How would you react: Religion proven/disproven

[EnglishALT]

There has been so much political topics that I figured I would try my hand at a more philosophical topic. I want to say to start off this is not a topic to discuss which religion is right or wrong, but to be a thought experiment on a personal level, to discuss what would happen if a very massive discovery changed your life and the world. As such I pose the question to religious believers and non believers.

Religious Believers
For a moment consider that you wake up tomorrow, and scientists, or aliens, or AI, were able to with complete certainty answer the questions posed by religion. There is no afterlife, there is no deity or guiding hand in life, there is no reason for our lives, we are just one of an infinite number of creatures that have been born, and will die across time. How does that change your life? Do you go on as if nothing has changed or do you live your life differently?

None Believers
For a moment consider that you wake up tomorrow, and a religious deity be it Buddha, Mohammad, Jesus, Zeus, etc, has come to Earth and explained that the after life is real, there is an all powerful being out there watching you, and most importantly of all you must not sin, or else you will risk an afterlife of pain and torment. Does this change your life? Do you suddenly begin to worry about actions or potential actions effecting your chances?

For myself: as a somewhat religious believer I find this situation to be rather terrifying, if you take a moment and consider the dangers we put ourselves through every day from getting on an airplane, to riding a rollercoaster, to even driving down the road the chance that our lives could end in the blind of an eye and our essence would be gone. That is a terrifying thought for myself and would cause some serious worrying about if I lived each day to the fullest. In the context of the world, I could see a change in wars being fought, but I could also see a rise in dangerous people who believe the only way to achieve some sort of afterlife is to engage in a deadly or dangerous action so that they would be remembered.

Anyway I hope to provide a thought experiment for everyone and I hope that people take this not to get angry or debate religion or athiesm, but to take a moment of introspection.

 

[moon]

I'm not a religious believer, but I'm not entirely "non-believing" either. I think, in a way, I wish that there was something more, that there was some kind of god or grand plan or design, but logic and my mind for the most part tells me that there likely is no such thing. I'm not entirely convinced, but I also can't really adhere to any form of religious belief involving gods and religious texts, for many reasons.

So, if I woke up tomorrow and some form of Jesus or God had descended and started actually proving that some part of their myths and follower beliefs were true, I'd probably have 293874928 questions together with the rest of the scientific community first and foremost ahah. But I might also feel very relieved? At least if the god was as benevolent as some religions make their gods seem, loving all humans etc. It would be hella comforting to know that we're not just speckles of stardust on a cosmic rock in a constant fight for energy and no real knowledge of why. Or maybe we are because God made us for fun at some point and only now remembered that we existed and decided to stop by to say hi ahah.

 

[Miss Wendighost]

Not religious myself, but If I woke up and saw a religous icon, I would likely have many questions. Would I worry about what I have done? I wouldn't worry that much since I haven't really done anything too evil. Likewise, I wouldn't worry that much if the icon was of a benevolent sort instead of malevolent.

 

[LDSman]

I think most people would react in the following ways.

1. Claims are made that God is disproven. Religions dismiss it. Life continues on the same. A few believe the claim and drop religion.

2. A Being shows up claiming to be a god of some sort. Depending on how it shows up and what it does, a variety of things happen.
A. Belief by followers - that religion grows and others shrink.
B. Disbelief by followers. - you're Satan trying to trick us. Or if you exist then other gods exist and you're lying!
C. Disbelief by non followers - you aren't a god. You're an alien trying to trick us.
All such options probably followed by fights as various belief groups clash.

 

[Whim]

I think there's an issue from the very start (even though I understand your premise).

It has never been about proving or not something. Faith is such a used term here exactly because it describes what logic couldn't. I'm not religious myself, but for many questions, not mattering how rational a discuss can reach, in the end it will be about how much you believe in what you say you do. Believing there's no god or anything like that - for example - is also a faith, because it also means that you believe there's nothing. Being a believer or not, in the end you only have two choices: confronting what reality gives you (it doesn't matter how big is the signal) or holding back and being submissive to what looks more rational right now. We're slaves from our own perspectives, so even when reality shows you a different direction, sometimes your uncouncious wants to make sure to go the other way around because it is more simple, healthier or even easier to follow (and there isn't much you can do about it).

 

[Her]

I would probably lose my stance of apathy on the questions of gods/God, the afterlife, karma and so on and so forth, but while I would become more invested in deciding where exactly I stand beyond 'it's not likely that this stuff has relevance to me', I doubt my underlying skepticism would be sufficiently shaken.

I'd be open-minded, but I would have trouble believing in the conclusive nature of proof of the supernatural as opposed to tapping into a hitherto unknown scientific process. A sufficiently advanced being does not a god make, for example. Cracking open a portal and finding fire and brimstone would not prove the existence of the Abrahamic Hell, though I suppose if Myra Hindley were to waltz on out of the portal I would have to sit down and consider some theological questions and whether we're dealing with a soul or something science has yet to process, or whether the soul is something science hasn't yet processed.

 

[Megan]

I'm already pondering which circle of hell I'd get thrown into. Religion suddenly becoming the "Truth" wouldn't change anything. I've decided to not follow trends the same way society follows and just because so creep appears calling themselves a "god" doesn't mean I have to blindly follow them.

If anything, proving a god to be true opens up so many questions, like: "if a god exists, is there a way how to gain the title of 'god'?" or "if a god exists, does this mean there's a logical way to create life the same way how this so called god created it?" or my favorite of the bunch: "if god exists, doesn't this mean that he can just make the world explode overnight if he gets bored?"

 

[Miss Wendighost]

I think most people would react in the following ways.

1. Claims are made that God is disproven. Religions dismiss it. Life continues on the same. A few believe the claim and drop religion.

2. A Being shows up claiming to be a god of some sort. Depending on how it shows up and what it does, a variety of things happen.
A. Belief by followers - that religion grows and others shrink.
B. Disbelief by followers. - you're Satan trying to trick us. Or if you exist then other gods exist and you're lying!
C. Disbelief by non followers - you aren't a god. You're an alien trying to trick us.
All such options probably followed by fights as various belief groups clash.

Okay. Interesting analysis, but how would you yourself react in such a situation?

 

[LDSman]

Okay. Interesting analysis, but how would you yourself react in such a situation?

1. Disproven - not going to believe that. Science disproving an afterlife? Hah. Though I'd be interested in seeing how they supposedly do so. My life doesn't change.

2. God shows up - my religion. - depends on how it acts and reacts to other things. Could be a trick. If it's not a trick, then I try to be an even better person. In general my life won't change much.

3. A god shows up - not my religion. - depends on how it acts and reacts and which god it claims to be. Imagine that noodle god showing up. Disbelief and outright rejection of its claims is likely and very probable.