God's consequences for thought, action, and morality

¶ … Believing or Not Believing

"More consequences for thought and action follow the affirmation or denial of God than answering any other basic question," so said Mortimer Adler (Phillips & Brown 2008). Essentially, believing or not believing has serious ramifications in how we understand the world around us, unlike any other belief structure. Having a Biblical view of the world directly impacts one's actions, decisions, and thought processes, along with impacting the moral structure of society as a whole.

The quote by Adler brings serious attention to how important believing or not believing is in terms of not only our daily outlook on life, but the actions we take within our own unique societies. Unlike other fundamental belief structures, belief in God or some sort of religious force provides us a strict structure for which to build our belief in other things and concepts. Without a belief in God, there is less regard to following what is considered God's law. This can impact the way an individual lives his or her life like no other belief structure can. For example, if one does not believe in God, one may be less inclined to marry or follow the stricter Christian rules of courtship and may decide to have more of an alternative relationship with one's partner. Without belief in God, there would be little need to try to retain a sense of purity within a romantic relationship without the fear that some behaviors might incur God's wrath. Belief in God structures one's belief in other practices. As such, my own personal belief in God helps set the tone for the way I love my life. I tend to follow the moral practices of God's laws, and thus I try to be as selfless and honest as possible. Moreover, my own belief in God provides me with a coping mechanism on how I deal with experiencing the world around me. When I encounter news of some terrible tragedy, I can find some assurance in the fact that God is taking care of the victims of such a tragedy. Without this belief, I might prove to be much more of a depressed person, who would grieve much harder for victims of tragedies all around the world. As such, it is clear that my own personal belief in God shapes the way I view and experience the world, as well as my decisions in how to act within it.