Do you live your life as if a god(s) exist?

There appears to be some confusion in the religion section on the definitions around Atheist, Theist and Agnostic. What defines you is what you believe not the other way around. I thought it would be interesting to see how people live their lives in relation to whether a god(s) exist. For instance if you live your life as if morals come from a god(s) but believe that the nature of god(s) is unknowable that would make you an Agnostic Theist.
All definitions are those from the Oxford Dictionary for simplicity and clarity.
Atheist A person who disbelieves or lacks belief in the existence of God or gods.
Theist A person who believes in the existence of a god or gods, specifically of a creator who intervenes in the universe.
Agnostic A person who believes that nothing is known or can be known of the existence or nature of God.
I have included an Other for people who feel that the above does not reflect the way they live their lives or are deists.
If you feel the definitions are wrong then provide some evidence other than just an assertion.

 

As I do not pretend to know what may or may not be out there beyond my mental and physical limitations and accept they are there, I consider myself an Agnostic in general. I do claim Atheism however when the manmade creations and imaginings are presented just to point out I do not believe in their versions or "Gods". Think of it as a reaction to people trying to ell me what to do and think.

 

I was raised Catholic. But when I matured, I walked away from the organized religion, seeing the manipulations as harmful. And I also turned my back on the Bible, not accepting that such a document could be 'the word of God'. But I liked the idea of a 'loving Father', and I choose to keep it in my life. If I look at it logically, I realize the possibility is not realistic, but I still choose to believe because I want to. I think it makes me a better person and gives me comfort. I don't feel the need to defend my choice, and I don't enter into discussions of religion because I realize I don't have any logical proof for my chosen beliefs/faith.

 

If only the Theists on this forum would follow your lead. I was raised Catholic as well.

 

I have a theory that there may be a lot more people like you and that they do not articulate their position on forums and such for exactly the reasons you have stated. So much of what counts as religious debate is from the extremes rather than the middle ground.

 

I am agnostic atheist. I do not know whether there is or is not a supernatural deity or creator. I do not believe in one absent credible evidence. If I 'live' as though there is one, it is mere happenstance, secondary to the influence of Judeo Christianity on American cultural values and traditions. It would be exceedingly difficult to extract all the cultural impact that Judeo Christian theology had on my values, considering that my parents, my extended family, my friends, my teachers, etc were all similarly immersed in those cultural traditions and values. It sits in the literature I read, the art I saw, and it is expressed in the foundations of so many philosophies I was exposed to.

If I were raised as a confusionist, in a culture that was infused with confusionism, the Yin and Yang and the concept of Tien, would influence my life choices in nuanced and subtle ways.

 

I do not know if gods exist or not;
I see no reason to suspect gods CANNOT EXIST...that the existence of gods is impossible;
I see no reason to suspect that gods MUST EXIST...that gods are needed to explain existence;
I do not see enough unambiguous evidence upon which to base a meaningful guess in either direction...

...so I don't.

I live my life as I live my life.

I live my life treating others the way I would like to be treated by others.

 

I'm a comfortable Agnostic. I am perfectly OK with the knowledge that I can't say for sure that God or Gods or races of more advanced beings who have creative powers exist or not. As such, the only time I really give it much thought is in the context of debate for amusement.

 

then you wouldn't feel threatened, because we'd all stand for nothing.

 

Speak for yourself, and not for others.

 

According to our foundational documents we stand for plurality, among our other foundational ideas.

That's incredibly important.

 

That's what I'm doing. You're welcome.

 

Im a Christian. But Im not sure how to answer the question. If I were to become convinced that there was no God, I don't see myself living any differently. I mean, I would stop praying, but thats a few minutes out of my week.

I don't help people or avoid hurting people because of God. If I didn't, I would be forgiven. I help people and avoid hurting them because its good to do so.

I guess 'other.'

 

I also do not pretend to know, and therefore long considered myself an agnostic.
I have gradually become comfortable to call myself an atheist

I see no necessity for god
The have not heard any version of god that i find credible
And, even if there was a god, am confident there is no “personal god”, no god watching over our individual lives, no god concerned whether I believe in his existence or not.
I believe that if there is a god, he would far exceed our ability to comprehend him
Therefore For all practical purposes, i see no difference whether there is a god or not.

In that circumstance, i have admitted to myself that it is a cop out to hold open a possibility of the existence of something for which i do not see a shred of evidence and which would not impact my life in the unlikely situation that god did exist. In short.... IMO there is more reason to believe in string theory than there is to believe in god.... and the impact on my life would be similar.

 

I was an atheist and became a born again Christian and I know there is a God whom I turn to often for help, guidence, and I live my life much differently then before.

 

There is no god (atheist). However, I will defend the rights of others to ensure "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof". Put me down for "Other", the deity I worship is the Constitution.

 

Interesting you want people to feel threatened, is that part of your religion?

Also interesting you think that people on the middle ground stand for nothing.

 

As I have stated before, I really do not care.

If pushed to it, I would lean toward atheist as I have never experienced anything that could only have come from this alleged god.

 

I think its possible that there is a creator somewhere responsible for planning out the development of the universe and the development of humans or at least intelligent life. But I don't see strong evidence for this or that this creator even knows we exist.

 

If he planned this human existance then clearly god is a psychopath.

 

Maybe we are like a little ant farm and a source of many experiments. If there is a creator, I think that its more than just about us. Its about the experiment with the whole universe and seeing what life develops. Our little experiments end when our suns die out.

 

We should only last that long!

 

I'd say it's interesting that you can infer any desire from that, if it weren't so tediously predictable.

No, it's part of my knowledge about dogmatic atheists. You're welcome.

I never said that.

 

I don't share your belief, but there can be real benefit in that belief in how you live your life.