Is God Useful? - 8-Bit Philosophy

Press Start for Is God Useful? by 8-Bit Philosophy, where classic video games introduce famous thinkers, problems, and concepts with quotes, teachings, and more.

Do you believe in things that lack scientific rigor?

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Directed by: Jared Bauer
Written By: Mia Wood
Narrator: Nathan Lowe
Animation Producer: MB X. McClain
Academic Consultant: Mia Wood
Producer & Additional Artwork by: Jacob S. Salamon

© 2015 Wisecrack, Inc.

[HummusHummus]

Wow. I'm actually really surprised by these comments. Everyone is being pretty nice. WHAT'S HAPPENING!?

[chase_h.]

I can say as someone who doesnt believe in God anymore, being an atheist can be more stressful (knowing there is nothing watching over you and it's all in your hands), yet freeing (knowing you have the power to do anything just as well without assistance from a God)

And the complete reverse can be said for thiests. Less stress (believing all will be taken care of for you), yet disempowering (believing you alone have the ability to do very little without God.)

If you can accept the world for it's desolate and chaotic nature, then usually the trade off is learning to improve yourself without help. At the same time, if you prefer to believing you are safe under God I can't blame some people. But sadly you are giving up your ability to understand that you already have the power to do anything you put your mind to.

[ankurama]

I think it is useful to believe in something seriously, although I am an agnostic/atheist.
Not everyone has the time, nor the will to accept the cruelities of life. If it makes you content with life, I say go for it.
Just don't spread violence.
Though, I should point out that the majority of violence is caused by money directly or indirectly.

[TrickWithAKnife]

Is believing in fairies helpful? Probably not, but it's likely to be a fairly self-contained issue.

One of the most powerful nations on the planet will only accept a leader who believes in a particular mythical being. THAT is terrifying.

These same beliefs affects laws, education and  public health, as well as being used to discriminate against others.

But what do I know? I'm just some fool who somehow doesn't unquestioningly believe everything I'm told, even if it's from a source I feel some personal connection to.

[phariaz]

Two of my favorite things in life together: Ninja Turtles and Questioning about god. Wow. This summirizes so much who I am! Thanks!

[pocket]

Just wanted to drop in to mention my support. I really like the 8-bit philo concept. Awesome work, and I hope you continue to produce it!

[Studioithy]

I would probably say 'Yes' to the question. I believe in morality and that fact that certain actions seem morally wrong (e.g. torturing babies for fun) no matter the curcumstance. But science and empirical testing cannot show that these actions are actually 'wrong'.

[Mogley-crip]

homer simpson already debunked pascals wager, "what if we're praying to the wrong god and every time we go to church we're just making him madder?"

[Casper]

I'm surprised that nobody has brought up the subject that Donatello is pretty much dead or at the very least critically injured in the latest comic from IDW that was released last month.

Coincidence?

[BingeWatchers]

This is one of my favorite things on the internet.
I think that if a person believes in god, and it does him good, or compels him to be a better person, then sure, it's useful, and could be a good thing. Where I live however, the belief in god is mostly used as an excuse to do or not to do things and religion is one of the reasons my country is broken. I think this belief is more dangerous than anything else. I'm on the "How could anyone believe this" camp but I try to be as respectful as I can to believers, there's no way to say that without coming off condescending.

[aussie_anarchist]

Doesn't matter whether it is emotionally better for people to believe in something. Either something is true or it is not. Give me a hard truth over a comforting lie any day.

[CyckOne]

To quote Stephen King (kind of): 

"I have no use for organized religion, but I choose to believe in God because it makes things better. You have a meditation point, a source of strength."

My philosophy in a nutshell. Voting Yes.

[killianbaker]

Why devote your life to worshiping, and fearing something that neither asks for it, deserves it, nor is proven to exist? Quit worrying about what happens after death. Live life for yourself and those closest to you, not in hope of pleasing a higher power. Do good deeds for the sake of helping others, not out of fear from being damned. What makes you think that an infinite being would care to deal in human affairs anyway? Be proud of your accomplishments, that you yourself have made, don't thank a god for them. Believe what you will though, these are just my personal views, and opinions.

[FatherOfGray]

Despite being an atheist I am a man of faith. I have a faith even more ludicrous than any other religion. I have faith in humanity. Despite all of the news stories and YouTube comments I have read, it is a stubborn faith that I cannot dismiss. I have no logical basis on which to believe humanity as a whole will see the error in its ways and that the world will change for the better. I just sincerely believe, without evidence, that such is true.

[zmoon]

This is the framework I have been using for some time when it comes to dealing with the two conflicting ideas I have - my distrust of God's existence and the paralysing fear that there is no purpose or meaning to this life. For years I had been sticking with the former and tried to embrace that life is meaningless, but without success, leading to a mental breakdown where I just gave up trying.

A couple of suicide attempts later, I got so desperate that I decided to give faith a go and genuinely subscribed to the belief that God has a plan for me and that he is watching over me. This was the only thing that got me out of the rut.

I still have distrust in God's existence, but also recognise that AT THE TIME it was absolutely the better choice to believe in it to help me get back on my feet. So is God useful? For me, yes, he is useful under certain circumstances.

[hdhuga]

These 8bit videos are always entertaining and thought provoking. Keep it up!

[crisisofdemocracy]

It's a saddening thought that a great population won't question the veritability of their beliefs, which they've probably been fed since birth.

[AussiePillow]

Science explains how the world works
Religion explains why the world works this way

[KydaIndie]

I honestly think that belief in God is one of many things that depends on the person, and not just wether or not a God exists, but also details. I.e. If gods a man, or even has gender, if he's sexist, how he created the world, etc... But I also believe that people should believe different things, because being introduced to opposing ideas can make you think, and increase he strength of your own ideas and values and maybe change them. And besides all that, the world would be boring without the belief in a God

[CognizantPsyche]

“Religion is regarded by the common people as true, by the wise as false, and by rulers as useful.”
― Seneca the Younger