Yuyutsu>> God's non-existence is essential for faith and spiritual development. Worshipping God on the grounds that He is believed to exist (or even likely to exist), is mundane. Performing certain activities such as prayers and sacrifices for the sake of receiving material benefits in return (either in this life or thereafter, it makes no difference), merely amounts to trade.<<

My mum who is 88 and in good physical condition for her age asked me a few months ago, “do you think there is a god”, followed closely by “I fear death”.
What could I say Y?

Mum had always been a religious woman, without being a zealot. So I told her what I knew she wanted to hear, but also my honest opinion on the subject. I asked her to think back to her childhood and the drays and horses that carried folks and goods around, I reminded her that that means of transport had been with us for thousands of years. I then told her to think about the space shuttle and all the technology that we have invented in her lifetime.

I suggested that we really could not get any smarter, but the natural progress that every new discovery brought, led us onto another and we are quickly and continually moving forward. I then told her about the big bang theory, the best our intellectuals could come up with as to where we came from.

Mum’s reply (that I used earlier in this thread) was simply this:
“So the scientists say that there was nothing and a split second later there was everything”
“Yes mum” I replied dutifully, “that’s the current popular theory”.

I won’t recount the rest, but in that void before the bang my mum found a space that could be what she believes in…..that was enough for me, I changed the subject.

Y, people worship for brownie points, redemption, social acceptance, or simply that they sincerely believe that this is not all there is…..and they could be right….or wrong. But it is their business.

AJ Philips>> We could help demonstrate the improbability of a god existing<<

AJ, I know not why you blue.

You stand neutered by your own verbiage....."IMPROBABILITY"..…”could demonstrate the improbability”, you say.

You may as well say “my guess is”.

Dear Sonofgloin,

<<My mum who is 88 and in good physical condition for her age asked me a few months ago, “do you think there is a god”, followed closely by “I fear death”. What could I say Y?>>

Tell her that she cannot die.

Tell her that she is likely to be back at the state she was in before she was born.

Tell her that only the body dies, and that without this body she will lose contact with this physical world - she will no longer receive any information about it and no longer be able to influence it, that she will no longer have memories or thoughts because these belong to this world, but otherwise nothing will change.

Tell her that now is therefore the time to do her best to bring her worldly affairs to a close the way she wants, that fear of death is in fact the fear of leaving this world with pending, incomplete issues behind.

Tell her to try and have what she misses and realistically still can have out of this world, but to completely let go of those other things that she cannot realistically have.

Tell her to fix everything now in her life and relationships in a way that she will not have any urge to come back to this world, to human existence or to any other existence, in order to fix the things she left behind.

Tell her that you are OK and will still love her after her body dies.

Tell her that it doesn't matter whether there is a God, but rather that God's love for her is always assured, regardless whether she has a body, whether in this or in any other world, or whether she rests without one.

A colleague has just brought my attention to the
following website. I thought it may be of some
interest:

http://newmatilda.com/2012/12/18/are-atheists-really-wrecking-christmas

AJ Philips “I don't see you picking on [Jehovah's Witnesses]

Keeping notes about my life history? Stop stalking me!

I have every reason to badmouth “The Truth”, as they call it.
However, unlike some people I don't feel the need to make my personal grievances a public crusade.

I fervently believe in the liberty of our citizens.
With liberty comes less-than-desirable consequences.
We just have to live with that.

And there's a bit of a difference between “religion” or a non-religious belief in “God/gods” and mind-control cults.
Strange how we hardly hear a peep from atheist spokespersons about them.
Warning people about cult techniques would be far more helpful than just badmouthing religion in general.

“what does the belief or disbelief in the power of wishes have to do with atheism?”

Aren't atheists the ones always going on about facts, evidence, reason?
Surely that applies to much more than the concept of God?
Aren't you going to be consistent in your child-rearing?

“the improbability of a god existing”

50% probability. They either do or don't exist.
What is the probability of being born a twin? 50%.
You either are or aren't a twin.

It doesn't matter what the statistical *frequency* of twin births is.
That's not “probability”, that's just collecting data about those *already* actually born twins.
Probability of twins 50%. Probability of gods 50%.

>>50% probability. They either do or don't exist.
What is the probability of being born a twin? 50%.
You either are or aren't a twin.

It doesn't matter what the statistical *frequency* of twin births is.
That's not “probability”, that's just collecting data about those *already* actually born twins.
Probability of twins 50%. Probability of gods 50%.<<

ROFLMAO

Probability of Shockadelic ever having a successful career as a professional gambler, bookmaker or mathematician: 0.

Cheers,

Tony