Question for Atheists: Do you wish the Christian God exists

[Braveheart]

Do any here Atheists wish or want to believe in the Christian God, or any god, for that matter, it's just that evidence points against it? Or are you more comfortable in a world without a god?

[Furrowed Brow]

Also quite comfortable there are no gods. Also do not wish for the selective, nasty and vain Christian God. I watched a documentary this afternoon on the History of Christianity where the pastor at St Martin in the Fields, Trafalgar Square, London said that Christianity was about being honest, faithful and loving in our relationships. I can wish for that.

[mitty]

I do not want or wish that the christian god was real due to the fact that if he was then people would see thier loved ones burning for eterity. Secondly,that kind of god we see in the bible is far from loving and kind. He DEMANDS worship and attention and gets jealous when he doesnt get it and throws a fit like a drunk.

The NT god seems better than the OT god who was only interested in punishing the living and not the dead, whereas the NT god is only interested in punishing the dead and not the living. Despite these heaven and hell joints only being built in the NT era, a bloke once said that heaven belongs to the "spiritually poor" or unbelievers anyway (Matt 5:3), but he also said that no one had been there yet except for an old and younger bloke (John 3:13).

[mitty]

I do not want or wish that the christian god was real due to the fact that if he was then people would see thier loved ones burning for eterity. Secondly,that kind of god we see in the bible is far from loving and kind. He DEMANDS worship and attention and gets jealous when he doesnt get it and throws a fit like a drunk.

The NT god seems better than the OT god who was only interested in punishing the living and not the dead, whereas the NT god is only interested in punishing the dead and not the living. Despite these heaven and hell joints only being built in the NT era, a bloke once said that heaven belongs to the "spiritually poor" or unbelievers anyway (Matt 5:3), but he also said that no one had been there yet except for an old and younger bloke (John 3:13).

I wonder though, how the NT god would even punish a bodyless ethereal soul thingo with a lake of fire and other material means. It all just seems like a racket to extract money from the gullible from selling "salvation" by slick tongued hippocrites like Jimmy Swaggart and Jimmy Bakker and mega-churches and little different to selling indulgences in earlier years.

[sarabellum]

As a former believer...
I think I did wish there was a God for a time after "the change"...

You know what they say about wishing...

Now the thought only pops up occasionally..
Couple aspirin do just fine...

[Ragna]

Do any here Atheists wish or want to believe in the Christian God, or any god, for that matter, it's just that evidence points against it? Or are you more comfortable in a world without a god?

I might in two ways. Specifically, but mainly for aesthetic and literary reasons more than rational ones. What I mean is, just like when you see Avatar or any film and say "that's a cool scenery there!", sometimes I'm looking at Norse mythology and say "that's a cool God there" - though that's not really wanting them to exist.

Generally and rationally, it would have to be something very well-defined and effective. It would be OK to have a God which keeps justice justly, with the power and will to eradicate cancer, for example (and who does it), who avoids natural disasters from harming, which lets us intervene, converse with him/her/them, aids in our development, explains his policies, doesn't discriminate, etc. That's obviously a better world than the one we have now from my own perspective, at least, though it might also have its inconveniences (if absolute power corrupts a finite being, imagine an infinite one - I can't discard it, and many gods throughout history have been depicted as malignant).

[nygreenguy]

Yes, I absolutely wish there was a deity.

[sarabellum]

Yes, I absolutely wish there was a deity.

[Meow Mix]

Do any here Atheists wish or want to believe in the Christian God, or any god, for that matter, it's just that evidence points against it? Or are you more comfortable in a world without a god?

I most certainly hope the Christian God does not exist, as it seems difficult to me to think of a more megalomaniacal, petty, malevolent and whimsical being -- at least insofar as the common traits of said god that people believe in. If the Christian God is anything like what most of its followers believe then it's an evil tyrant more deserving of the title of being a Devil.

As for whether or not I wish a general god exists, sure -- I think that would be great. It would be nice to have that "safety net" and a place to go when I die.

[Autodidact]

Do any here Atheists wish or want to believe in the Christian God, or any god, for that matter, it's just that evidence points against it? Or are you more comfortable in a world without a god?

1. I don't think it matters, since I don't think reality is based on what I want or don't want.

2. Since I don't believe the Christian God exists, apparently if He does then I'm condemned to burn in eternal hellfire for guessing wrong. Therefore things will work out better for me, personally, if He does not.

3. Since the Christian God seems to have no actual impact on the world, I think the effect on the world at large would be neutral either way.

[Sing]

Do any here Atheists wish or want to believe in the Christian God, or any god, for that matter, it's just that evidence points against it? Or are you more comfortable in a world without a god?

People have answered this question and echo my sentiments.

I will say that I am not an "Atheist" in the strict sense of the word. There may very well be some kind of ultimate architect for the known universe. I simply can't discount one in an absolute sense.

What I am convinced of, and this site has only further solidified my original convictions, is that all Faiths, let alone Christianity, are man made inventions that on the surface, seek to answer questions that we as humans are interested in having answered. Faith is anything but divine. The weight of evidence is universally against the notion of divinity. You know what it would take for me to believe? Stepping personally up to the pearly white gate and speaking first hand to the lord almighty. And even then, I may just go ahead and choose hell and tell him to pound salt for being such an obtuse and spiteful being. It might go something like this.

"So you’re telling me you created me with free will and the ability to use my god given brain as the only tool by which to decipher the reality that YOU stuck me in? And now you got the twig and berries to judge me for interpreting my surroundings though logic instead of the fairytale esk mutterings of some rather questionable and shady self indulgent A holes? You sir can go pound salt, imma choose door number two."

Being raised as a Roman Catholic and having attended Church School for several years prior to confirmation, I learned early on that the god of Christianity can not both at once be all merciful and all loving and also condemn someone to hell for choosing a logical world view and who has otherwise lived good life while contributing positively to humanity. You don't get to be all merciful and all loving AND condemn people to hell just because didn’t believe in you.

I think more to the point here however is how "Religion" has changed over the millennia. As someone pointed out already, the earliest "Religions" were more about finding some kind of coping mechanism, something that would help communities unite and overcome some pretty steep odds. Although equally as false as what we have today, at least the origins of Religion seem to have maintained some semblance of purity in that it was all about the mutual benefit of the community. However when the first "God" started to demand worship, then something wholly different was being put in place. So long as there have been religions, there have been religious leaders to instruct the "Flock". Someone started to figure out that to be a leader is to be in a position of power. And to be a leader over an aspect of society that directly effects ones life, both on this physical planet and in the after life is to be powerful indeed. Religion became less and less a binding agent that helped a community survive, and started to become more a tool to manipulate and ultimately to control a population. The power of the Catholic Church for example reached a zenith in terms of control in my mind around the time prior to the black plague. (Prior to 1348). Prior to plague, which seriously called into question the power of the church and the motivations of god, the church was the highest power in the land for those who followed the faith. Even more so then kings, who often ruled by "Divine" right. Thankfully the church is not so powerful today. But the power to manipulate people for personal gain remains a defining feature. There are some pretty egregious examples of blatant abuse of such power. However, even the most devout, believing that they are living morally balanced lives are unwittingly abusing the power of the church to their own ends.

Recently in the flooding on the east coast, a church group went forth into the neighboring communities to "Live out their Beliefs". They were doing a humanitarian thing by helping those whose houses had been devastated by the flood to clean up and help to start putting things back together. Aww, what a kindly thing to do, how could anyone see something negative in that? Accept for the fact that they were clear during the news interview to point out multiple times that they saw an opportunity to excise their faith and beliefs and they jumped at it.

So what exactly are these people saying? That everyone that was out there lending a helping hand that does not share their Faith are what? Your special because your practicing your Faith? Your faith is a doctrine to live by and in so doing you get what? Brownie points for your god? As though god is bean counting and having done such a nice thing is one more bean in your dowry offer? Why can't you just be out there helping because you’re a good human being? Why does the effort need to be back loaded? How’s about chipping in cause its simply a good thing to do? And why call special attention to yourself for doing a good thing in the name of your faith? Again, as if all the Atheists out there that were helping their neighbors out were somehow not as important. An atheist does not need some excuse to be a good person. But it was clear that the religious group in question had at least one ulterior motive for doing so.

Ultimately, I'm positive that most of the people helping out genuinely were there because they are in fact good human beings and I don't mean to detract from that. But when the leaders outright exclaim that they are there to practice their faith, there is something inherently selfish and shallow about it while at the same time dismissive of the people who are there simply to help for helpings sake.