It’s a good and, I’d say, well thought through argument, however, it’s completely irrelevant.
You read my position as if it came from a place of faith and then responded from the same place of faith. I think that’s why none of you arguments worked or will work on most of the people here.
You can’t cite the Bible to me, because I see it at the same level of fiction as Lord of the Rings. Fundamentally, all of the context, nuance and logic in your theological argument is mute.
I could try and address concrete points from your response that miss the mark for me on this level, but I’d rather try and give you context on where does my position come from. I’m not trying to convince you, nor will you be able to convince me.
I’m an atheist. I don’t believe in a god, nor I think it necessary. Good and evil are social constructs. A mouse is neither good, nor evil; the same applies to the universe in general. There’s no higher purpose, afterlife or absolute judgement.
A question I see more often regarding this: “If there is no God, what then stops a person from killing and raping, and stealing, and etc.?” To this I’d say — the person themself.
We are social creatures, we want to and live in communities. This communal lifestyle can be just as good of an anchor for morality as faith. (A somewhat relevant reference).
Morality can be fully separate from faith and doesn’t require a god. Which seems like a much simpler argument than existence of an unprovable (by the same token, undeniable), all-powerful, beyond human comprehension being. Simple doesn’t necessarily mean correct, but considering my options I’m inclined to go with the non-magic one.
Another point worth addressing is nihilism. If there is no god or afterlife, what’s the point of living? To this I’d say there is none, but why is that bad? If there’s nothing else besides the existence I already have, that’s all the more reason to appreciate it.
Again, I’ll come back my social creature reasoning. Knowing that this is all there is makes it all the more special and worth maintaining, protecting. I want to keep my relationships with loved ones, I want to share it with my offspring. What I don’t want is religious promise of happiness. I don’t need a promise, I need happiness in this life.
There is this philosophical argument for faith where believing in God means at least not losing much, and not believing — at most losing everything. But to me this seems backwards. If a god is truly divine and loving, it should not care for my opinions and only judge me by merit. If, however, a god is not that, then I don’t need it and reject it. If it doesn’t exist, well, none of these discussions matter then, do they?
I wont even go into Christian church with it’s absurd rituals and show.
Although, I do understand why people turn to religion. It comforting to have something bigger then oneself.
To me, though, it’s freeing to know I don’t matter in the grand scheme of things. I can’t change the world, but I can try and be happy with people I care about.
I don’t believe in a god and, if it exists, I reject it.
It’s a good and, I’d say, well thought through argument, however, it’s completely irrelevant.
You read my position as if it came from a place of faith and then responded from the same place of faith. I think that’s why none of you arguments worked or will work on most of the people here.
You can’t cite the Bible to me, because I see it at the same level of fiction as Lord of the Rings. Fundamentally, all of the context, nuance and logic in your theological argument is mute.
I could try and address concrete points from your response that miss the mark for me on this level, but I’d rather try and give you context on where does my position come from. I’m not trying to convince you, nor will you be able to convince me.
I’m an atheist. I don’t believe in a god, nor I think it necessary. Good and evil are social constructs. A mouse is neither good, nor evil; the same applies to the universe in general. There’s no higher purpose, afterlife or absolute judgement.
A question I see more often regarding this: “If there is no God, what then stops a person from killing and raping, and stealing, and etc.?” To this I’d say — the person themself.
We are social creatures, we want to and live in communities. This communal lifestyle can be just as good of an anchor for morality as faith. (A somewhat relevant reference).
Morality can be fully separate from faith and doesn’t require a god. Which seems like a much simpler argument than existence of an unprovable (by the same token, undeniable), all-powerful, beyond human comprehension being. Simple doesn’t necessarily mean correct, but considering my options I’m inclined to go with the non-magic one.
Another point worth addressing is nihilism. If there is no god or afterlife, what’s the point of living? To this I’d say there is none, but why is that bad? If there’s nothing else besides the existence I already have, that’s all the more reason to appreciate it.
Again, I’ll come back my social creature reasoning. Knowing that this is all there is makes it all the more special and worth maintaining, protecting. I want to keep my relationships with loved ones, I want to share it with my offspring. What I don’t want is religious promise of happiness. I don’t need a promise, I need happiness in this life.
There is this philosophical argument for faith where believing in God means at least not losing much, and not believing — at most losing everything. But to me this seems backwards. If a god is truly divine and loving, it should not care for my opinions and only judge me by merit. If, however, a god is not that, then I don’t need it and reject it. If it doesn’t exist, well, none of these discussions matter then, do they?
I wont even go into Christian church with it’s absurd rituals and show.
Although, I do understand why people turn to religion. It comforting to have something bigger then oneself.
To me, though, it’s freeing to know I don’t matter in the grand scheme of things. I can’t change the world, but I can try and be happy with people I care about.
I don’t believe in a god and, if it exists, I reject it.