politicartoons | god is a genesis of stupidity

Is there a higher being, a God?

Only in our heads. We have no external evidence to posit a creator. If we did, it begs the question who/what created the creator?

Many questioned if a god initiated the big bang, but now we have quantum theories that demonstrate entire universes will spring from "nothing", without a creator intervening.

In other words, you cannot prove it. We have a more scientific theory, using quantum dynamics and everything, and it is very utilitarian, but there is no conclusive proof. I think our fundamentalists are lost in fairy tales, but sectarians are not really knocked out of the fight on the basic fundamental question of God's existence. Moreover, they could argue for some utilitarian grounds as well, saying that our basic moral understanding came from the old faith traditions, particularly the idea of equality, and that faith has given people a vision and aspiration to build civilization, whereas not in our more godless time we are falling into a sort of nihilism.

I'd argue we owe every bit as much to Greek Philosophers, the Code of Hammurabi and other sources as we do faith traditions.

Slavery wasn't ended by religion and the fight for human equality has been resisted at every turn by religious conservatives.

Good, rich debates can be had on just about all the particular points being touched on; libraries can be buried with the debates. I'm just taking stock of an argument that I still find creditable, in which the Christian idea of each of us being accountable to God, with each soul being a key battleground between Good and Evil, may be our most solid foundation for a thoroughgoing notion of equality.

True the leaders on the earth, even Christian, have not held to the standard, even sanctioning slavery, but this is true for the Greek philosophers as well, and probably Hammurabi too.

Then why do you ascribe it reverence beyond human? Surely there is no earthly accountability other than what we've made for ourselves. Also, I could hold a god accountable for a thing or two, but alas, its a childish wish.

Edited 2014-07-07 05:28 (UTC)

Then why do you ascribe it reverence beyond human?

I don't understand. What do you mean? I don't think I have been reverencing anything except to say that we cannot prove that there is no God. I'm not even saying that I believe there is a God, much less reverencing one.

Oh. I misunderstood.

"I'm just taking stock of an argument that I still find creditable, in which the Christian idea of each of us being accountable to God, with each soul being a key battleground between Good and Evil, may be our most solid foundation for a thoroughgoing notion of equality. True the leaders on the earth, even Christian, have not held to the standard, even sanctioning slavery"

There may be a positive outcome to a flawed idea. Usually it isn't so. I wish we were accountable to a God, but it appears we are only accountable to ourselves during our lives.

...our basic moral understanding came from the old faith traditions...

It's a pretty pick-and-choose version of the 'old faith traditions' that variously condone racism and violence and slavery.

it is very utilitarian, but there is no conclusive proof.

Science has done more to reveal how little we truly understand about our universe than has religion. Religion ascribes false answers for feels. Science endeavors to weed out the falsehoods and open the casket.

Our eyes see a tiny percentage of the visible spectrum of energy. Its like only using two keys on an 88 key piano. Science revealed this and made better eyes (Xray, gamma, etc.)

our basic moral understanding came from the old faith traditions

Rape (http://www.evilbible.com/Rape.htm), child sacrifice (http://bible.knowing-jesus.com/topics/Child-sacrifice), the old time religion.

Its more than proof, its which approach is useful. If prayer worked, I'd do it more.

Edited 2014-07-07 08:34 (UTC)

Yeah, I think science is better than religion too, and even science cannot disprove the existence of God, which has been and continues to be my only point. It's an elementary point, and it does not mean that we must have state religion or be religious ourselves.

I agree we cannot disprove a negative assertion.

god is a genesis of stupidity

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