Current Events > How different would you be if you were / weren't religious?

(+) Yeah! (+)

For theists, the obvious other side of the fence is atheism.
For atheists or agnostics, try and imagine yourself as a member of the faith you're most knowledgeable about.

I'm a Christian. I believe in Heaven and Hell. I still view this lifetime as its own thing. I don't believe in spending one's life awaiting another one. It's also not as if the threat of damnation is the only thing keeping me from becoming an axe murderer. On the whole, I think there would be three primary differences:

1. I'd work on my stories on Sunday. Having a day off is probably a good thing, but it's a bit annoying feeling obligated to refrain from writing on the Sabbath. Sunday honestly feels like an optimal time for writing since Saturday already takes care of any needs I might have to refresh myself.
2. I might be more honest with myself about a personal subject. In this case, religion is probably a positive influence.
3. I'd be more likely to enjoy stuff like Spawn, Persona, or Hazbin Hotel. (I'd waifu that werewolf chick with the pentagram on her chest.) But then I might not. Even when it's not a religious or political view which I hold, I still hate to see something attacked if it's not inherently harmful. Like, I doubt I'd ever want to play a fighting game where you could play as fictional representation of Jesus.

For the most part, I think I'd probably be 80% unchanged.

And try and give honest answers, not "I would be stupid" or "I would be a bad person."

Like, you mean if I took the kiddie gloves off?

Like, how different would you be if you started believing or stopped believing?

I'd probably be less depressed, honestly. The theistic safety net for Christianity is pretty nice.

I'm not enough of a bigot to be Christian

FortuneCookie posted...

Like, how different would you be if you started believing or stopped believing?

Always strive to better yourself, that's what I say :)

and careful what you wish for, er, or, what you worship

I'd either be a completely different person or I'd end up circling back into atheism anyway. Religious faith is something that I don't think I'm capable of.

I think you should read that Philip K. Dick novel, Maze of Death, in it - there's hardly, if, any atheists - because there's proof of a Deity.

FortuneCookie posted...

I'd work on my stories on Sunday. Having a day off is probably a good thing, but it's a bit annoying feeling obligated to refrain from writing on the Sabbath. Sunday honestly feels like an optimal time for writing since Saturday already takes care of any needs I might have to refresh myself.

wat

Not very different at all. Most, if not all, of the differences between me now and me a decade ago stem more from life being shit in general.

Choco posted...

wat

The Sabbath being a day of rest is one of the more common Jewish/Christian beliefs. Basically, you're not supposed to work. What defines work varies from individual to individual.

Since I'm working on this story with the hope of publishing it, I consider that work.