If God exists then that which is predicated on His non-existence becomes irrational

If God demonstrably exists, it is irrational to ignore the evidence saying so. That's a rather important difference.

[Disclaimer: I'm having a pretty strong negative emotional reaction to this post, and much of this thread, but I'm really trying to give you the benefit of the doubt; I apologize if I come off as snippy.]

Your post only makes sense if God does not exist

No, it makes sense in any case. Even if there's a god. Even if that god is omniscient. Even if that god is benevolent. And even is that god is perfectly rational!!

There's a difference between "rational" and "ethical". (By your argument, Satan could not possibly be rational... is that your belief?) There's a difference between "rational" and "logically internally consistent". The mentally ill can be logically internally consistent, but that is not what we mean by "rational".

Let me ask you again: why are you here? I don't intend it as a rhetorical equivalent to "fuck off"... I'm honestly asking: what do you hope to get out of this?

I don't know if you read Eliezer's recent Epistle to the New York Less Wrongians, but I'd like to highlight a few of the items in the list of things rationality is about:

• Saying oops and changing your mind occasionally.
• Knowing that clever arguing isn't the same as looking for truth.
• Reserving your self-congratulations for the occasions when you actually change a policy or belief, because while not every change is an improvement, every improvement is a change.
• Asking whether your most cherished beliefs to shout about actually control your anticipations, whether they mean anything, never mind whether their predictions are actually correct.

These are what rationality are for me. (The second point, in particular, is what I was trying to say when I spoke of "logic games".) And these things are not dependent on there not being a god! (In fact, if you want to convince me that there is a god (in another thread, please!), these points are the way to do it.)

Are you here to say 'oops' on occasion? Are you here to look for the truth (or are you convinced that you've already found it)?

Rationality, the set of tools for for examining and changing our beliefs, necessarily must be more basic than any of your beliefs. Otherwise, it isn't rationality... just logic games.

I'm here because I want to be Less Wrong! And that means changing my beliefs, and not to be more in-line with everyone else here! For example, my most recent 'oops':

I recently adopted a vegan lifestyle, saying "oops! I shouldn't be eating animals". (While I may, for the sake of brevity, refer to myself as 'vegan', in my mind I see myself as 'living a vegan lifestyle'. I've even quipped, "No, I'm not vegan, I just live like one.") I don't know if there are any other vegans here, but I've never seen any posts claiming it to be virtuous, and I assume it is a minority view here.

But it was a process of rationality that led me to making the lifestyle choice. While I may have, someday, come to the same conclusions on my own, it was my exposure to Less Wrong that helped me to "shut up and multiply", to overcome my biases and fears, and just say 'oops'.

Even the name of this site helped! Just as this isn't "BeingRight.com", the issue for me was clearer once I viewed (my own personal take on) veganism not as "the Right choice", but as "Less Animals": I don't claim to be right, just a bit less wrong that I was being before.

Sorry, that was a bit of a tangent... but do you see what I mean? That's what I'm here for. Is that what you're here for?