Stuart: "The homosexual does not even respect his own body."I'll start with this, because it offends me rather deeply. Homosexual acts are not inherently destructive to the human body any more than heterosexual acts. It surely takes a brilliant and gentle lover to NEVER cause the least discomfort or pain to his or her partner. Would that you held different values and beliefs about sexuality and that met you before you met your current partner ;-) Homosexuals don't respect their own bodies IN YOUR EYES. Most people who engage in homosexual acts would tend to disagree. I know you'll say that they are in denial, and you would probably be right about SOME of them, just as the same could be said about some exclusive heterosexuals and even some monogamists.
What of cigarette smokers, sports heroes (think of the torn ligaments and concussions), cops, and tireless social workers (who never get enough sleep)? What of religious mystics who engage in austerities, rites of purification, fasting, and even self-flagelation and mutilation? What of our grossly over-meated culture? (Instead of denying that animal product over-consumption is bad for you, cite a few studies that prove otherwise. I have, for my part, frequently done the converse.)
Stuart: "Be afraid of me Kevin. I came to the conclusion long ago that the only restraint I have for not acting completely in my own self interest is God's impression of Himself upon me. I think this underscores the depth of my belief in Him, don't you? Now I ask you on the side, what is the true benefit of living to see tomorrow if God doesn't exist? Please think about that a few days before writing back... Compassion? Having compassion on other humans doesn't stop us from sinning against God and basing your morality on compassion allows you to dismiss any immmorality which creates no physical victim. Do what you might to eliminate God from your existence, Kevin but at least be thankful I believe in Him. Should I ever truly cease to believe in Him I will have no one to fear because my particular life isn't something worth saving or living without His hope.
Stuart, if there is no reason to not do something, other than the apparent whim (inexplainable divine plan, I know) of a god I don't believe in, then why not do it, if I choose? I try my VERY BEST to understand whether what I do is hurting another or not, and I am constantly revising and updating, as new information comes in to my weak little mind. If it hurts someone, I try not to do it. Sometimes I am weak, and the connections are more easily dismissed (I sometimes like to drive, even though I know it pollutes. I try not to do it, but sometimes, because of where I have come from in life, I need to "cave in" and do what is easiest. This is but one example among many.) I try to think of ALL the consequences (impossible, I know, but still worth the effort. Who am I to say it is not worth the effort?) For example, jay-walking might not be wrong in one moral sense, but if I did it regularly with kids watching, it might (indirectly) lead to one of their deaths.
Anyways, you get the point, but on to the main question: Why live if your god doesn't exist? Well, this is a tough one that takes me a long time to understand, and it is a work in progress, which I imagine will take me until my dying day to understand. Still, I'll try. I believe that who I am and how I feel, my health and safety, vitality and energy, love and emotions, are all inextricably linked to every other being on this planet. Some (my immediate friends and environs, for example) are more closely linked, but not more important. I guess I mean to say the links are more obvious with them, but there is not any difference.
All these beings, including me, are in turn inextricably linked to the health and well-being of the planet, which I consider to be a living organism made up of multitudes of other organisms. I believe the world is a being, perhaps only part of a larger (infinite) being that is the universe and all its multiple realities of time and space.
Why live? Because, despite all the sadness, pain, and fear I experience, I am excited, overjoyed, jubilant, and passionately moved by so much of what I see and experience. I am constantly awed by this place, and I am a part of it. My part is no more or less important than any other part, but it is my part, and I will participate.
Anyways, you will likely find ample reasons to disagree, and you may dismiss me as hokey, but I don't really care. I WILL not try to force the entirety of my belief system on others. If they feel passionate about life, then that's okay for me. Even if they don't, maybe I can help them to struggle through the bad things that are preventing that passion. Although my morality and my spirituality might be connected in some ways, the former is not dictated by what I described above. It seems that the only condition to my morality is that you try not to hurt others. This exists independently of my spiritual beliefs. You and I might disagree with how far to extend that beneficence, but most cosmologies leave room for that debate. (There are christian animal rights groups etc...)
Hope that helps.
None.
