The Hope of a God

Are there any atheists, besides Ghost, who would admit that they HOPE a God exists?

Even a hardcore atheist must sometimes 'hope' that a Creator exists.....no?

Originally posted by chaney3
Are there any atheists, besides Ghost, who would admit that they HOPE a God exists?

Even a hardcore atheist must sometimes 'hope' that a Creator exists.....no?

'Hope' is perhaps not quite the right word for how I feel, but I would certainly prefer to find out upon my death that this material life was not the whole story.

I am a non-Christian/former Christian. Indeed, I am not a religionist of any kind. I don't see myself as an atheist because I feel an unclear and inexplicable instinct that there is a God.

I have no specific "beliefs" rooted in this instinctive belief ~ which perhaps can be referred to as deism ~ and there are no superstitions or notions of the supernatural that I know of or act upon in any way, let alone proselytize. Perhaps the "instinct" is hard wired into us - like morality - or only some of us - and/or its a product of factors that have had a bearing on our evolution. I really don't know for sure.

For example, I have no reason to believe there is an afterlife as there is no evidence of it. I am not aware of any revelation that God has made or of there being any 'instructions' for mankind.

I find the religions, such as those propagated here, completely unconvincing, although I attribute their putative attractions and purported functions as an understandable product of the human condition. None of the Christian proselytizers in this community are persuasive - in fact I find most of their mind maps and behaviour completely counter productive.

I do not "hope" that there will be a revelation as that strikes me as a rather spurious use of the human spirit; the same goes for contemplation of forms of immortality that there is no reason to think exists.

I am quite happy and reconciled with the fact that I will pass away in a decade or two from now, indeed I believe that its finite nature is in part what makes life delicious and wonderful.

I might say something different if I was due to die next week, but broadly speaking I am not interested in trying to soften the inevitability of death by subscribing to religion and dwelling on the peddled mumbo jumbo of ecclesiastical technocrats and their followers.

I am not interested in hoping for supernatural things to happen in order deal with real life. Personally I think it is a squandering of the amazing capacities of the human spirit which ~ perhaps ~ no one knows for sure ~ is God given..

If God exists, that means that are countless numbers of people experiencing the worst possible torture for all eternity; a number that will continue increasing when two billion Muslims eventually die, including Buddhists, people of other religions, and atheists.

Because of this, I doubt that any atheists "hopes" God exists. The world would be similarly terrible if Allah, Zeus or certain other god's exist.

Originally posted by vivify
If God exists, that means that are countless numbers of people experiencing the worst possible torture for all eternity; a number that will continue increasing when two billion Muslims eventually die, including Buddhists, people of other religions, and atheists.

Because of this, I doubt that any atheists "hopes" God exists. The world would be similarly terrible if Allah, Zeus or certain other god's exist.

That said, the idea that a benevolent god exists, that will ensure an eternity in bliss is a nice idea. I'd love for that to be true.

Originally posted by vivify
That said, the idea that a benevolent god exists, that will ensure an eternity in bliss is a nice idea. I'd love for that to be true.

And that is the kind of God a small part of me is hoping for. (Though as Gandalf would put it, 'it's a fools hope' ).

Naturally, as an atheist, i am not hoping that the Christian God exists who will punish me for all eternity for not believing in him. That God i am pretty certain doesn't exist.

Originally posted by FMF
I am a non-Christian/former Christian. Indeed, I am not a religionist of any kind. I don't see myself as an atheist because I feel an unclear and inexplicable instinct that there is a God.

I have no specific "beliefs" rooted in this instinctive belief ~ which perhaps can be referred to as deism ~ and there are no superstitions or notions of the supernatural ...[text shortened]... amazing capacities of the human spirit which ~ perhaps ~ no one knows for sure ~ is God given..

I think you posting this has confused chaney3.