I would tell him/her/it to get lost. I've been doing fine so far...

Your answer should be "so what?" My life wouldn't change any, I would still do exactly the same thing I do everyday. And if you ask them "what if you're wrong how would your life change," what would they say? God has no control. One team still wins and the other loses and your life won't change if there is a God and their life won't change if there isn't a god. They will fall back on everything is Man's Free Will. It's that simple. Nothing changes. Where you come up with there must be a hell if there is a God I'm not sure but you can come up with all kinds of myths that go with it but it doesn't change your life one bit if you're wrong. You're not relying on any nonexistent power to control your life so there's no disappointment. If they're wrong they are disappointed because their whole thought process is based on something controlling their life and it's not true.

Well seems like you have it figured out. These are the words I fall back on when asked that question: "I'm NOT scared." Secondly: "I'm more concerned with my life NOW..here on Earth."

In the UK a lot of the christian sects no longer believe in hell. They can't reconcile the idea with the loving god they want to worship. They tend to prefer something very vague like 'Those who believe and love god will, in some way, be united with him and their loved ones after death. Those who don't believe won't achieve this'.

I have had this question put to me a thousand times by christians I used to know. I always ask them in return "What if YOU"RE wrong". They usually rebutt with "I'm not wrong". I say "oh really! How's that?" They say, "well, because the bible says....." I tell them "You're bible is bullshit and you have no proof". That usually ends the discussion. They cannot fathom the idea that THEY have devoted their entire life to a lie and a myth.

I will say that even if the god of the bible is real, as Stephen Fry says, I don't want into heaven, not on "god's" terms because they're abusrd and ridiculous. If all the sign-waving religitards are right, I would much RATHER spend eternity in hell than in heaven with a bunch of jesus worhipping nutcases.

If there is some kind of Gawd, I will be immensely pleased because after I yell, scream, and swear at "it", I will be able to kick the shit out of "it" & stomp off! Stupid mother%$#&÷@$!

If is the operative. All religions rely on IF!

But there are no gods.

I'll cross that bridge if I ever come to it!

I would pull a Socrates and question the dude as if he were my equal. All too often I hear people talking about God like he’s some supreme being who demands the finest of sacrifices and praises just for creating the universe, but then they will turn around and talk about God like he’s this guy you can talk to and don’t need to be scared of. Why should I be afraid of an ultra being just because he could snap me out of existence? News flash, if I snapped out of existence, I wouldn’t know about it.

I’m not Christian, but I grew up Catholic, so a lot of Catholic stuff has leaked into my morals. If I think of God, I don’t see someone who deserves my praise on a daily basis. If he’s supposed to be a model of the perfect father, he wouldn’t impose rules on people who won’t know if they are legitimate rules until they die. Also if I’m a child of God, shouldn’t I technically be his grandson because my parents are in the same situation?

No, not off track at all!! XD If God does exist, I’d be okay with it. I don’t care where I end up when I die, but I would much rather know that I’m going somewhere than be teased and hoping about where specifically it is I go to.

Pascal's wager?

It has some explaining to do.

First I tell them that since I don't believe in God, I have no fear of meeting anyone. Second, since they have lived in fear all their lives of upsetting their god and not going to heaven, I feel like I will come out ahead anyway. Third, if they truly believe that only their version of god and their way of worshiping him is the correct way to get into this heaven, that means I would be in the company of the millions of people around the world that believe in other gods or worship in diferent way and their heaven would be severley underpopulated. And lastly, I probably wouldn't want ot hand out with a bunch of people like himself for eternity anyway. Depending on whom I am talking to, I can use one answer or any combination.

Let's say, purely hypothetically, that you die, you go and say 'hi' to St Peter, and he decides whether to let you through the pearly gates or send you to the fiery pit. Once again, hypothetically. I'd rather avoid being accused of being a theist again, as has happened on another thread.

I would hope that the judgement would be based on how I'd conducted myself. Whether I'd been kind to others or whether I'd been nasty. I would hope it would be by some sort of reasoning whereby my intentions were the deciding factor. Yes, I upset people when I came out as gay and transgender, but that should be on them, rather than me. I can't think of anything I've ever done that was downright malicious.

I would hope that belief and worship would be a secondary or non consideration. That those who populate the protest lines of Westboro Baptist Church are going straight to the fiery pit for choosing to make life miserable for others. I would hope that non-believers, provided they'd done plenty of good and no actual evil, would be guaranteed a spot in the nice place.

The Pope seems to agree. He's on record as saying that agnostics and atheists have a place in heaven, as long as they lead good lives.

When I die and if I find out that god exists he'll probably say " Steve I know you didn't believe in me but come on in anyway ".

OK, if any day science proves the existence of god...I will say "OK, I was mistaken. Next"

In the Bible Abraham and Moses both successfully argued with God. If there is a God....which I seriously doubt....I hope I can be as successful as Abraham and Moses in presenting my case.

See my previous reply as to why I think Pascal's Wager is the most misunderstood wager in the history of gambling, but here I will discuss its absurdity if taken seriously:

1. Even if there is a God, what makes you think God would condemn you to eternal torment simply because you can not force yourself to believe in a particular version of Him/Her/Them/It? Who told you that, and why did you believe it? Not only is it absurd, but it's not actually in the Bible, you know. Even if there is a God, don't you really think, yea verily, don't you deep down feel, that this must be a false god?

2. This is MOST important. One cannot force oneself to believe in God, or a god, if one truly does not believe. It simply can not be done. Try it. Let's start with a deity-like figure called Santa Claus. (He knows when you are sleeping. He knows when you're awake. He knows when you've been bad or good, so be good for goodness sake!) Can't do it, can you? Can't do it with The Great Pumpkin either, right? OK, now try it with Baal, Zeus, Thor, Osiris, or any of a thousand other mythical gods. No luck there either, right? Just can't force yourself to do it. You can fake it, pretend to believe, lie to yourself and others, live a life of blatant hypocrisy, but you cannot really believe no matter how many times you hit your head against the wall. Not only your brain, but your heart won't let you do it.

Now suppose I am a true believer in Woden/Odin and tell you that, just to be on the safe side, you better offer up an altar sacrifice to Woden/Odin least He condemn you to freeze forever in a Scandinavian hell. Would you go out and offer a blood sacrifice to Woden/Odin, just in case? No, of course, you wouldn't. The whole idea is just so absurd as not to be contemplated. So, why are you even considering something similar for the ancient tribal volcanic Hebrew god Jehovah/Yahweh, god of fire and brimstone, burning bushes, and a volcano-like hell buried in the bowels of the earth? Only one reason, right? Because you were raised to believe in such a god. There is no other reason.

OK, Pascal's Wager, if taken seriously, is so absurd on face value that one could simply stop there. But frankly, this is too much fun to stop short, and this brings us to the important concepts of Salvation/Justification.

4. SALVATION BY HYPROCISY If there is a God, do you truly believe that God would reward you with heaven for living a life that is a total lie? Really?

5. SALVATION BY WAGER OR BETTING. Do you really think you can hedge a bet with an omniscient, all-powerful deity and win the bet? Really? Do you think you can fool God that you really believe in Him if you don't? If God can be fooled, then He is not God. Even Santa Claus would not fall for this.

6. SALVATION BY FEAR. The real reason you are contemplating pretending to believe in such a God is fear of hell, right? So, God will reward all those who live a life of fear and trembling with heaven, and the rest of us who are not so traumatized are punished with hell. Really?

7. JUSTIFICATION BY HATRED. Such a god, who would condemn his own creation, or "children", to eternal torment for simply being the way he created them, (remember you cannot force yourself to believe in such a God, you can only fake it) is truly a god of hatred. And you want to worship and be justified by such a god. Really? Sounds like a false god to me. And that would make you an idolator, and idolators go to hell.

Also, these concepts are not even biblical. (1 John 4:8) Funny how many "Christians" who swear the bible is the word of God, don't think it is important enough to read.

8. While we are being biblical, this concept of hell is not found anywhere in the Old Testament. There are references to Sheol, the Realm of the Dead, which is similar to Hades, the Underworld, of the Ancient Greeks. Some even suspect the Hebrews took this idea from the Ancient Greeks. Christians later superimposed their concept of hell upon Sheol. But where did this truly torturous modern concept of hell in all its agonizing glory really come from? It came from Dante's Inferno. Where did Dante get it from? He got it from Persian Zoroastrian mythology. So, maybe the "Christians" who are preaching this to you are going to burn in hell for preaching Zoroastrianism in the name of Christianity? (Just saying)

9. SALVATION BY POLYTHEISM. Which god should we then worship? It is said that the believer does not believe in 10,000 gods, while the atheist does not believe in 10,001 gods. To take Pascal's Wager seriously you would have to become a polytheist and worship all gods. And while you are at it, how about making an idol to Agnostos Theos, the Unknown God. (Acts 17:23) BTW, polytheists, per Christianity, go to hell, too.

10. I love this one. Note that Pascal's Wager asks what you have got to lose if you fake it for fear's sake? I'll tell you what you have to lose:

A life of honesty, a life of sincerity, a life of authenticity, a life of happiness, and a life that is worth living. If you fake it you will live a life of fear, repression, dishonesty, hypocrisy, and regret, or in other words:

        You will live a life in your own personal hell.

Note: I have no idea why the number eights above get transposed into a smiley face with glasses...but somehow it seems like poetic justice.

I say to him/her/it: "what the hell where you thinking when you gave children bone cancer, you wicked old being.
Then I'll shake my head and hurry home before the LSD wears off.

If there is a God, particularly the omnipotent and omnipresent kind, and I meet him when I die, I intend to have some very strong words with his or her management style. I think Stephen Fry said it best when asked what the first thing he would say to God was: "Bone cancer in kids, what's up with that?"

The UU answer to Pascal’s Wager (paraphrased by me):

If there is a God either he is a compassionate loving god who will forgive us or he is a giant dick.

He/she would forgive us for not believing, because he/she blessed us with logical minds. It would be god's fault that we don't believe.

Before you can say if you believe in God or not - you must be very clear on the definition of God.

I guess that I would fall into your catagory! If there is a God and 'it' has allowed all your aboved mentioned things to take place or perpetuated them 'it's self...how much worse could it be? So easy to control humans, if you threaten them with, unimaginable suffering!! Wonder when that started? I don't believe that is in my DNA!

I guess that I would fall into your catagory! If there is a God and 'it' has allowed all your aboved mentioned things to take place or perpetuated them 'it's self...how much worse could it be? So easy to control humans, if you threaten them with, unimaginable suffering!! Wonder when that started? I don't believe that is in my DNA!

This is the ultimate oxymoron. ...what if non-existence existed? What if gibberish were real words ? What if an alleged vaginal virgin gave birth to an alleged baby god in a dirty donkey stable midnight Dec 25 year ONE on the fake calendar back dated wrong 800 years later