If you found out today with 100% certainty there was no afterlife or......

No. Not everyone. There are people out there who can't bear to think that there is no afterlife. They go crazy because of it. They get all suicidal depressed and sometimes homicidal because they think their life and everyone else's is meaningless. Do you not agree? If not I'll look up some people who have killed because of these thoughts

 

You do realize that we are talking about God not specific to Christian god right? At least that's what I'm talking about so it shouldn't be just about America. But I will research this, something that pops into mind is manifest destiny and the wars and people we killed because of it. That basically covers the 19th century in America.

 

Everyone perceives they have a purpose in life. Those who cannot find their purpose whether religious or not can go off the deep end. You keep attributing faults to one who looks to faith and ignore the 10 others behind you with the same issues who are not religious.

 

I doubt there's alot of people that are depressed, suicidal, or homicidal because they realize there is or isn't a afterlife. Nor is that what keeps people from being the same way.

Go ahead and find some people I'm sure I can find some that didn't use that for a reason. People have problems with or without religion. Proving or disproving what the theories are behind religion aren't gonna make everybody lose a purpose in life. Some will yes.

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Gotcha, so you're saying atheists and religious people alike go crazy. However, those atheists are already crazy, by there being no God, we would be sucking up the religious ones who are going to go crazy with no God. So there probably would be an increase in deaths, murders, suicides, cynics, etc. on top of the existing Atheists. Again, I am not just talking about Christianity.


http://www.colorado.edu/ReligiousSt...aduate Readings/CrusadersAgainstCommunism.pdf
This talks about the Cold War, which was really crusaded as a war against the "Godless Atheists". That cant cant be disputed. The McCarthy Trials which resulted in many deaths also came off from this (I know this is a bit after 1950).


FDR blessed DDAYwith "Almighty God," Roosevelt began, "Our sons, pride of our nation, this day have set upon a mighty endeavor, a struggle to preserve our Republic, our religion, and our civilization, and to set free a suffering humanity" recording can be found here. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8-weBUzQleo

I can't find more right now on famous people talking about duty as Christians, but it would almost be willful ignorance to think that Chaplains back then weren't calling them Christian warriors or a war to fight evil with the bible used as justification. That doesn't mean that WW2 was started or America entered because of religion.


"Indeed, without the powerful influence of Christianity, America’s involvement in the war is hard to imagine, Ebel said. In the early 1900s, Christianity was being masculinized by characterizations of Christ as an active, often militant man, and Protestant leaders encouraged men to live lives of “Christian action” by becoming warriors against evil.
Christianity Through the Ages

Religious faith lent transcendent meanings and purpose to death and suffering, elevated those who died in combat to the level of heroes and martyrs and promised them eternal salvation." "After the war, the American Legion - which was founded by Theodore Roosevelt III to “keep alive the spirit of the Great War” – vigorously promoted religion-infused beliefs about the redemptive power of struggle and war, perceptions of America as a nation with divine status and images of military veterans and war dead as saints, martyrs and imitators of Christ."
Role of religious faith in World War I examined in new book | News Bureau | University of Illinois




This article talks about how many high ranking people felt it was their Christian duty to intervene in WWI with all those things they felt was taking away from Christianity. Woodrow Wilson a Christian felt America was a Christian Nation destined to lead the world
Woodrow Wilson - Conservapedia

I understand this isn't historical text, but id have to go to the library. It's simply going to get more religious the further back we go. If we go past America, which, is pretty much an infant nation and we go back to the wars in Europe from 1950s on back. There would be numerous, too many to name in when Wars have been fought in the name of religion and blessed by religion. 30 years wars, King Phillip II of Spain wars, Conquest of Americas by Conquistadors, Crusades, Bloody Mary. More recently the IRA vs the English. And so many other wars.

 

Again, im not saying the latter doesn't exist, just that there are those that do. So you can find those people, but that wasn't my point. To reiterate, there are those who need God or faith to function and function well in society. Yes there are those who don't need it, and there are those who dont function well in society even if they have God.

 

So, you would continue to pray and praise something you knew didn't exist? And teach your children to believe in a myth?
I find that very strange.

 

So then what is your point? That it will effect some and not others? Really, I'm so surprised.

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Well I don't think it would effect an atheist much, it would more confirm their beliefs.

What are you trying to insinuate by saying "im so surprised"?

 

Was basically saying no **** nicely. Of course different things effect people in different ways.

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Oh, ok you definitely missed my point. But that's ok, I expected that from you.

 

I can't seem to rap my brain around that question. How could I be convinced that god does not exist? He is all around me every day, I know him personally. I guess the answer is yes I would keep living my life the same way. Damn you gave me a head ache.

 

Your examples spoke of America's reaction to Communism and how they persecuted all people of faith, no matter what the faith. FDR's prayer to the nation was informing the nation about D-Day and asking God for resolve, courage, and strength. He ended the prayer with "Thy will be done Almighty God, Amen." When religious leaders tell people to be Warriors of God against evil, they are telling them to stand up to evil and not turn their backs on it. They are telling them to have a moral backbone and do what is right, not to put down their books and pick up guns. When we got involved in World War I, we went in to stop the bloodshed by bringing enough arms to the allies to overpower the Germans. Finally, there are many fraternal organizations that have a basis in God. Just as there are fraternal organizations that have a basis in race. You stated that you are not only talking about Christians, but every example you throw out is about Christians and how you perceive them. How about looking at other wars in your beliefs. How about the Huns, who killed more and took more land than any other group. They had no religion and still overran, slaughtered and used biological weapons (they used diseased corpses by catapulting them into besieged cities). Look at Alexander the Great who came in a close 2nd in his conquest to rule the world. Look at the Roman Empire who came in 3rd. The tribes of Africa - non religious. The Incas and Aztecs, the native American Indian wars between tribes.

You are missing the picture all together. There are evil, power hungry people that will go to extremes for more power. The God of Abraham does not preach war, but there are those who claim to represent Him that will try and get others to believe He does for their gain. Fault lies not in religion, fault lies in man and man alone all because God gave us free will.

 

I only spoke of Christians because you kept bringing America into this. I know there are muslims who do this, I know there are atheists who do this, but you seemed to think that religion was never used for war and the US Government never used religion for war or killing when they did. If those examples I provided didn't convince you, can you tell me manifest destiny wasn't a use of religion as justification? You asked when the US Government had used religion for war, and I to answered it.

As for God of Abraham not preaching war, id have to disagree? The OT is all about killing, righteousness and murdering those who weren't of Christian Faith. This will probably piss you all off, but the Koran says the same thing about killing those who aren't Muslims or refusing to convert. Hence the beheadings. But we're not here to debate Christianity > Islam and im not trying to say Christianity is evil by any means.


We've gone way off topic, and to go back to my original point, there are people who need religion to survive. It is not the weak who always turn toward religion, but there are those who are weak who NEED religion to be good people. They need to believe there is a higher being and life after here on earth. Though the # of people actually turned are small, there are convicts who are turned by Christ to be good people, if they were to find out that God didn't exist, you think they would take that well? I sure wouldn't, id bet many, not all, would turn back to their old ways.

 

There is a problem with hypothetical questions. I'm not sure that anyone can really answer a hypothetical question until actually faced with the situation.

 

The question I posed very well may not be hypothetical.

 

I think it would be hypothetical to almost everyone except confirmed atheists whose behaviors would not likely change.

 

So all people who claim to believe in God are 100% sure he exists?

 

Your original question referenced the negative. "If you found out today with 100% certainty there was no afterlife and no God, would you still hold true to the teachings of your religion? Would you still raise your kids based on the Bible, Koran, and Torah to name a few?"

It did not require that one be 100% sure of the existence of a God or an afterlife.

 

I would hold to the same moral values I suppose, but the reasoning would be boiled down to "it's good to do". I suppose I'd tell my kids it's because I think it's what's right to do.

There aren't any Christians in the OT.

I may never truly have 100% certainty either way (Hoping I do in the end). Of course I don't believe in scent sprays or hunting wind direction 100% either, but I still use them