......”So I take it that any feelings of guilt that you have are entirely based on your fear of what God thinks?”
My response to that is:
.....”My relationship with God is NOT based on fear of Him, it's based on His love for me and I for Him....and this would also include any guilt feelings I might have.”
You then responded:
.....”So if not for your love of God you would not feel guilt for anything you do?”
To which I will say:
We all have a conscious...as Stuart expressed and I agree...But I will also add, that regardless if one believes in God or not, we are created/designed with this gift of conscious from God..... Therefore, a sense of guilt is ‘operational’ in us all....(keeping in mind we can also suppress our conscious, even to the point where it's no longer functional and there is no sense of guilt left apart from God restoring it.)
I would have to say though, that because of the relationship possible with God... one actually becomes more sensitive to our conscious as that relationship develops.......similar to other relationships developed.... ....We learn more about the person, become more intimately related, understand better, as well as sensitive to them........
....and because God is knowable, and desires we know Him, the more He draws us to Himself the more we become sensitive to Him...Thus when one senses 'guilt' in that relationship it's not only much more apparent, but one desires to keep the relationship free of it as we communicate with God about it.
Just as we are sensitive when other close relationships have a 'kink' in them...or for that matter 'a great gulf'...so too with God.... We know, or at the very least question it's standing ,and find no contentment until the matter is settled. ...so again my relationship with God is not based on fear...but 'entirely' based on His love for me ...far more I would add, then mine for Him....For His love for me is perfect....and therefore there is no fear in perfect love. And that love is available to ALL who seek to know Him up close and personal.
“well if you feel guilty, and as you said you don’t think God has concern about our sin, then why would you feel guilty at all, and what do you do about that guilt?”
That was your question to Stuart. It is pretty obvious from the thread that he thinks differently about God than you, but that doesn’t mean he can not feel guilty for his mistakes due to his conscience. The implication of your question was that one cannot feel guilt unless they have the same belief in God as you, but maybe that was not intended . Only he could tell you what he does about guilt, but I am pretty sure he has a way of dealing with it.
I agree that we are all gifted from God with a conscience and many suppress it, but there are other ways of restoring it than depending on God. I understand that is your belief and I fully support you right to believe it, but keep in mind that others have different beliefs and can make just as moral decisions based on what they believe.