My aunt is a wonderful lady, but she’s very gullible. Thanks to a video she saw on Facebook, she now believes the conflict in Israel is a sign of the end times and is deeply concerned for my immortal soul. How do I politely let her know that while I appreciate her concern I have no real reason to believe that the Israeli government commiting war crimes against Palestine is going to bring about the second coming of Christ?
Any god that will punish you based on your non-belief is not a god that deserves worship. Even if that god does exist, I would rather be punished than worship a arrogant, vengeful god.
Exactly this thought was my first step into agnosticism. God is irrelevant. People who are just behaving in a good way out of fear of being disciplined at the end of times (and not out of their free will) are bad people.
Many years later I arrived at atheism (with the single caveat that I can’t scientifically disprove god, but if it exists it is irrelevant for my life).
I choose to be a non asshole by following my own moral compass.
Strong words but if an actual god decided to punish you do you really think you could take a principled stance? Especially against a vengeful one?
Probably not. But luckily one such god doesn’t exist. ;)