I have a lot of if/then beliefs. For example, I don't believe in ghosts. However, if ghosts are real, then I believe that cats can see them. The second statement in no way softens the strength of my conviction of the first. I don't think I could ever be convinced that ghosts exist. Even if I saw one, I would find another explanation. But it's a quirk of my mind that if somehow I were convinced, I already have side beliefs that go along with it.
Religion's a bit easier. I've probably never believed in ghosts, but I've been Christian before. So those side beliefs are already there, lying dormant, waiting to be activated in case my primary theology ever changes.
I've been an atheist for more than ten years, and I doubt I'll ever go back. I'm not sure I would even know where to begin at this point. According to Wikipedia, there are at least 4,200 worldwide religions. Christianity alone has at least 30,000 denominations.
I like to think of it like a hotel with thousands of rooms, each room representing a different religion or denomination. If you're currently in a room, then it seems black and white - everyone's either in your room or they're not. But for those of us in the hallway, there's a seemingly infinite number of doors to choose from. There's not much to indicate which one is the "right" door, they all look the same from here.
For every bit of evidence you have that your hotel room is the right one, I guarantee you that hundreds of other hotel rooms are offering the same evidence. Your religion may use the cop-out, "We don't need proof because faith is what gets you into Heaven," but again, your opposing religions are saying it too. Being in the wrong religion might be just as damning as being without one, so I'll just stay out here in the hall.
Yet despite my unwavering atheism, I have some strong ideas about the nature of God. Do not take the following list as any indication that I'm warming up to religion again. These are just my if/then beliefs.
IF God exists:
Basically, I believe God is both a scientist and an artist. He's playing the ultimate game of SimCity, and after a lot of effort he has created a world that is both beautiful and scientifically sustainable. More than anything he simply wants recognition for all the hard work he put into it.
I believe God wants us to study science, in order to understand and fully appreciate his work. It's like the authors notes in some books, where the author tells us where they got their ideas. God wouldn't have made science decipherable if he didn't want us to peek under the curtain.
I believe evolution is real, and that God guided it. I believe the Earth is 4.5 billion years old, and that the "7 days" mentioned in Genesis are written in God-time. The dinosaurs may have been an early experiment at creating life, but when that was unfulfilling, God wiped them out and started again, multiple times, until he finally decided to try his hand at a sapient species capable of actual civilization.
I believe the Bible was written in such a way as to be understood by the people of the time. It was not meant to be taken literally 6,000 years later. Why hasn't he given us an updated version? I imagine he was hoping our moral code would evolve along with our scientific understanding, so that we wouldn't need to keep following an outdated instruction booklet.
I believe that a lot of the sins in the Bible were actually listed to keep people safe. Certain animals were declared unclean because they had to be cooked thoroughly to prevent disease. They were later made clean because humans were better at cooking. In a similar vein, monogamy was encouraged at the time because sexual promiscuity could spread disease and could result in unwanted children. Since the invention of the condom, God probably has a more relaxed view of sex.
I believe that a lot of the time when the Bible talks about the world, it actually means the universe. I believe we are meant to eventually spread out to other planets. I believe that God has put other civilizations elsewhere in the universe, and he hopes that we will eventually meet.
I believe God wants us to appreciate the beauty of the human body, rather than being offended by it. While nudity can certainly be exploitative and sexist, people should not be outraged by nursing mothers and other natural nudity. I believe that the reason we find nature so beautiful is because God wants us to preserve it and protect it. The way humans carelessly destroy our planet probably angers God greatly.
I believe God is opposed to sexism. A lot of misogynists think the Bible supports male domination, but I think that's just a sign of the times. Back then the world was a much harsher place to live, and it probably made sense for the physically strong to make the rules, while keeping their weaker partners safe from harm. In modern times, this power differential is no longer necessary.
I believe God is fine with homosexuality. It's a natural human variation, like hair color or left handedness. God may have even thrown it in to slow down population growth. Yes, there are six verses in the Bible that supposedly condemn homosexuality, but those are misinterpreted, taken out of context, and/or only apply to people who lived 6,000 years ago.
I believe God is fine with abortion. If God truly knows the future, then he knows which fetuses are going to be aborted, and therefore he wouldn't bother to put souls in them. To claim otherwise is to admit you don't believe God is omniscient. Therefore, being pro-life is blatantly sacrilegious. You might think I'm stretching there, but my logic is no more ridiculous than a lot of widely believed religious doctrine.
I don't believe the Second Coming or other apocalypse is meant to happen any time soon. I'm absolutely horrified that there are people in positions of power who believe the world will end soon. How are we ever going to save the planet if the world leaders believe there's a rapture coming up?
I believe most of the world's religions are really the same religion. The same way urban legends change as they spread, so does religious doctrine. Any religion that says, "be good, worship the creator, and you'll be rewarded after you die," is probably talking about the same deity. People are willing to wipe each other out for worshiping what is essentially the same god by a different name. I seriously doubt God wants anyone to kill anyone in his name.
I believe God disapproves of the rich. That's a no-brainer, the Bible is pretty explicit in is disdain for wealth. A rich person is someone who had the opportunity to help the poor, and chose to buy themselves more stuff instead. It's pretty obvious they're not bound for Heaven. But conservatives have convinced themselves that the poor deserve to be poor, and therefore it's okay not to help them.
I believe that Hell is just separation from God. I simply can't believe that a good-aligned deity would punish people with eternal suffering. The entire point of punishment is to correct bad behavior; there's just no logical reason to inflict everlasting pain on anyone. Frankly, it sounds petty. I believe that following God's moral code earns us the right to join his kingdom in the afterlife. Those who fall short will be left on Earth, and their souls will simply cease to exist when they die.
Religion's a bit easier. I've probably never believed in ghosts, but I've been Christian before. So those side beliefs are already there, lying dormant, waiting to be activated in case my primary theology ever changes.
I've been an atheist for more than ten years, and I doubt I'll ever go back. I'm not sure I would even know where to begin at this point. According to Wikipedia, there are at least 4,200 worldwide religions. Christianity alone has at least 30,000 denominations.
I like to think of it like a hotel with thousands of rooms, each room representing a different religion or denomination. If you're currently in a room, then it seems black and white - everyone's either in your room or they're not. But for those of us in the hallway, there's a seemingly infinite number of doors to choose from. There's not much to indicate which one is the "right" door, they all look the same from here.
For every bit of evidence you have that your hotel room is the right one, I guarantee you that hundreds of other hotel rooms are offering the same evidence. Your religion may use the cop-out, "We don't need proof because faith is what gets you into Heaven," but again, your opposing religions are saying it too. Being in the wrong religion might be just as damning as being without one, so I'll just stay out here in the hall.
Yet despite my unwavering atheism, I have some strong ideas about the nature of God. Do not take the following list as any indication that I'm warming up to religion again. These are just my if/then beliefs.
IF God exists:
Basically, I believe God is both a scientist and an artist. He's playing the ultimate game of SimCity, and after a lot of effort he has created a world that is both beautiful and scientifically sustainable. More than anything he simply wants recognition for all the hard work he put into it.
I believe God wants us to study science, in order to understand and fully appreciate his work. It's like the authors notes in some books, where the author tells us where they got their ideas. God wouldn't have made science decipherable if he didn't want us to peek under the curtain.
I believe evolution is real, and that God guided it. I believe the Earth is 4.5 billion years old, and that the "7 days" mentioned in Genesis are written in God-time. The dinosaurs may have been an early experiment at creating life, but when that was unfulfilling, God wiped them out and started again, multiple times, until he finally decided to try his hand at a sapient species capable of actual civilization.
I believe the Bible was written in such a way as to be understood by the people of the time. It was not meant to be taken literally 6,000 years later. Why hasn't he given us an updated version? I imagine he was hoping our moral code would evolve along with our scientific understanding, so that we wouldn't need to keep following an outdated instruction booklet.
I believe that a lot of the sins in the Bible were actually listed to keep people safe. Certain animals were declared unclean because they had to be cooked thoroughly to prevent disease. They were later made clean because humans were better at cooking. In a similar vein, monogamy was encouraged at the time because sexual promiscuity could spread disease and could result in unwanted children. Since the invention of the condom, God probably has a more relaxed view of sex.
I believe that a lot of the time when the Bible talks about the world, it actually means the universe. I believe we are meant to eventually spread out to other planets. I believe that God has put other civilizations elsewhere in the universe, and he hopes that we will eventually meet.
I believe God wants us to appreciate the beauty of the human body, rather than being offended by it. While nudity can certainly be exploitative and sexist, people should not be outraged by nursing mothers and other natural nudity. I believe that the reason we find nature so beautiful is because God wants us to preserve it and protect it. The way humans carelessly destroy our planet probably angers God greatly.
I believe God is opposed to sexism. A lot of misogynists think the Bible supports male domination, but I think that's just a sign of the times. Back then the world was a much harsher place to live, and it probably made sense for the physically strong to make the rules, while keeping their weaker partners safe from harm. In modern times, this power differential is no longer necessary.
I believe God is fine with homosexuality. It's a natural human variation, like hair color or left handedness. God may have even thrown it in to slow down population growth. Yes, there are six verses in the Bible that supposedly condemn homosexuality, but those are misinterpreted, taken out of context, and/or only apply to people who lived 6,000 years ago.
I believe God is fine with abortion. If God truly knows the future, then he knows which fetuses are going to be aborted, and therefore he wouldn't bother to put souls in them. To claim otherwise is to admit you don't believe God is omniscient. Therefore, being pro-life is blatantly sacrilegious. You might think I'm stretching there, but my logic is no more ridiculous than a lot of widely believed religious doctrine.
I don't believe the Second Coming or other apocalypse is meant to happen any time soon. I'm absolutely horrified that there are people in positions of power who believe the world will end soon. How are we ever going to save the planet if the world leaders believe there's a rapture coming up?
I believe most of the world's religions are really the same religion. The same way urban legends change as they spread, so does religious doctrine. Any religion that says, "be good, worship the creator, and you'll be rewarded after you die," is probably talking about the same deity. People are willing to wipe each other out for worshiping what is essentially the same god by a different name. I seriously doubt God wants anyone to kill anyone in his name.
I believe God disapproves of the rich. That's a no-brainer, the Bible is pretty explicit in is disdain for wealth. A rich person is someone who had the opportunity to help the poor, and chose to buy themselves more stuff instead. It's pretty obvious they're not bound for Heaven. But conservatives have convinced themselves that the poor deserve to be poor, and therefore it's okay not to help them.
I believe that Hell is just separation from God. I simply can't believe that a good-aligned deity would punish people with eternal suffering. The entire point of punishment is to correct bad behavior; there's just no logical reason to inflict everlasting pain on anyone. Frankly, it sounds petty. I believe that following God's moral code earns us the right to join his kingdom in the afterlife. Those who fall short will be left on Earth, and their souls will simply cease to exist when they die.
I believe that a large majority of modern day Christians are doing it all wrong, and are going to pay the price. The world is full of sexist, homophobic, racist conservatives, who somehow believe they will make it to Heaven by worshiping the rich. I believe they will be quite surprised when the end comes.
Or Maybe...
Okay, now let’s change gears. Above are things I would almost definitely believe if I believed in God. The following are speculations - things I would think
might be true, but only if I believed in God in the first place.
If there is a God, then I'm not sure he's actually magical. I tend to lean towards more "sufficiently advanced alien" theories, or that this world is just a simulation.
If this is a simulation, maybe the history of the world came about in an attempt to bring about a smarter
AI, one that can mix compassion with logic. Perhaps those who pass
the test have their minds copied to a higher folder when they die, while
less useful AIs just get deleted.
I wonder if maybe Heaven is just what we're meant to turn the Earth into. Those who follow God's teachings will make this world into a utopia, while those who embrace hatred will die out. Perhaps we will eventually cure aging, fix world hunger, and create a world where nobody is ever poor or sick. Maybe society will split into science-lovers and sun-worshipers, the former building giant bio-domes while the latter die out in the open from climate change.
Or perhaps we really will find a way to transport our minds into computers, and the biblical heaven actually describes a hard drive that "saves" our souls while our bodies are destroyed by some future apocalypse.
I wonder if maybe Heaven is just what we're meant to turn the Earth into. Those who follow God's teachings will make this world into a utopia, while those who embrace hatred will die out. Perhaps we will eventually cure aging, fix world hunger, and create a world where nobody is ever poor or sick. Maybe society will split into science-lovers and sun-worshipers, the former building giant bio-domes while the latter die out in the open from climate change.
Or perhaps we really will find a way to transport our minds into computers, and the biblical heaven actually describes a hard drive that "saves" our souls while our bodies are destroyed by some future apocalypse.
Assuming God has a gender at all, I wonder if God might be female. It honestly makes more sense to me for the Great Creator to be a woman. Letting us think she's a he, maybe that's just a test. Maybe the ultimate final test will involve how society treats women. I have this fantasy where the second coming occurs, and Jesus is an olive-skinned lesbian, ready to mete out judgement for all the racism and sexism by those in power.
Back to Reality...
But again, the above beliefs and theories assume I believe in God, which I don't. In the real world, I believe that God is a myth that started with ancient people trying to explain things they didn't understand. It amazes me that religion is so prevalent in 2017, and shows no sign of slowing down. It also amazes me that despite most religions preaching about love, so many people use their religion to discriminate and hurt others.
Bottom line: I firmly believe there is no God, and we're destroying each other in the name of an urban legend. But if there is a God, his followers are greatly distorting his teachings, and they're going to be very surprised when they get to the afterlife.
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