ex. if you pick Christianity Jesus would actually come down from heaven explain everything, turn water to wine in a lab setting...float around, heal leopards and what ever else he does so you can be 100% sure)
I think I would pick the Viking Vahalla Pagen religion...I dont know the title...Just live as a warrior...heavy drinking and womanizing were seen as positive traits...and if you died in battle I think Vahalla was basically fighting and drinking forever....Damn those Vikings must really loved fighting come to think about it...Heaven = Fighting....
"When the missionaries arrived, the Africans had the Land and the Missionaries had the Bible, They taught us how to pray with our eyes closed. When we opened them, they had the Land and we had the Bible." - Jomo Kenyatta
I would still go with FSM, the worlds most peaceful religion. I do love the norse gods, but too much killing (in all of the real religions)
Zen-atheist wielding Occam's katana.
Jesus said, "Suppose ye that I am come to give peace on earth? I tell you, Nay; but rather division." - Luke 12:51
@ iluvc2h5oh- "Viking Valhalla" religion, that would be what they call Asatrú nowadays. Weiiiird stuff, attracts exceedingly strange and sometimes rather unsavoury people. But may have been fun a couple of centuries ago
Personally, I'd go for ultimate geekyness and choose Eru Ilúvatar.
I'm guessing Buddhism's not an option then? No God there.
“It is true that in the land of the blind, the one-eyed man is king. It is equally true that in the land of the blind, the two-eyed man is an enemy of the state, the people, and domestic tranquility… and necessarily so. Someone has to rearrange the furniture.”
Honestly, my pick of choices of Gods? ME. I'd be a Solipsist and be my own God. After all, we (human beings) are practically Gods anyway. If we don't act like it, I'm afraid to think who would.
“It is true that in the land of the blind, the one-eyed man is king. It is equally true that in the land of the blind, the two-eyed man is an enemy of the state, the people, and domestic tranquility… and necessarily so. Someone has to rearrange the furniture.”
Buddhism, no doubt. but what is FSM? freestyle masonry? and what is the stockholm syndrome? I would like to start my own religion, I am going to call it Navratilova. Martina is our goddess. As Navratalovians we shall burn in effigy every single day a likeness of rosie o'donnell, because she is a fat, ugly, out of shape disgrace to lesbians everywhere.
FSM is the Flying Spaghetti Monster:
http://www.venganza.org/
...but I *think* that the Stockholm syndrome is a psychological phenomenon in which a captive begins to depend upon, and even become friendly with, his/her captors.
Conor
ah hah, i always thought of that as Patty Hearstianism. Any Navratalovian would be put to death for that, there is nowhere they could run or hide on the face of this earth and escape the wrath of our gauntlet of rackets.
That is what Stockholm Syndrome is. It is named from where it was first noticed - a hostage situation during a bank robbery in Stockholm, Sweden.
Matt Shizzle has been banned from the Rational Response Squad website. This event shall provide an atmosphere more conducive to social growth. - Majority of the mod team
Thanks for the confirmation, Matt!
Conor
Stockholm Syndrome is also a a great song by MUSE.
Her is the video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bHkQPOQ3EDg&feature=related
To me it is about a guy too in love with a girl to turn away from her, even though she is treating him like shit. Kinda like Stockholm Syndrome.
The video is funny too. Watch it to the end: MUSE makes all the nice people sucome (succome? suckom? how is that spelled?) to Stockholm Syndrome
P.S: Sorry for the blatantly off-topic plug of MUSE. But I really like them...
Well I was born an original sinner
I was spawned from original sin
And if I had a dollar bill for all the things I've done
There'd be a mountain of money piled up to my chin
Just couldn't help myself.
I was thinking Christianity...not the catholic type...something in the protestant strain.
But, if I got to pick and choose, something more like Gnosticism. Their 'realms' and 'eons' or whatever could be the various locations of the string theory type of 'multiverse'. Convince everyone that if they 'follow the creed' and adhere to the 'dogma' they can win the lottery and go to their own version of heaven.
And the rules are very easy.
1. Don't do unto anyone else, that which you would NOT want anybody to do to you. ie., no pedophilia, rape, murder or other heinous crimes allowed.
2. To INTEND no harm. Accidents happen and individuals should be fairly compensated when they do occur.
3. See rule #1...treat others with respect and dignity. Some 'polite manners', a little kindness and generosity doesn't hurt anyone.
People don't have to congregate once a week for religious ceremonies and group prayer. There would be no 'holy' days, no icons to worship, and no sacraments unless people agree on 'recognizing' admission to the 'fold' or 'marital bonds' and the like (that's just another excuse for a congenial social event).
I always believed that Gnosticism (aside from all the garbage carried over from judaism and contamination by christianity) was about the individual's quest for and attainment of personal 'divinity' or 'enlightenment'.
It might work if there are some boundaries. Otherwise, it's a fairly benign superstition. I don't believe it would conflict with a vibrant and otherwise secular society.
"Such evil deeds could religion prompt"...Lucretius 96-55BC
"Men never do evil so completely & cheerfully as when they do it from religious conviction"...Blaise Pascale 1623-1662
Xaphan
Flying Spaghetti Monster.
The FSM rules! Better than any other god ever invented. Peppermint, you can so look me up once you are 18!
Matt Shizzle has been banned from the Rational Response Squad website. This event shall provide an atmosphere more conducive to social growth. - Majority of the mod team