What Benefits Are Only Available Through God?

We don't call that "instinct."Instinct is the word we use to describe a no-thinking-required reaction to external stimulus.
Like pulling your hand away from a hot stove.
Or animals bolting from a loud noise in a forest.I don't see what instinct has to do with feeling that God wants a relational communion with each individual - that seems better described as "a religious belief." Differences exist all over the place.But are there any benefits only available through God?Perhaps you gain a benefit by relying on God.
If I gain the same benefit by relying on my self and others... that's my point... there is no benefit only available through God.Perhaps relying on God is the only way Thugpreacha can obtain such a benefit.
-and I agree with this specific, individual point.
-just as it's possible that relying on my self and others may be the only way Stile can obtain such a benefit.But... if we can both obtain the same thing, one with God - and the other without - then "the benefit" is not only available through God. I'm not talking about other spirits. Although to answer your question anyway, "other spirits" could be mother nature, ghosts of ancestors, Gods from other religions, things we haven't identified yet... so many options other than "God" than I wonder why you even have to ask such a thing?What I was talking about by "a level of spiritualism," though, is basically - mental health.The ability to remain calm in a tense situation.
The ability to have conviction and move forward in a difficult situation.
The ability to face fears that others run away screaming from.
The ability to be steadfast and loyal to a system of morality that helps others people and refrains from hurting other people.
All the benefits and positive qualities anyone ever thinks of when they picture "a very spiritual person."They can all be obtained without God.
For certain people, they can be surpassed without God.
For other certain people, only God can lift them to such levels.The point, again, is that such levels are not restricted to revolving around God. It's quite possible (and easy) to obtain such levels, or surpass them, without God. You are welcome to your beliefs, and I hope they bring you comfort.But, really, it's not anything I'm worried about. My own level of spirituality - which happens to not include God - prepares me quite well for whatever will happen.-Maybe God will hate me and punish me - I am fully prepared for this and not scared
-Maybe God will love me and reward me - I am fully prepared for this and not scared
-Maybe God will ignore me - I am fully prepared for this and not scared
-Maybe some other entity exists instead of God and reacts in their own way - I am fully prepared for this and not scared
-Maybe no entity (including God) exists and something else happens - I am fully prepared for this and not scared
-Maybe no entity (including God) exists and nothing happens - I am fully prepared for this and not scared
-Maybe no entity (including God) exists and I simply cease to exist without knowledge of that event even occurring - I am fully prepared for this and not scaredI don't see how any other level of Spirituality could prepare me better for such possible futures.
And if I'm ever made aware of anything else - my Spirituality allows for me to adapt and incorporate it and grow even stronger anyway. That's nice.

There's obviously no benefits from god, if there were everybody would believe in him. But there are benefits from a belief in god.A close relative of mine will die in the next few days from an inoperable cancer. It's an ugly, painful and cruel death which in itself proves the absence of a loving god, but he does get comfort from his High Anglican belief and has the icons of his belief close to him - holy water and a little wooden cross. For a lot of people it does serve that purpose and is probably why it was necessary to invent the whole shebang.

I suppose that the questions we could ask at this point are the following: What is it that we can get anywhere?
If God is offering this "eternal life" and seeks to give it only to those who trust Him, what would be the reason for such a condition?And on a personal level, I could well ask myself this question: If there is nothing to any of this Holy Spirit stuff, why is it I have cried for 15 minutes straight at the last two services I attended? What else would have triggered such a reaction from me?

But the whole point is to allow us the freedom to question, doubt, and reject His benefits. Which leads to the questions:Why would God only help those who believed in Him and surrendered their own stubborn freedom to doubt and disagree?

What benefits? I can't see any. Obviously if a loving god actually existed he'd love everybody not just those who had happened to have heard of him by a pure accident of birth or who rejected the idea because he gave us a brain that worked out that the whole idea was preposterous.

Being in the Medical field and seeing first hand some truly sad and horrific deaths I will say that it is hard to reconcile the benevolent and omnipotent part to be sure.Edited by 1.61803, : removed word "it"

Without getting into everyone's arguments how about one benefit being the fact that I exist.

Eternal life.Or, at a minimum - the same claim/expectation/reliability of eternal life that Christians get from God and/or the Bible. I dunno.
Being a dick?I can't think of anything I only give out to those who trust me.
I can think of many things I would only give out to those whom I trust... but that's not exactly the same thing, it's in the other direction.To require that someone trusts you back before you do something... is being a dick.-Like requiring someone to 'trust you' before you do something for them.
A non-dick would just do it anyway, as long as you trusted them... not requiring them to trust you.
Could be a little bit of a dick, or could be a great big dick - depends on how much that other person requires the thing you're going to do for them that you're holding back on. Nastalgia, culture, belonging to a group and personal experience.For your example... "the group" isn't necessarily the others in that church. They don't even have to be around you - just as long as you have a feeling that you're part of "some" group.They are some of the most powerful feelings people are able to have.
It's also the reason some people drink the Kool-Aid and kill themselves for nothing.I personally wouldn't think it means anything significant other than - you're a human being doing things that almost all human beings do. From you, personally?
I haven't the slightest clue. It would all depend entirely on your personal thoughts/feelings on your nastalgia, cultures, belonging to a group and personal experience.
Maybe nothing else could do that for you.
Maybe a few other things.
Maybe lots of other things.
I dunno.I can get that way watching Simba make his father proud in The Lion King.
(Father/son/honour/respect things always get to me... not exactly sure why, I have a pretty good relationship with my Dad, but they just do...)You may not think my Disney-watching-crying is "as powerful" as your church-going-crying.But you are also not the judge of such things in an overall sense.
You are the judge for you.
I am the judge for me.
And everyone else is the judge for everyone else, individually.How could we ever tell which crying is "stronger?"
What if I happen to actually feel more, but I'm slightly less of a physical crier? Does that make my experiences more or less powerful than yours?
What possible useful-difference/benefit could it actually create?

Hi GDR, you being a Theist yes that would be one.
But a Atheist would simply say it is arbitrary.
Because the fact that you exist could be due to something other than a creation from God. So yes for your own personal perspective that is a benefit, but what if your entire existences is one long painful nightmare?

I believe that's called begging the question.A very odd thing to me when visiting my dying relative yesterday was that his faith seemed to be growing stronger whilst his god was literally torturing him to death.
(The dosage of morphine necessary to stop his pain now would kill him and our fucked up, juvenile, religiously motivated health and judicial system is not allowed to do what we'd do for a dog in such circumstances.)

Not really. The original question assumes the existence of an involved God ergo life itself is a benefit. Does he wish he had never been born? The fact that he had the life that he did was a benefit.Yes, it is a fact that physical entropy results in suffering, but also in the hearts of people like yourself I believe that there is a God given desire to do all that can be done to alleviate the suffering.

How is that a benefit only available through God?I exist.
I don't require God in order to do so.

But as I said to Tangle the question assumes the existence of God. An atheist can thank the infinite number of chance chemical processes, starting from mindless particles for his/her existence. I simply can't muster up that kind of faith. My life has been great but yes, there are those whose life can be a painful nightmare so it is our jub to do all that we can to minimize the nightmare.

That is you belief and my belief is that we do. Again, the original question assumes the existence of God.

Yer kidding, right? You can't think of any other reason why you might have an emotional response to something? A "Holy Spirit" is the only possibility?