Would you want to know?

I am new to this current controversy over evolution. Years ago, I read Desmond Morris' books, found the ideas reasonable, and thought little more about it. Recently, I stumbled by accident on a web forum where I found a raging argument about evolution, which surprised me a great deal. When I then checked some creationist web sites, I was futher astonished at the ignorance, misrepresentation, lying and vicious language I found there. I now wonder how far the creationist attitude can go.
My question in this thread is for folks who understand or subscribe to the creationist attitude. If there were in fact no God, and if people could somehow find this out, would creationists want to know about it?Edited by Woodsy, : spelling

Thread moved here from the Proposed New Topics forum.As implicitly promised, I've promoted this topic to F&B, where the question is more appropriate. Please be aware that this topic has the potential to be highly inflammatory. I hope all participants will avoid defensiveness and discuss the issue philosophically.Edited by AdminQuetzal, : Explanation

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It's a very difficult question to answer - not just because I think such a thing cannot be found out but also, having found out he does exist its difficult to imagine unfinding him out.Having said that, I think such a discovery would be devastating to a believer. 'Finding God' opens life out onto such tremendous new vistas that to have it pushed back into the limited box that existed before would be a little like going from riding a shiny Yamaha 1000 to riding beat up moped. You would be better off never having ridden a Yamaha 1000 in the first place. Ignorance of the God-that-doesn't-actually-exist is a better kind of bliss.Rather than take up any old mantle I imagine that I would become a complete nihilist. The infinite purpose and value of life now and the promise of what is to come is so intrinsically tied up with a God-exists worldview that to remove it would be to leave nothing at all. All that would remain is a hollowed out shell of a life.Would I want to know about it? If I didn't then life would have virtual-purpose and I could live happily in the hope of what is actually false. Or I could know about it and blow my brains out now. I can't see that not existing anymore or living happily but with a hollow purpose differ very much. I'd probably eat, drink and be merry until I tired of that and would then blow my brains out.

How true. Impossible at this point really. After spending most of your life thinking He doesn't exist, quite reconciled to the idea, finding out He does is such a major intellectual and emotional reorganization there's no going back. Edited by Faith, : No reason given.Edited by Faith, : No reason given.

Tell me about it. I was looking at the movie trailer for Invconvenient Truth and read up some reviews on it. Everyone was shocked and terrified and pointing at the politicians to do something while we still can. The world has moved forward a noticable increment. We now get 9/11 instead of Die Hard 4 and the lastest disaster movie is actually a documentary about our own planets decay. Reality tv has come out of the box in the corner and has entered the world.I'm not revelling in peoples concern in the least. But its hard to get concerned when I know its all going to be wrapped up anyway.Would I want to go back there? Not in the leastEdited by iano, : No reason given.

Kind of like burning an unrewritable CD. You can get a bit scratched up but people can run magnets over you as much as they like and the data will not change

Of course. That would be the only honest position.

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Aslan is not a Tame Lion

The words 'honest' and creationist' cannot always be placed in the same sentence.Brian.

quote:

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Rather than take up any old mantle I imagine that I would become a complete nihilist. The infinite purpose and value of life now and the promise of what is to come is so intrinsically tied up with a God-exists worldview that to remove it would be to leave nothing at all. All that would remain is a hollowed out shell of a life.

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having been a 'believer' for some 20-odd years of my life I find this statement patronising, ignorant and self-deluding.I didn't become a nihilist when I abandoned my faith. If anything, my life now has more meaning and value (knowing it's the only one I've got) than it did before. In retrospect, my life used to be a "hollowed shell" when my actions were not dictated by what was good for myself, family and fellow-men but, rather, by the dubious morals of a collection of old books and the so-called church tradition.Still, if it makes you feel good about it all...

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"In life, you have to face that some days you'll be the pigeon and some days you'll be the statue."

No, you can go back. I did.

Despite all the time you spent there you cannot say you found God for if you did then it would not be possible to unfind him. Whatever it is you found it was not God. You say as much yourself You seem to have been involved in Religion. And given what I have seen of that (which is not a lot - I didn't hang around as long as you) I can only concur with your saying your life is richer nowEdited by iano, : No reason given.

You mean you unfound God?

I would wait until I died to find out. Interacting with God gives me great psychological comfort. To find out that there is no such guiding presenece in my life would be devasting to my mental health.I'm not too worried about humans being able to find such a thing out, however. We are simply too puny in this vast universe to ever know for sure.

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“There are two kinds of people: those who say to God, "Thy will be done," and those to whom God says, "All right, then, have it your way” --C.S.Lewis

Nice subtitle, Dr. Seuss. I also like, "'Twas brillig and the slithy toves...." There you go again with that "guiding presence". Do you really think that letting go of the apron strings would be hard on your mental health?Try to think like Daniel Boone: There's a whole world out there if you have the courage to explore it, but first you have to cut the ties that are holding you back. Civilization might be a "great psychological comfort", but it hampers your freedom.

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The Bible says different."For it is impossible for those who were once enlightened, and have tasted of the heavenly gift, and were made partakers of the Holy Ghost, And have tasted the good word of God, and the powers of the world to come, If they shall fall away, to renew them again unto repentance; seeing they crucify to themselves the Son of God afresh, and put him to an open shame." (Hebrews 6:4-6)"For if we sin wilfully after that we have received the knowledge of the truth, there remaineth no more sacrifice for sins, But a certain fearful looking for of judgment and fiery indignation, which shall devour the adversaries. He that despised Moses' law died without mercy under two or three witnesses: Of how much sorer punishment, suppose ye, shall he be thought worthy, who hath trodden under foot the Son of God, and hath counted the blood of the covenant, wherewith he was sanctified, an unholy thing, and hath done despite unto the Spirit of grace?" (Hebrews 10:26-29)"For if after they have escaped the pollutions of the world through the knowledge of the Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, they are again entangled therein, and overcome, the latter end is worse with them than the beginning. For it had been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than, after they have known it, to turn from the holy commandment delivered unto them." (II Peter 2:20-21)Not for the first time, I find myself wondering why people who have the Holy Spirit dwelling in their hearts still can't get basic theology right.Edited by Dr Adequate, : No reason given.

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"A stupid man's report of what a clever man says is never accurate because he unconsciously translates what he hears into something he can understand." --- Bertrand Russell