tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7658526372996117205.post5980565166966462906..comments2023-09-29T05:32:04.308-07:00Comments on StrangePegs: Why You Worship a False god (Part One)Andrew Leonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13964775673414653644noreply@blogger.comBlogger12125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7658526372996117205.post-68593854407042059912017-08-14T20:29:15.008-07:002017-08-14T20:29:15.008-07:00Liz: I see what you're saying, but that's ...Liz: I see what you're saying, but that's more of a romanticized way of taking the word. In the sense it's used in religion, or, at least, in "Christianity," you don't actually have the will to do anything other than what you have predestined to do.Andrew Leonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13964775673414653644noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7658526372996117205.post-73473198790668396402017-08-14T19:21:59.930-07:002017-08-14T19:21:59.930-07:00Ah yes, good point. If something is "fated&qu...Ah yes, good point. If something is "fated" and you choose not to follow it, then while it was predestined, you still used your free will to make a choice.Liz A.https://www.blogger.com/profile/16531953467834426316noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7658526372996117205.post-46005332579180725022017-08-11T12:23:01.040-07:002017-08-11T12:23:01.040-07:00Rusty: No worries.
Of course, Christianity does a...Rusty: No worries.<br /><br />Of course, Christianity does all kinds of gymnastics to get around all of these issues, but that stuff only works for people who don't use their brains. Which they pat themselves on the back for doing. Or not doing, as the case may be.<br /><br />But even C.S. Lewis knew that the idea that someone like Gandhi would go to Hell was ridiculous.Andrew Leonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13964775673414653644noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7658526372996117205.post-84781686906767542892017-08-10T18:02:33.432-07:002017-08-10T18:02:33.432-07:00Sorry it took me so long to stop by and see what&#...Sorry it took me so long to stop by and see what's up. I got your note from Goodreads the other day and it just took me this long to read your post. <br /><br />I like your thoughts here. Religion is... frustrating. The hell for all non-Christians concept is tough too. I mean, Jefrey Dahlmer, I suppose, is sitting in the glory of God at this exact moment since he got 'saved' just before his murder while awaiting execution - and Ghandi is roasting in hell due to his lack of faith in Jesus. That his life was dedicated to peace and good will towards all of us counts for less than nothing. That's tough to square with me. <br /><br />What I do get out of all this, is that if there is a god, he, she, or it, doesn't seem overly concerned in straightening out our religious disputes - which means everyone is most likely doing it very wrong, because he/she/it doesn't care very much one way or another. Rusty Carlhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09887821877521181811noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7658526372996117205.post-31510917741569347392017-08-09T11:02:51.684-07:002017-08-09T11:02:51.684-07:00Briane: Right now, it's just two posts. It wa...Briane: Right now, it's just two posts. It was only supposed to be one, but it was really too long to expect (most) people to read the whole thing, so I broke it in two.<br /><br />My struggle with religion has led me to decide that all religions are false. Not that "God" is false, but religions are. They're too corporeal, too temporal. They're all based on some anthropomorphised god, and, if you're god is just some caricature of humans, it's no god at all. People who think they have "God" all figured out are deluded or lying, and I don't know which is worse.Andrew Leonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13964775673414653644noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7658526372996117205.post-11429622917845416942017-08-08T19:21:32.644-07:002017-08-08T19:21:32.644-07:00These are some heady ideas.
I've also come to...These are some heady ideas.<br /><br />I've also come to the conclusion that a God who acts like the one you describe in your examples isn't much of a God. That's not to say that God couldn't be like that; we don't really know what God might say about either of those examples, and can only glean ideas from the Bible and the world around us.<br /><br />But I don't want to believe in a God who is basically the Genie from Aladdin -- waiting to trip you up with word games, depending on esoteric rules, acting arbitrarily. I don't understand why anyone WOULD want to worship such a God, unless forced to do so -- upon penalty of eternal damnation and torture, I guess? But a God who sets up a universe in which you can spend eternity being tortured for technical violations -- sinning and repenting but not completing the penance the priest gave you, say: If you steal money and confess and are told to give the money back and say a dozen Hail Marys but get hit by a car as you are taking the money back, having said only 6 of the Hail Marys?-- is that the kind of God people WANT to believe in?<br /><br />I've really wrestled with my religious beliefs over the past couple of years, stuff I won't discuss publicly, but what I think I can say about religious beliefs in general is that they are mostly manipulated to achieve an end; it's comforting to me to think about religion in a way that accepts me for who I am. It's important for the Catholic Church to get people to think about religion in a way that keeps the Catholic Church important. And so on.<br /><br />I think I'm rambling. I'm interested to see where this series of articles goes. I like the idea of God being outside of time; I never thought of that before. (It so happens I have been thinking about time, and time travel, a lot lately, so that struck a nerve.)<br /><br />Thoughtful, as always. Brianehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01616494058636881575noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7658526372996117205.post-712574795363089132017-08-07T20:54:19.507-07:002017-08-07T20:54:19.507-07:00TAS: Occam's razor...TAS: Occam's razor...Andrew Leonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13964775673414653644noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7658526372996117205.post-44253058753457839122017-08-07T20:53:21.698-07:002017-08-07T20:53:21.698-07:00Liz: That depends on what you mean by predestiny, ...Liz: That depends on what you mean by predestiny, I suppose.Andrew Leonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13964775673414653644noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7658526372996117205.post-65147760486609289492017-08-07T20:52:22.716-07:002017-08-07T20:52:22.716-07:00Jeanne: That's because the religious stuff mak...Jeanne: That's because the religious stuff makes absolutely no sense and requires one to believe in... well, magic is too good a word for what it requires one to believe.Andrew Leonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13964775673414653644noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7658526372996117205.post-43173317256312149372017-08-07T18:42:52.813-07:002017-08-07T18:42:52.813-07:00Atheism is so much simpler...Atheism is so much simpler...The Armchair Squidhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10739833215220853127noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7658526372996117205.post-85692134582409530372017-08-07T13:59:44.764-07:002017-08-07T13:59:44.764-07:00This is one of the myriad reasons I gave up being ...This is one of the myriad reasons I gave up being a Christian. Not that we were all that devout to begin with... <br /><br />I'm of the personal belief that we can have predestiny and free will at the same time. I know, the two ideas cancel each other out. But I find that the deeper truths contain inherent paradoxes, and being able to hold both ideas at the same time leads to a deeper understanding. And the deeper truths are funny.Liz A.https://www.blogger.com/profile/16531953467834426316noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7658526372996117205.post-59794626680650237712017-08-07T12:54:53.095-07:002017-08-07T12:54:53.095-07:00I love thinking about time. How it might really wo...I love thinking about time. How it might really work if our perception wasn't limited by our brain meats. Honestly, I find that easier to understand than all the religious stuff.J E Oneilhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09780097298061829471noreply@blogger.com