Wrong!

[JustGeorge]

For a moment, lets imagine a scenario. You, the religious/irreligious person that you are, have suddenly been proven remarkably, and unmistakingly wrong in your religious or irreligious beliefs. What is true isn't important here. Maybe its the Muslims, or the Atheists, the Bushmen, or the Jeung San Do practitioners, but the one thing we can no longer argue about is that you are wrong in your beliefs. (Who is right is irrelevant to this thread, so please don't argue about that here.)

How do you pick up the pieces from here? Do you move on in spite of inarguable evidence like nothing happened? Do you switch to the new, absolutely true point of view? Are you devastated or relieved? What do you think you'd do, and how do you think you'd feel?

Now what?

(If you can't move past the idea and your response is "but I know I'm not wrong", please don't waste your time in this hypothetical thread. )

 

[lewisnotmiller]

For a moment, lets imagine a scenario. You, the religious/irreligious person that you are, have suddenly been proven remarkably, and unmistakingly wrong in your religious or irreligious beliefs. What is true isn't important here. Maybe its the Muslims, or the Atheists, the Bushmen, or the Jeung San Do practitioners, but the one thing we can no longer argue about is that you are wrong in your beliefs. (Who is right is irrelevant to this thread, so please don't argue about that here.)

How do you pick up the pieces from here? Do you move on in spite of inarguable evidence like nothing happened? Do you switch to the new, absolutely true point of view? Are you devastated or relieved? What do you think you'd do, and how do you think you'd feel?

Now what?

(If you can't move past the idea and your response is "but I know I'm not wrong", please don't waste your time in this hypothetical thread. )

Me being wrong is basically a given. If I'm not wrong about God's existence, then I could very well be wrong about a whole bunch of other things informing my world view.

Admitting my own ignorance to myself makes it pretty simple to assume in the future I'll learn more information that develops and changes my world view.

What would be impactful, though, is the nature of this God/s. A deistic God would result in some subtle changes and might impact over time, but basically my life would remain unchanged, and my views on the world would be much the same.

A fundamentalist and vengeful Abrahamaic God? Eeesh. I'd see that creature as a powerful tyrant, moreso than a being to worship. And if that being existed in reality, it's going to be very challenging for me to deal with and reconcile.

 

[Viker]

No problem. I still have me just minus some beliefs, rituals, etc. I'd likely embrace the new thing.

"If there's a new wave I'll be the first in line....but it'd better work this time!" - Megadeth

 

[The Hammer]

****. Idk?

I would like to say, I'd change my mind/ways. But I'm a stubborn dude.

 

[SalixIncendium]

For a moment, lets imagine a scenario. You, the religious/irreligious person that you are, have suddenly been proven remarkably, and unmistakingly wrong in your religious or irreligious beliefs. What is true isn't important here. Maybe its the Muslims, or the Atheists, the Bushmen, or the Jeung San Do practitioners, but the one thing we can no longer argue about is that you are wrong in your beliefs. (Who is right is irrelevant to this thread, so please don't argue about that here.)

How do you pick up the pieces from here? Do you move on in spite of inarguable evidence like nothing happened? Do you switch to the new, absolutely true point of view? Are you devastated or relieved? What do you think you'd do, and how do you think you'd feel?

Now what?

(If you can't move past the idea and your response is "but I know I'm not wrong", please don't waste your time in this hypothetical thread. )

Quite simple really. I adjust my views based on the evidence provided. Always have, always will.

 

[JustGeorge]

What would be impactful, though, is the nature of this God/s. A deistic God would result in some subtle changes and might impact over time, but basically my life would remain unchanged, and my views on the world would be much the same.

A fundamentalist and vengeful Abrahamaic God? Eeesh. I'd see that creature as a powerful tyrant, moreso than a being to worship. And if that being existed in reality, it's going to be very challenging for me to deal with and reconcile.

This would make a difference for me as well. If a vengeful, angry religion was the correct one, I think I'd be deeply depressed, and it would be really hard for me to move on. I think I'd also feel deeply depressed if there was indeed nothing. However, I wouldn't be too bothered to acknowledge Odin as the Allfather, or to have to start leaving offerings for the various Roman entities.

"If there's a new wave I'll be the first in line....but it'd better work this time!" - Megadeth

That quote made my kiddo's day. (He loves that song.)

 

[Viker]

That quote made my kiddo's day. (He loves that song.)

Me, too! Kids got taste in thrash.

 

[Nakosis]

For a moment, lets imagine a scenario. You, the religious/irreligious person that you are, have suddenly been proven remarkably, and unmistakingly wrong in your religious or irreligious beliefs. What is true isn't important here. Maybe its the Muslims, or the Atheists, the Bushmen, or the Jeung San Do practitioners, but the one thing we can no longer argue about is that you are wrong in your beliefs. (Who is right is irrelevant to this thread, so please don't argue about that here.)

How do you pick up the pieces from here? Do you move on in spite of inarguable evidence like nothing happened? Do you switch to the new, absolutely true point of view? Are you devastated or relieved? What do you think you'd do, and how do you think you'd feel?

Now what?

(If you can't move past the idea and your response is "but I know I'm not wrong", please don't waste your time in this hypothetical thread. )

I never put any faith into my beliefs anyway. So you just use whatever evidence has been validated to disprove your beliefs, make corrections and move on.
Nothing to feel guilt or be ashamed about. You before lacked information you now possess. No one can blame you for having wrong beliefs because of information you didn't know.

 

[mangalavara]

Do you switch to the new, absolutely true point of view?

Yes.

Are you devastated or relieved?

Relieved.

What do you think you'd do, and how do you think you'd feel?

I would move to a country where the absolutely true religion is the majority religion (Hmm. Why haven't I tried moving to India or Nepal?). I say that because living in the US, a country that isn't religious the way other religious countries are, makes practicing some religions here difficult and lonely. Everything here is the freaking opposite of any traditional religion, and I hate it.

I'm not sure how I would feel. It would depend on what the religion is. Honestly, if Islam is the one true religion, I could live with that because I admire many things about Islam.

Now what?

*In Slavic accent*: I go.

 

[JustGeorge]

I would move to a country where the absolutely true religion is the majority religion (Hmm. Why haven't I tried moving to India or Nepal?). I say that because living in the US, a country that isn't religious the way other religious countries are, makes practicing some religions here difficult and lonely. Everything here is the freaking opposite of any traditional religion, and I hate it.

What if the 'True Religion' came from the US? What if it was one of the Indigenous Religions? What if it was one of the Christian Denominations?

 

[Sgt. Pepper]

Am I wrong in believing that the God of the Bible is nothing more than a sadistic, bloodthirsty tyrannical monster? I'd like to say I hope so, but my own traumatic life experiences, and the Bible itself, tell me otherwise. If I'm wrong, then I'll be deeply relieved to know that the God I worshiped and repeatedly prayed to for thirty-one years of my life (it was a living hell throughout my childhood and adolescence), does, in fact, care about me. If that's the case, then I'll expect some answers from him as to why he didn't protect me from abuse while I was growing up. But I cannot bring myself to believe that God is a loving merciful heavenly father, because a loving merciful father would never turn a blind eye and allow his child to spent years being repeatedly abused and mistreated.

Admittedly, I'm disappointed in myself because I spent the entire thirty-one years as a Christian willfully ignoring the undeniable facts recorded in the Bible, that God is a sadistic tyrannical bloodthirsty monster, who apparently takes pleasure in watching his creation suffer in intense pain, disease, and death, because he has done absolutely nothing to stop it. It's been the same old story throughout human history with violence, suffering, diseases, and death. I could post an enormous list of examples to validate this, but I don't have the time to post an extensive list. I'll just mention the Holocaust of an estimated 6 million Jews, and leave it there.

I've been in what I call a 'spiritual limbo' for more than a year, but it is much better than desperately trying to believe in something that perpetually nagged my conscience for more than thirty years. It took me a long time to be honest with myself, and it was a very painful experience, but I'm relieved that I finally let go of the obvious false hope in a loving and merciful God. I don't think I'm to the point where I could be an atheist yet, but I'm open to the possibility that I may get there someday. And lastly, I hope my opining and sharing my personal story is what the OP is looking for.

 

[mangalavara]

What if it was one of the Indigenous Religions?

I'd be okay with that. I'd just adopt whatever elements of it I could. Bonus if I could live amongst Natives who practice it.

What if it was one of the Christian Denominations?

'This is all just some nightmare, isn't it? Tell me it is! There is no way a Christian denomination from the US could be the one true religion!'

 

[JustGeorge]

Am I wrong in believing that the God of the Bible is nothing more than a sadistic, bloodthirsty tyrannical monster? I'd like to say I hope so, but my own traumatic life experiences, and the Bible itself, tell me otherwise. If I'm wrong, then I'll be deeply relieved to know that the God I worshiped and repeatedly prayed to for thirty-one years of my life (it was a living hell throughout my childhood and adolescence), does, in fact, care about me. If that's the case, then I'll expect some answers from him as to why he didn't protect me from abuse while I was growing up. But I cannot bring myself to believe that God is a loving merciful heavenly father, because a loving merciful father would never turn a blind eye and allow his child to spent years being repeatedly abused and mistreated.

Admittedly, I'm deeply disappointed in myself because I spent the entire thirty-one years as a Christian willfully ignoring the undeniable facts recorded in the Bible, that God is a sadistic tyrannical bloodthirsty monster, who apparently gets a kick out of watching his creation suffer in pain, disease, and death, and he does absolutely nothing to stop it. It has been the same old story throughout human history with immense suffering, diseases, and death. Yeah, I could post an enormous amount of examples to validate this, but I don't have the time or energy to post such an extensive list. I will just mention the Holocaust of 6 million Jews (supposedly his chosen people) as an example, and leave it there. I've been in what I call a 'spiritual limbo' for more than a year, but it's better than desperately trying to believe in something that perpetually nagged my conscience for more than thirty years. It took me a long time to be honest with myself, and it was a very painful experience, but I'm relieved that I finally let go of the obvious false hope in a loving and merciful God. I don't think I'm to the point where I could be an atheist yet, but I'm open to the possibility that I may get there someday. I hope my opining and my personal story I've shared is what the OP is looking for.

Its just a hypothetical question. For funsies. It isn't about any specific religion being right or wrong... just how one would cope if theirs isn't the right one.

How would you feel if the truth came out, and it was Olodumare holding it? Or perhaps the Theraveda Buddhists were the ones who were right all along...

 

[Sgt. Pepper]

Its just a hypothetical question. For funsies. It isn't about any specific religion being right or wrong... just how one would cope if theirs isn't the right one.

How would you feel if the truth came out, and it was Olodumare holding it? Or perhapsthe Theraveda Buddhists were the ones who were right all along...

Maybe I should edit or delete my post since it seems I was off-topic. I don't have a religion at the moment, so I don't know if I'd be open to Olodumare being the correct god. Honestly, I've had enough of dealing with a god. As far as the other one, I don't know what Buddhists believe, so I can't honestly say whether I'd accept their spirituality as my own or not. I've never studied Buddhism.

 

[JustGeorge]

Maybe I should edit or delete my post since it seems I was off-topic. I don't have a religion at the moment, and I don't know if I'd be open to Olodumare being the correct god, because I've had enough dealing with a god. As far as the other you mentioned, I don't know what Buddhists believe, so I can't honestly say that I'd accept their spiritual truth as my own. I've never studied Buddhism.

Your post is fine. It seems like you've been through quite an ordeal, though, and I hope you're able to find some peace, regardless where it comes from.

 

[Sgt. Pepper]

Your post is fine. It seems like you've been through quite an ordeal, though, and I hope you're able to find some peace, regardless where it comes from.

Thank you, JustGeorge. Your kindness and concern towards me means a lot to me. Peace.

 

[greenboy21x]

have suddenly been proven remarkably, and unmistakingly wrong in your religious or irreligious beliefs

Is beating up that person that proved me wrong an option?

Jokes aside, hmmm......never thought about it. I don't know. It will definitely change a lot about how I deal with the world, it would make anything outside of myself meaningless and irrelevant. Will this make less selfless and forgiving? I don't know but, in some instance, maybe. If there's nothing beyond myself, then, why should I not only think about myself and "take what I want, when I want?" This reminds of a study done (ill try to find it and post link) about how people without religion tend to be crueler and see the world in more of an evil way.

 

[JustGeorge]

Is beating up that person that proved me wrong an option?

Sure, why not. I don't even think its an uncommon option...

Though what if its a deity or event that proves you wrong? That may be a little harder...

 

[greenboy21x]

Though what if its a deity or event that proves you wrong?

Not sure I understand exactly what you mean. Did my previous post not answer your question? Please elaborate

 

[JustGeorge]

Not sure I understand exactly what you mean. Did my previous post not answer your question? Please elaborate

Kind of. It showed me what you'd do and how you feel if religion in general were proven incorrect(if I interpreted it correctly). But what if it was an underdog religion(one scarcely heard of)? So, maybe there's still a lot outside of yourself... but it isn't what you were thinking...

(This is all just hypothetical fun. )