Monday, September 1, 2008
"Religion is the sigh of the oppressed creature, the feelings of a heartless world, just as it is the spirit of nonspiritual conditions. It is the opium of the people." – Karl Marx
What is God? I believe it is just an idea, an idea that shields us from all things we do not know. As children we need to be told what to do. Religion and God served that purpose very well until man began to think. Religion has done great things, some of which are good, some bad, but most are not practical in today’s life.
An atheist is someone who does not believe in the existence of God or anything supernatural, because there are too many why’s that God has not been able to answer. An atheist looks at science for proof of what he sees, unlike a believer who blindly follows what he is told. Many people are atheists also because of the way they are brought up, just like any other believer, and some might just find it cool.
Religion has done some good things as well:
- It has brought a sense of togetherness, and social responsibility.
- It brings purpose and meaning to one’s life, relieving the person of the burden of death.
- It has initially helped people follow certain social and moral codes.
But right now, it seems to have done more bad than good. Sadly!
- It controls people, in a way they ought not to be controlled.
- Not many people actually “think”.
- One religion’s rules have become the reason for war to another.
- Evolution might as well come to a stand still. But mother nature is always here to help us with that. :)
- You’ve got to agree with me when I say it’s mostly waste of time and money.
- These are not the only ones!
Not being able to think is reason enough to stop being a slave to religion and god. There is no proof that God doesn’t exist. But something doesn’t exist until proven otherwise. And science has given us, atheists, enough evidence of evolution, the order in the universe, sunrises and sunsets, etc., to believe in what we believe.
A believer may argue saying that the beautifully designed universe, the flora and fauna, and humans, are all work of God. But science has recently thought us what Evolution is. We have been able to find the age of the earth, fossils that indicate how life has evolved, and why the heavenly bodies behave the way they do. Gods might have been a very convincing reason for some basic phenomena like the sunrises and sunsets when we did not know that the earth is going around the sun. Scientists have been giving us more consistent and logical explanations for the existence and the nature of the universe, with better supported evidence.
But science too has a long way to go until many questions are answered. Until then atheism is my best bet, because it gives me more room to think, act and decide based logical reasoning, analysis, experience, and interpretation of evidence.
. Because of scientific (observable, repeatable, verifiable) facts, we know that Whatever begins to exist has a cause.
. Because of scientific evidence, we know that The universe began to exist.
Because those premises are true and coherent we can know that the following conclusion is also true: The universe has a cause.
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. Matter and energy cannot precede themselves or preexist themselves either physically or chronologically.
. The reason that no event can precede itself is because “Coming Into Being” is an essential and objective feature of time. Time did not exist prior to the Big Bang.
. Matter and energy do not have the ability to create themselves or bring themselves into existence from nothing ex nihilo
. As will be shown below, matter and energy cannot exist from infinity past.
. Whatever brought matter, energy, space and time into existence had to have existed outside of these entities.
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. Anything that exists has an explanation of it’s existence, either in the necessity of its own nature or in an external cause.
. If the universe has an explanation of its existence, that explanation is God. That is because:
- Existing outside of time, the Cause is infinite or Eternal,
- Existing outside of matter, the Cause is immaterial or Spiritual,
- Existing as the Cause of time and energy, space, matter and the laws of physics, the Cause is immeasurably more powerful than the mathematically precise universe and its exquisitely Finely Tuned constants and quantities.
- The cause cannot be “scientific” because neither matter nor the laws of physics existed prior to the Singularity.
- Therefore the cause is not scientific but Personal.
- The transcendent Cause of the universe is therefore on the order of a Mind. It’s omniscient, omnipresent, and omnipotent.
That Cause, at least in the West is described as God.
. The universe exists.
. Therefore, the universe has an explanation of its existence.
Because the above premises are true and coherent, the following conclusion must also be true: The explanation of the existence of the universe is God
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. If atheism is true, then the universe has no explanation of its existence. This in fact is what atheists would have us believe as literally over a dozen theories have come and gone in a vain attempt to rule out God as the Cause of a beginning universe.
. If there IS an explanation of the universe’s existence, then atheism is not true.
. Most atheists would admit that the universe does indeed have a beginning.
. Hence, most atheists are implicitly committed to God being the explanation of why the universe exists.
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Some may deny that the universe began to exist, but in reality the universe cannot be infinite. That is because: The Second Law of Thermodynamics rules out the possibility of the universe existing from infinity past. As well -
. It is physically impossible to have an Actual Infinite Number of Things or Events preceding our today.
. A beginningless Series of events in time entails an actual infinite number of things.
. Therefore, a beginningless Series of events in time that leads to the beginning of our universe cannot exist.
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. Neither can we get to our point in time by forming an actual infinite Collection of things by adding one member after another.
. A series of events in time is a collection formed by adding one member after another
. A collection formed by adding one member after another cannot be an actual infinite.
Because the above premises are true and coherent, the following conclusion must also be true: A collection of events in time cannot be actually infinite - therefore the universe cannot be infinite. Therefore the universe had to have a beginning and a Cause.
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I believe in God because His existence answers not just, Why did the universe come into being, but Why is it so finely tuned that we can exist? Note: Fine Tuning is a neutral secular term in that it refers to constants and quantities (atomic weight, gravitational constant, etc.) being just right for the existence of intelligent life. That’s in comparison with the virtually infinite range of possible values. So:
. The fine tuning of the universe is due to either physical necessity, chance or design.
. It is not due to physical necessity (there is no reason whatsoever that any given universe would be so finely tuned) nor is this fine tuning due to chance (the fine tuning of our universe is so exquisite that an infinitesimal change in any one of the necessary constants and quantities would mean that neither we nor any life would happen).
. True claim: If observers who have evolved within a universe observe its constants and quantities, it is highly PROBABLE that they will observe them to be fine-tuned for their existence.
. True claim: It is highly and extraordinarily IMPROBABLE that a universe exists which is finely tuned for the evolution of observers within it.
Some might think that if the constants and quantities of our universe were different, then other life forms would have evolved. Virtually all of these people are those who hold to the neurotic hyperbole or Richard Dawkins. Nevertheless, this is simply not true. “Life” means the ability to take in food and use its energy, to grow and adapt and reproduce. Without the fine tuning that we observe, not even atomic matter would exist, not to mention planets where life might evolve. Among other things the universe would have either recollapsed or expanded beyond any ability to congeal. Again, there is no reason to expect that a universe as finely tuned as is our universe should exist by chance, nor is there any need or physical necessity for such a universe to exist anywhere except for the sole purpose of life. Because the above premises are true and coherent, the following conclusion must also be true: The fine tuning of the universe is due to design.
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I also believe in the existence of God because:
. If God does not exist, objective morals, values and duties do not exist
. But objective morals, values and duties DO exist.
Because the above premises are true and coherent, the following conclusion must also be true: God exists.
Physical laws are fully realised in the physical world. Objective moral laws are fully realised in Jesus and Father God. Our daily interactions with others shows we believe that objective moral order is as real and independent of our recognition as is the natural order of things. Our perceptions of natural and moral laws are givens of our experience.
Fact: Objective moral Goodness and Duty are based on God’s character. Since our moral duties are grounded in the Divine commands, they are not independent of God. Neither are God’s commands arbitrary, for they are the necessary expression of His just and loving nature.
. Mercy is required of me if and only if a just and loving God commands me to be merciful. Meanness is forbidden of me if and only if a just and loving God commands me to not be mean. Mercy or meanness are permitted or denied for me if and only if a just and loving God commands me to / not to commit acts of mercy or meanness. God is merciful therefore He commands us to be merciful. God is not mean therefore He commands us to not be mean. God is Just therefore He commands us to act Justly. What God commands or permits is good and what He forbids is wrong, bad, evil, self-destructive. This is what it means for morality to be objective vs. subjective or relative to the situation or to the individual’s character or personality or level of empathy, likes or dislikes, sanity or insanity.
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I believe in God because of the following philosophical and metaphysical evidence. Virtually all philosophers agree that if there is the slightest chance of God existing, then He does in fact exist. Therefore, we can ask ourselves, “What is the greatest conceivable being?” Our answer goes past me and you and the Dali Lama and any other "great" human being we can think of and we come to an omnipotent, omniscient, omnipresent Being that we commonly call “God” We can call it a Mind or something else but it amounts to the same thing ie. The Greatest Conceivable Being That Can Possibly Exist.
Therefore we can know that God exists because:
. It is in fact metaphysically possible that a Greatest Conceivable Being exists.
. Because it’s possible that a Greatest Conceivable Being exists, a Greatest Conceivable Being does exist in some possible reality.
. Because of the very nature of a Greatest Conceivable Being, if a Greatest Conceivable Being exists in SOME possible reality, it exists in EVERY possible reality.
. If a Greatest Conceivable Being exists in every possible reality, then it exists in actual reality.
. If a Greatest Conceivable Being exists in the actual reality, then a Greatest Conceivable Being exists in our reality.
Because the above premises are true and coherent, it stands to reason that the conclusion is also true: A Greatest Conceivable Being or God exists.
I also believe in a Greatest Conceivable Being - God - because:
. Abstract objects, such as numbers and propositions, are either independently existing realities or else they are concepts that find their grounding in and from some Mind.
. Abstract objects are not independently existing realities. Yet we intuitively know that they exist. Our problem is that when we become aware of the sheer volume of potential abstract objects we know for certain that the mind which causes them to exist and find their being and grounding could never be any human mind.
. If abstract objects are concepts in some Mind, then an omniscient, metaphysically necessary being exists. That is, only in an omniscient intelligence or mind can we find the grounding or cause for abstract objects.
. Because some of these concepts exist necessarily they cannot find their grounding in contingent beings, namely us.
Because the above premises are true and coherent, the conclusion must also be true: An omniscient, metaphysically necessary being exists. That Being is what we call God.
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. Because the cosmological argument shows that a Greatest Conceivable Being exists who is the cause or grounding of reality as we know it, and
. Because the moral argument shows that a Greatest Conceivable Being exists who is the cause or grounding of all objective morals, values, duties and Truth, and
. Because the conceptualist argument shows that a Greatest Conceivable Being exists who is the necessary intelligence for the grounding of abstract objects,
I believe that Creator God exists.
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While any or all the above may or may not give you pause for thought, The most important basis for my belief in God has nothing to do with any of the above. Instead, His palpable presence in my life, His counsel, His comfort, His correction and guidance, His love and mercy and grace. All of these things are so very real in my innermost being that they compel me to acknowledge the truth of His existence. I am so very grateful that I have been granted the gift of "Wide-Band Awareness." This is an Gift / ability that is shared and immediately recognised by people from around the world regardless of race, social stature, gender or intellectual ability. For some reason atheists seem denied this perceptive ability.
Secondly, I believe in God because of the historicity of Jesus. His life, death and resurrection cannot be adequately explained away. Something totally other took place when Jesus appeared on earth.
Third, I believe in God because the heavens and the earth declare His handiwork. There is simply no sufficient explanation for why the universe began to exist exactly as it did other than “Creator God.” This is not an explanation from ignorance because Creator God is the conclusion that fits the scientific evidence.
While it's true that atheists have proposed other theories for the "Creation” of the universe, it was not because of any inadequacy in or lack of evidence for the idea of God as Creator. The presentation of alternative theories is only because God as Creator is philosophically unacceptable to atheists.
The type of belief in God that I'm talking about is sometimes called “faith.” But faith is often misunderstood as being separate from reason or evidence. That could not be more inaccurate. For one thing, we are told to love the Lord our God with, among other things, “all our mind.” Second the Bible describes Faith as being “The substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not yet seen.” While one’s faith does not find its origin in evidence (the origin is purely from God - John 6:44), faith is clearly supported by evidence, reason and logic. In other words, Faith is anything but blind or uninformed. In my opinion agnostics are the only ones who ‘go as far as empirical evidence will let them.’ Atheists, as I’ve stated, take the next step because of a philosophically unacceptable conclusion to where the evidence points: Creator God exists. Christians take the next step because of the reality of Jesus Christ, Son of God, Lord of lords and King of kings who lives within their very being. Nevertheless, my epistemic and experiential belief in God is grounded in logic and reason and that is why I'm not an atheist.
While there have been criticisms of the above premises, what’s important to note is that a criticism or an objection is not a refutation.
- When an intelligent person willfully abandons reason and begins to posit finite infinities, causeless beginnings and beginningless beginnings, I know that I’m dealing with someone involved in a desperate attempt to avoid a philosophically unacceptable conclusion: Creator God exists.
- When an intelligent person willfully abandons classical historical scholarship and begins to deny known and knowable facts of history, but only as they apply to the person of Jesus, I know that I’m dealing with someone who is confronted with a philosophically unacceptable conclusion: Creator God exists.
- When an intelligent person willfully and falsely claims to follow whatever ethical standard is currently in vogue and calls that a reasonable way to live, I know that I’m dealing with someone involved in a desperate, fearful attempt to avoid a philosophically unacceptable conclusion: Creator God exists.
- When someone goes in search of ever more complicated solutions, abandoning one after another, after another, after another, not because of new evidence but because of a need to avoid current evidence, and when that person never returns to a simple solution that coincides with current knowledge and common sense, I know that I’ve encountered an individual who has been confronted with a philosophically unacceptable conclusion: Creator God exists.
That is sad and that is why I’m not an atheist.
Thanks for taking time with my post.
I do have some contradicting views.
If God is the cause and explanation for the existence of the universe, there should be a cause for God as well. And if God can just exist, so can the universe, isn’t it?
Morals and duties do exist. Most people believe it is because of God and religion because that is what they have been told, and as Ken rightly put it, they are just “'Understandable ways to feeding science' to less mentally privileged people”. And if the only reason that one is not mean is because God commands him/her to be merciful, then it is indeed a sad world. I definitely agree that the “concept” of “God” and religion have done great things to the humans civilization initially, when civilizations began to exist. But now that humans have evolved into something better than just being puppets to someone who is supposedly sitting in the sky and pulling strings, they should think for themselves as to what is right and wrong, and not just follow what has been written in a book. It's again ones choice as to what he/she wants to do.
And most people believe in God, because they always need someone to protect them. The feeling of presence of a greater being is always a comfort. Science is just beginning to know things and we would have to go a long way until we have evidence about the origins of the universe. Until then God is what most believers’ would like to call it.
I believe that Religion and God where just ideas conceived by humans to try and familiarize the not-so-gifted people to social life, moral codes and ethics, and everything unexplainable, even the basic natural occurrences such as thunder and lightening. This has now become blind belief and a denial to accept new things.
A simple solution to all questions could be God, even though we have learnt over time that science can produce evidence of how things work. If everyone had just believed that the earth was flat, and had there been no search for a more “complicated solution” as you put it, then we would all still be blind. God is definitely an easy and lazy solution to all questions one might ask, but that hangs ones thirst to know more to death, and there is no greater disgrace than a dead and wasted human mind.
"This gradually transitioned to a phase where the roots look severed and the future really bothers us."
Very true!