Help me become a real CRAZY FUNDIE ATHEIST parent! (page 6)

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But no adult knows that about God. Because no one just made Him up to make themselves feel better.

lol

Fadeout - I know I didn't make up God. I know you didn't make up God. God (or the idea of one god or another if you prefer) has been around for as long as people have been around. Whether you believe this is based on something real or purely superstition is moot to the point that I was making. No one told themselves at some point, "I'm going to invent this god character, to make myself and others feel better about life and death. Well actually, since I'm inventing him myself, I won't feel better because I know its all make believe... but others will feel better."

Someone might believe in God to make themselves feel better. But that isn't the same as inventing him.

Tammy

Berengaria

The original inventors of the gods we know, are long since dust.

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tec: No one told themselves at some point, "I'm going to invent this god character, to make myself and others feel better about life and death. Well actually, since I'm inventing him myself, I won't feel better because I know its all make believe... but others will feel better."

I tend to agree that it was not reasoned out like that, but more likely a combination of the natural human tendency toward superstition and the fact that fantastic things happen that people could not explain. Even now people support their irrational belief in god or other supernatural phenomena with "There are things we can't explain."

Imagine how much more we couldn't explain, and therefore how much more present the supernatural was in every aspect of life when we didn't understand what the celestial bodies are, what causes weather, how biology works, etc. I may be mistaken as I'm not an anthropologist, but based on logic alone I would guess that every ancient civilization attached deity to the sun, as one of the most important and most "miraculous" natural phenomena. Since we now understand very well what the sun is and how it works, the Sun God has for the most part found himself out of a job... with some exceptions.

The Jews of course were different in that they were monotheistic; but this is really just an evolution of the earlier god concepts. Instead of different gods with power over certain aspects of the universe, there is one God with power over everything. In reality, it is just as impossible to disprove the existence of Apollo as it is to disprove the Bible God. As I have identical evidence in support of each one (i.e. none), I have no choice but to not believe in either.

Scully

I dunno. I've done a comparison between God and Santa and pretty much decided a long time ago that they have similar (if not identical) characteristics.

Santa: Rewards good little kids with having their wishes fulfilled, while bad kids get a lump of coal.
God: Good people get to go to heaven when they die, bad people go to hell after they die.

Santa: Kids mail their wishes to him.
God: People pray their wishes to him.

Santa: Performs miracles such as making enough toys for every child in the world without any cash flow, makes reindeer fly and distributes gifts around the world in just one night.
God: Receives credit for miracles, such as raising the dead, curing the sick and infirm, and feeding multitudes with a few loaves and fish.

Santa: He sees you when you're sleeping, he knows when you're awake.
God: check.

Santa: He knows if you've been bad or good.
God: check.

Santa: So you'd better be good, for goodness sake.
God: Yep, or face eternity in hell.

The way I see it, if Santa is fake, then so is god.

tec

The way I see it, if Santa is fake, then so is god.

Funny :) But Santa came along, a long long time after God. If he shares any similarities with God, its only because people put those similarities onto him.

Tammy

(as a sidenote, earning heaven with good behavior kind of negates the gift of grace or of mercy - although we COULD continue the comparison and make note that few if any kids ever get a lump of coal, no matter how bad they've been)

Scully

Tammy

earning heaven with good behavior kind of negates the gift of grace or of mercy

I get what you're saying, but then what is the point of hell unless one "earns" their place there? Good people don't end up there, just like evil people don't end up in heaven. Whatever life you lead, there are clear results according to theology. One earns salvation or damnation, regardless of grace or mercy.

tec

Maybe the point is that most of us have earned our place in hell (death), but grace or mercy covers those sins and gets us into the Kingdom of Heaven. And when I say maybe, I mean it. I'm not a hundred percent on the issue of grace/mercy vs the good are rewarded and the bad are punished. They seem to contradict to me, which tells me I'm missing full understanding.

Tammy

Scully

Tammy:

They seem to contradict to me, which tells me I'm missing full understanding.

Indeed. Which is precisely why I no longer believe. It takes too much brain power, and too much energy to believe in things that contradict one another. The evidence is inconclusive, and barring new evidence that suggests otherwise, I'm much better off (mentally, emotionally and even "spiritually") being atheist.

startingover

Tec,

Your last post spoke volumes. You beieve because you want to believe. Even if it doesn't make sense, you still make it work because for you it just has to.

Help me become a real CRAZY FUNDIE ATHEIST parent!

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