Quote:
Originally Posted by lowtech redneck
I agree, and that's why I base the utility of theism (and all things associated with it) on the basis of how it impacts life on earth. However, I think people who are able to believe in "God" usually derive more utility out of life than those who do not. I think most people have certain metaphysical wants that need to be satified in order to fully enjoy the present, so theists (generally speaking) gain much more than they lose through their beliefs.
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Could you explain better what you mean by the bolded part?
And notjeffgoldblum, I don't think any Christian would say that their conception of God is one of conditional love. It's just that God's love doesn't stop him from punishing those who don't believe in him (or her, whichever). Actually, framing it as an act of punishment may be wrong, since the free-will-ers will undoubtedly say that God doesn't punish anyone, but the individual chooses his/her fate by choosing to believe or not. I don't buy it (for several reasons that I won't get into now), but I think that it preserves the idea of a benevolent God while also including eternal damnation.
The point: God still loves you even if he knows you're going to burn. Sort of like (to draw from your parenting analogy) when a parent knows that their child is going down a path of destruction by their choices in life, but continues to love them anyway. Their love, however, doesn't stop the consequences of the child's choices from happening.