Is it Just Me?

[Nullasalus]

Why do Catholics need God in their lives? My life is OK without God. I’m not a Christian. I don’t feel empty in side. In short “LIFE IS GOOD”! Who needs an impersonal god imposing rules and regulations on the way a person freely chooses to live their own life? God only crimps your style? It’s a drag.

For me, a few things.

First, God seems downright plausible to me. A creator, someone who gave us this good life you refer to. I want to thank God.

Second, as the first implies, life is not all about me. It’s about family, friends, society, the world, and God. That I can have a good life without all or any of those things isn’t the point; I’d rather have a life that pays respect to and cares for all of them.

Third, the ‘rules’ of Catholicism aren’t pointless. Even aside from their moral right, they tend to be downright good rules to live by. I could get away with lying, but I feel better being honest, etc.

I guess a good question would be, if many of us are happy with God, why should that bother you?

 

[MariaGorettiGrl]

If I didn’t have God, I would have actually killed myself a long time ago. All the hate, lying, killing, stealing, and suffering in life has been overwhelming for me at times. More than once, I have wanted to give up and end it all. Not even belief in God was enough to dissuade me. But because of fear of hell (and by the graces I didn’t even realize God was giving me), I kept fighting. I’m glad now. I would have missed out on a lot!

It’s only because I know there’s real love (God) that I can deal with the suffering in the world now.

Not to mention, I wouldn’t have existed in the first place without God!

 

[VociMike]

Why do Catholics need God in their lives? My life is OK without God. I’m not a Christian. I don’t feel empty in side. In short “LIFE IS GOOD”! Who needs an impersonal god imposing rules and regulations on the way a person freely chooses to live their own life? God only crimps your style? It’s a drag.

Why do you assume that God is (a) impersonal, and (b) is all about imposing rules and regulations? Surely you get this idea either from listening to the (anti-religious) culture, or you’re intent on rejecting your own religious upbringing. The only reason somebody paints something so negatively is if they are trying to justify their separation from it. So what’s your story? How did you come to such a distorted understanding of Catholicism and of God?

 

[Mirdath]

There can be plenty of meaning in life without worshipping a deity. It’s quite simple really – to love others and to do well by them and by yourself. I don’t believe there’s any sort of eternal reward for this (or eternal punishment for not doing so), but then, why does there need to be such a thing as an incentive for us?

Nor does the lack of faith automatically place one in slavery to the material. All it does is make us focus on this life because it’s all we have. Yes, sometimes that does include some kind of slavish devotion to transient pleasures, but not always – and religious people are hardly free of those too.

Bottom line, the absence of God should not be an impediment to doing good; and if you think the presence of God is the main reason people do good, I’d highly encourage you to reexamine your faith very closely.

 

[bilop]

For me, the thing that convinces me of the existence of God, is His necessity for any Moral order to exist and make sense.

All humans have a natural desire for a moral order, and most moral systems are similar (basic 10 commandments stuff).

But without God, there is no logical support for these systems. Without God, an individual human has no intrinsic worth.

Therefore, the moral systems of a Hitler or a Stalin would be equally valid to the moral systems we all embrace.

Why not kill, steal etc.? Why not destroy the whole world?
No one will be left to care. But we recoil from this, and to me this is the working of God in our soul.

My 2 cents.

 

[Tantum_ergo]

There can be plenty of meaning in life without worshipping a deity. It’s quite simple really – to love others and to do well by them and by yourself.

Why? Did this type of altruism spring up by magic in our species which also came about by random and chaotic actions? Why, if it is ingrained, is it so often ignored? Why, if we ourselves are products of random action, do we even have the capacity to determine an objective good and not good? Why do we even think at all? And let’s face it, nebulous platitudes like: doing well by ourselves and others: can lead to all sorts of actions that don’t really help us or anybody else.

Why have humans worshipped some kind of deity since the beginning? Why even come up with such a concept? Why do so many hold it, and so few, relatively speaking, hold to your point of view? Why have so many people left testimonies to actual communications with God–even people who before didn’t believe, even quite large groups of people together? We have witnesses, we have communications from God Himself; we even have His own witness to His existence, so really, it is more up to those who ‘disagree’ to point to a proof of his ‘non existence’. You can ‘believe in disbelief’ and even rationalize that you’re ‘the same, or act the same’ as you would as a believer, but that isn’t the point.

Either God exists, or He doesn’t. We have plenty of proof that He does, along with what He wants us to be. . .‘rules’ that are really ways to be most free, ‘actions’ which really DO bring us to fullness of love and care for ourselves and others without exception and without ‘change’.

Living as though God doesn’t exist is neither freeing, loving, or worthwhile in the long run, no matter how ‘nice’ the person himself may be. Without God, he’s like a seed that isn’t planted; all the potential is there, but none of the actuality. He has just as much ‘potential’ as any other seed, but he won’t bring forth fruit until he recognizes God. Those who do recognize God and follow him bring forth ‘good’ fruit’; those who recognize God and don’t follow him bring forth ‘bad’ fruit.

It is just as wrong to bring forth ‘no fruit’ (when one has the potential to bring forth fruit but refuses to do so) as it is to bring forth ‘bad fruit’. So you aren’t doing better by refusing to acknowledge God; you aren’t beating the odds by being ‘spiritual but not religious’ or ‘I can be nice by myself.’

 

[Sean_Boyle]

Why do Catholics need God in their lives? My life is OK without God. I’m not a Christian. I don’t feel empty in side. In short “LIFE IS GOOD”! Who needs an impersonal god imposing rules and regulations on the way a person freely chooses to live their own life? God only crimps your style? It’s a drag.

What drew you here to ask questions of believers of God if you don’t need or care about God?

 

[Kay_Cee]

I think you know what rules and regulations I am talking about. You can’t legislate morality.

Of course you can. That’s why rape is illegal.

Besides morality is in the eyes of the beholder.

Well, let’s take that to its logical conclusion. If a rapist thinks rape is not immoral, you can’t tell him it is wrong for him to rape you. You can object to him raping you, but you can’t tell him he’s morally wrong.

I don’t think I am immoral because I have had sex out side of marriage with multiple partners. Sex doesn’t make me a bad person. The people who think so have dirty minds.

The people who think so have dirty minds? As much as I disagree with your conclusion, I’m astonished you would make a judgment call here. After all, didn’t you say morality is in the eyes of the beholder? Doesn’t that mean you can’t say people are wrong to have dirty minds?

A person who has a dirty mind may think it’s perfectly okay for him to have one. Since you condemn others for tellling you something is morally wrong, you have no right to tell a man with a dirty mind he is morally wrong for having one.

 

[VociMike]

I think you know what rules and regulations I am talking about. You can’t legislate morality. Besides morality is in the eyes of the beholder. I don’t think I am immoral because I have had sex out side of marriage with multiple partners. Sex doesn’t make me a bad person. The people who think so have dirty minds.

OK, it’s quite typical that people today reject the notion of God because of sexual concerns. But never mind that now. Let me just ask you, what if anything would make you an “immoral person”? What does “immoral” even mean to you? Why do you even carry around this concept of “moral” and “immoral”? Why do you bother? Why not live the way every other animal and plant lives, and just do whatever you can get away with?

Oh, and that part about “you can’t legislate morality”? What other legitimate basis is there for laws, if not morality? Give me examples of laws that have no foundation in morality, and I will show you arbitrary, capricious and, yes, immoral laws.

 

[Mirdath]

Why? Did this type of altruism spring up by magic in our species which also came about by random and chaotic actions? Why, if it is ingrained, is it so often ignored? Why, if we ourselves are products of random action, do we even have the capacity to determine an objective good and not good? Why do we even think at all?

Why not? Does the origin really matter so much, as long as we have it?

And let’s face it, nebulous platitudes like: doing well by ourselves and others: can lead to all sorts of actions that don’t really help us or anybody else.

Of course. We’re only human, after all – and it’s not like we’ve done so much better with supposed divine guidance. Isn’t that ‘nebulous platitude’ Jesus’ second commandment to his followers?

Why do so many hold it, and so few, relatively speaking, hold to your point of view?

Mostly because various religions have been an enormous force in human society through most of its development so far. They wield considerable power, not all of it rightly held (fear of hell is no reason to love God) – but that’s another issue.

Why have so many people left testimonies to actual communications with God–even people who before didn’t believe, even quite large groups of people together? We have witnesses, we have communications from God Himself; we even have His own witness to His existence

Only those who can hold to a religion will trust such witnesses. Catch-22. Such accounts may be great for strengthening your own faith, but I remain entirely unconvinced by them.

So really, it is more up to those who ‘disagree’ to point to a proof of his ‘non existence’. You can ‘believe in disbelief’ and even rationalize that you’re ‘the same, or act the same’ as you would as a believer, but that isn’t the point.

Actually, I’d say it’s equally up to theists and atheists to prove God one way or the other. I have it easy – I’m agnostic. I believe it can’t be proven, and that there are probably more important things to take care of than thought experiments on the existence of a deity.

Either God exists, or He doesn’t. We have plenty of proof that He does, along with what He wants us to be. . .‘rules’ that are really ways to be most free, ‘actions’ which really DO bring us to fullness of love and care for ourselves and others without exception and without ‘change’.

The problem with that is that there are apparently several hundreds of thousands of sets of God’s rules, many of them conflicting, and many of them obviously restrictive.

Living as though God doesn’t exist is neither freeing, loving, or worthwhile in the long run, no matter how ‘nice’ the person himself may be.

And what can you offer to prove this? As a non-theist, am I incapable of love? Am I, or is my life, without worth? Am I bound and constrained, shackled to myself more than you are to your faith? Hardly!

It is just as wrong to bring forth ‘no fruit’ (when one has the potential to bring forth fruit but refuses to do so) as it is to bring forth ‘bad fruit’. So you aren’t doing better by refusing to acknowledge God; you aren’t beating the odds by being ‘spiritual but not religious’ or ‘I can be nice by myself.’

I think you’re misjudging the metaphor. There’s always fruit – in our actions and our effects on others. I like to think that’s mostly good.

 

[GandalfTheWhite]

I think you know what rules and regulations I am talking about. You can’t legislate morality. Besides morality is in the eyes of the beholder. I don’t think I am immoral…

Many people think this way. In the end, morality looses it’s meaning and becomes anything. From this point of view everyone is living a moral life and since many mass murderers don’t believe in immorality of their actions they are perfectly alright.

No, I believe that there is Morality. People might be mistaken and have many moralities but in the end there is only one Truth.

because I have had sex out side of marriage with multiple partners. Sex doesn’t make me a bad person. The people who think so have dirty minds.

No, it doesn’t make you a bad person. Who is a bad person and who is a good person? How many good deeds do you have to to to become a good person? How much do you have to sin to become a bad person? No, it’s not about whether you are a good or a bad person however at that same time that doesn’t mean that what you did was good. Having sex outside of marriage is sinful, and to be honest with you, you don’t need God/Bible to directly tell you that.

Why do you think there are so many single mothers? Is that how it should be? Don’t you think that children should be born into functioning families? So, in the end, isn’t it a bit selfish to have premarital sex while knowing what it might cause?

Good bless you!

 

[Eden]

I was raised in a non- religious home. From what I have read on this forum Jesus died for me but why does that make me accountable to him? I didn’t ask him to die for me.

I think you know what rules and regulations I am talking about. You can’t legislate morality. Besides morality is in the eyes of the beholder. I don’t think I am immoral because I have had sex out side of marriage with multiple partners. Sex doesn’t make me a bad person. The people who think so have dirty minds.

In my 20s, I lived away from the Church, enjoying drinking and smoking every night and living for myself in a crowd. I never felt at peace. It wasn’t until I came back to the faith that I was raised in, that I was able to find sanctuary away from the culture that tried to convince me that my physical appearance and my material possessions were what defined me as a person. Thank God, I am free from that superficial way of life!

You say we can’t legislate morality. I’m sure if I stole your wallet, you would not agree that deciding whether or not stealing is wrong was a matter of personal choice. What if in my opinion, it’s not wrong to steal? Who are you to tell me how to live?

Regarding the comment that sex doesn’t make you a bad person, if you read Pope John Paul II’s *Theology of the Body, *well I don’t think you could find a more beautiful testimony to the beauty of intercourse between a married couple. I don’t care how much you protest, uncommitted sex with random partners kills the soul.

 

[Margaret33]

There can be plenty of meaning in life without worshipping a deity. It’s quite simple really – to love others and to do well by them and by yourself. I don’t believe there’s any sort of eternal reward for this (or eternal punishment for not doing so), but then, why does there need to be such a thing as an incentive for us?

Nor does the lack of faith automatically place one in slavery to the material. All it does is make us focus on this life because it’s all we have. Yes, sometimes that does include some kind of slavish devotion to transient pleasures, but not always – and religious people are hardly free of those too.

Bottom line, the absence of God should not be an impediment to doing good; and if you think the presence of God is the main reason people do good, I’d highly encourage you to reexamine your faith very closely.

Ok, perhaps you can answer our questions directed toward the OP, why does someone such as yourself, clearly feeling God is unnecessary, come to, Join and post 700 some-odd messages in a forum specifically titled CATHOLIC answers forum, and specifically for Catholics… ?? Are there no ‘etc.’ (what you have under religion in your profile) forums out there to share with others more like-minded???

 

[Nancie_Lew]

Ok, perhaps you can answer our questions directed toward the OP, why does someone such as yourself, clearly feeling God is unnecessary, come to, Join and post 700 some-odd messages in a forum specifically titled CATHOLIC answers forum, and specifically for Catholics… ?? Are there no ‘etc.’ (what you have under religion in your profile) forums out there to share with others more like-minded???

I think we are both here for the entertainment…Christians are funny

 

[Nancie_Lew]

In my 20s, I lived away from the Church, enjoying drinking and smoking every night and living for myself in a crowd.

There are protestants that would oulaw the use of alcohol in this country but you would be against that…would you not? Christians can’t even decide amongst themselves what is moral.

 

[VociMike]

There are protestants that would oulaw the use of alcohol in this country but you would be against that…would you not? Christians can’t even decide amongst themselves what is moral.

Well, this is a Catholic forum, not a generic Christian forum. Don’t ask us to defend everything said or done or thought under the banner of “Christianity”, and we won’t ask you to defend everything said or done or thought under the banner of atheism.

 

[Nancie_Lew]

Oh, and that part about “you can’t legislate morality”? What other legitimate basis is there for laws, if not morality? Give me examples of laws that have no foundation in morality, and I will show you arbitrary, capricious and, yes, immoral laws.

I don’t need a law to prevent me from stealing or murdering someone. Why do Christians? I know a number of atheists that live what you would define to be a moral life? Why do you need a god threatening to zap you to keep you in line and an atheist doesn’t.

 

[mark_a]

Why do Catholics need God in their lives? My life is OK without God. I’m not a Christian. I don’t feel empty in side. In short “LIFE IS GOOD”! Who needs an impersonal god imposing rules and regulations on the way a person freely chooses to live their own life? God only crimps your style? It’s a drag.

God can make your life even more enjoyable because by following his teachings now, you can avoid the consequences of your actions later.

 

[VociMike]

I don’t need a law to prevent me from stealing or murdering someone.

Sure you do. It’s called the natural law. But if you’re talking about man-made laws, that’s a different subject. I assume that you are not for eliminating all man-made laws, are you? Or do you believe that nobody “needs a law” to prevent them from doing anything at all that’s “wrong” (whatever that might mean)?

Why do Christians? I know a number of atheists that live what you would define to be a moral life? Why do you need a god threatening to zap you to keep you in line and an atheist doesn’t.

Where in the world do you get these ideas? Your impression of the Christian God (which is to say, the true God) is like something out of a bad comic book. While your ignorance of what Catholics actually believe is truly vast at the moment, we would be happy to enlighten you. Just ask away. But of course you’ll need to stop viewing us as merely objects of entertainment. Are you prepared to do that?

 

[Iowa_Mike]

Hey, if you don’t need God, why are you asking these questions? Maybe God’s calling you…

Iowa Mike