I would like your opinion on Bertrand Russell's comment

by Terry 34 Replies latest watchtower beliefs

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  Paralipomenon

  The existance of a God isn't really the question.

  Gods have always been created to answer other questions.

  Why does it rain? Why is there suffering? Where does the Sun go?

  As our understanding grows and we learn the answers to these questions, the God(s) that were created to answer them fade from importance.

  In our current age, there is only one question left.

  What happens after we die?

  There is no way to answer that. It is the final question.

  The only way science could ever answer it would be to prevent death. Without death, goes the last question and need for religion.
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  Terry

  Hear! Hear!
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  james_woods

  I was just thinking that I think it's harderr to deal with bible god, because if you disprove an account such as the flood, then you can disprove his existence.

  Actually, in strictly logical terms - that would not disprove god. That would just disprove the story of the flood.

  It would, of course, imply that the bible itself was not infallible - thus making some serious implications for the reality of the god legend.
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  Terry

  You can have this very empty word: god and it not mean anything at all.

  Then, somebody comes along and pumps it full of "meaning" : all-powerful, all-knowing, Just, Loving, Wise, purposeful, forgiving, wrathful, jealous, etc.

  Somebody else comes along with different "meaning": ineffable, mysterious, mystical, unpredictable, etc.

  Somebody else comes along with yet "other" meanings: multiple-personality disorder, whimsical, mortal/immortal, etc.

  Now you have some choices. But, those choices are limited to--what? OPINIONS AVAILABLE TO CHOOSE FROM.

  God has meant countless numbers of things to countless peoples, tribes, nations, beliefs.

  Ready for Terry's handy quote for the day?

  Granting "existence" to god is merely inflating your own OPINION with beingness so that you can affirm your own ideas.

  St.Anselm proved God's existence doing this very thing!!

  Anselm defined his belief in the existence of God using the phrase "that than which nothing greater can be conceived".

  He reasoned that, if "that than which nothing greater can be conceived" existed only in the intellect, it would not be "that than which nothing greater can be conceived", since it can be thought to exist in reality, which is greater.

  It follows, according to Anselm, that " that than which nothing greater can be conceived " must exist in reality .
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  Knowsnothing

  Actually, in strictly logical terms - that would not disprove god. That would just disprove the story of the flood.

  It would, of course, imply that the bible itself was not infallible - thus making some serious implications for the reality of the god legend. -james_woods

  Certainly it would prove for me that bible god wasn't real. I think it really follows that if we start with the premise that bible god is perfect and can keep his word from corruption, and is true in a literal sense, then disproving an account such as the flood would disprove bible god, IMO.

  People can still appeal to the god of the gaps and right now, that's where I feel comfortable.