What if there is no God?

Occasionally, we all get asked the question: Do you believe*** in God?

Lots of people have no problem answering this: Yes.

Others, such as myself, are tempted to answer the question with a question: What do you mean by "God?" That has been my strategy for many years, but now I'm beginning to think it misses the issue.

Let me put aside those who define "God" any way they like and assert that they "believe" in whatever that is. That boils down to linguistics- a dispute about words. **

The important issue is whether you believe in the God described in the major "theistic" religions (Christianity, Judaism, Islam.) This, in turn, is a question of whether you accept the mythology, theology and rituals of the given religion (whether or not you actually participate.)

So, if your answer to the key question is "no," then you are claiming that all the actions based on religious motives are based on nothing. For example, prayer is pointless, building cathedrals is pointless, "faith" is nothing but hope, and religious wars are over nothing. For example, the St. Bartholomew's Day Massacre was about nothing:

The massacre began in the night of 23–24 August 1572, the eve of the feast of Bartholomew the Apostle, two days after the attempted assassination of Admiral Gaspard de Coligny, the military and political leader of the Huguenots. King Charles IX ordered the killing of a group of Huguenot leaders, including Coligny, and the slaughter spread throughout Paris. Lasting several weeks in all, the massacre expanded outward to the countryside and other urban centres. Modern estimates for the number of dead across France vary widely, from 5,000 to 30,000.

It's easy to add to this example. Religion (supposedly about nothing) has been behind mass slaughter for centuries - much of this documented in the Old Testament. The crusades would make no sense without serious, literal belief in "Christianity," including the doctrine of eternal life. Most recently, the religious "right-wing" in the United States backs Israel because the return of the Jews to the "Holy Land" is a necessary step to the Apocalypse - when the dead shall rise and be judged. American support of Israel led directly to the 9/11 attacks. and decades of war in the Middle East and Afghanistan. Such wars were partially justified as a conflict of civilizations - the civilizations being Christian and Muslim.

My point is simple: "beliefs" are not neutral. Our acts in the world are real. What we think we are doing directly impacts the "real world."*

On a personal level, if you don't believe in God, you need to ask about how the policies and actions of the "believers" around you are based on (according to you) nothing. For example, God's "policies" feature prominently in arguments against abortion. Abortion is real. We must have the courage to call BS on those who claim to "know" what some imaginary being "wants." The kindest way to view "faith" is that it's a systematic self-delusion. 

We are also left responsible for building a whole ethical structure without reference to the big religions. We tend to coast along on the coattails of what we imagine religions teach.  There is no eternal life. There is no divine judgment. It is left to us to define laws and consequences. "Justice" is up to us. Sadly, our track record is not great. However, our track record is horrible in times when religion totally dominated the discussion. For example, the scriptures have never had a problem with infanticide, war or slavery. "Scriptures" are unequivocal in their opposition to equal rights for women. The list can be expanded endlessly.

There is an alternative based loosely on the Buddhist perspective. All this "God stuff" is made up. But suffering is real. We should base our actions and our laws on the idea that we should reduce suffering. Of course, the devil is in the details - a problem you have with any policy based on facts rather than fantasy.

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*This insight dawned on me during a dialogue with my wife's nephew about climate change. I have gradually been drawn into realizing how beliefs influence policies to overhaul modern society from the ground up. The same can be said about the beliefs of those who resist such changes.

**So-called "proofs" that God exists don't really change things. People who accept these proofs tend to be "believers" to begin with. To those who are sceptical, such "proofs" are unconvincing. 

***The argument here does not depend on any particular concept of "belief." It's about what people think is going on as it affects and justifies their actions.