Eight years ago, I was agnostic (at best) leaning strongly toward the 'belief' that God did not exist. While I was (and well before that too) I didn't like the 'god' I thought did/might exist. I thought he was a finger-waggling, vain, capricious, old guy who couldn't even make up his mind if he 'loved' us or 'hated' us, yet he expected me to love him...and not just 'love him', but love him with all my heart and soul and mind. I told him to either 'fix' me or leave me the hell alone.
Before all that, I was a faithful, church-going christian. Though I struggled with sin, I did what I thought I was supposed to do...and I 'knew' a few 'truths' even then.
In both of those situations, though, I had the same 'mind'. It was a 'mind' that didn't think it mattered too much if there was a God close-by. You could never have convinced me as a christian that this was my mind, but what is worse than 'thinking' such a thought is living like that. And trust me, LIVING AS IF GOD DIDN'T MATTER characterizes most of my life...in church and after. In church, I would never had said such a thing. After, I was at leas honest.
Rick said asking the question leads back to babylon. That's not my experience at all.
I asked a similar question on facebook a few months ago: Where would you be without God? I got a few replies...some from traditional christians, and some from people I might have wished had 'thought' more about it. Nobody said, "Dave, I'd be nowhere at all."
Hey, I forgive them all...firstly, it's 'facebook'. Who goes there for 'deep thinking'? Secondly, because I know what they meant. Without God's help, or His grace, or His 'looking out after me', I'd be in a pickle. All true enough. Even the one who said she'd be burning in hell...I know she's blind as well as thinking the former things--God's help, grace, looking out for me.
But I've had the 'mind' that says 'whether or not God exists, I keep on going.' It wasn't until I BELIEVED John 1 (a faith given freely to me, even as it had been almost completely wiped out) that I even began to 'understand' what I was 'believing' from B-T, and well before I even knew there was a forum. That's the 'happy' facts.
The sad fact is that even today I still BEHAVE as if God's very existence didn't matter. I have to slow down, stop, and THINK to keep from behaving like just another beast of the field. Also, no matter what I am doing, He 'graces' me to 'think on these things'. just from the things, events, people He brings into my life That's the way i KNOW that He isn't finished with me yet.
John 'thought about' "without Him..." If he hadn't, he wouldn't have been able to write those words...no more-so than you can write "purple elephant" without thinking of a purple elephant. Thankfully, he knew the truth about "without Him..." and didn't finish his sentence without sharing it with us who believe, and for those to whom God is giving faith. We might can 'scan over' "purple elephant" without it affecting us, just as we can scan over "without Him nothing" without it affecting us. I know it can be done, because I've not only done it, but I've lived life because I did it.