tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6343440705731999214.post1123294021442620623..comments2010-11-21T02:17:45.580-08:00Comments on The Dumb Planet: Primitive UrgesAshurhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01417015465252344017noreply@blogger.comBlogger5125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6343440705731999214.post-30255217994591319742010-07-11T15:05:12.177-07:002010-07-11T15:05:12.177-07:00My understanding of God is mysterious and uncertai...<em><br />My understanding of God is mysterious and uncertain--not necessarily omnipotent, not necessarily omniscient, not necessarily omnibenevolent, and definitely not the God of the Bible--but I believe there is an awareness and intelligence to the universe.<br /></em><br /><br />:|Ashurhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01417015465252344017noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6343440705731999214.post-27618476593794497252010-07-11T15:02:19.946-07:002010-07-11T15:02:19.946-07:00Bear in mind, religion's not simple or unitary...<em><br />Bear in mind, religion's not simple or unitary. Many religious people do not believe in a God whose actions are comprehensible or predictable to mortals.<br /></em><br /><br />If a religion does not believe in anything for which there is no evidence they've not made a logical error. Find me such a religion and I will give you a cookie, because there aren't any.<br /><br /><em><br />It's okay to not believe in a God. A lot of very, very smart people don't. But it's not self-evidently obvious. <br /></em><br /><br />It is more than self-evident; it is a non issue. The deity is a human invention, but without the fragile failings of a human mind the question of whether or not there's a suspiciously human-like intelligence behind it all never comes up, because it is not relevant. <br /><br />It is self-evident that we should not even have the idea of a god in our minds. It is self-evident that such a being is absent from the universe. And this is all something that is not falsifiable can be; absent. It never existed to interact, so it can never be self-evident that it ISN'T responsible for something, except in the same way that it is self-evident that Thor isn't responsible for the universe either.<br /><br /><em>And many people who would rank as intelligent on these grounds--probably much more intelligent than you, I'm guessing, unless you have some major achievements you haven't mentioned--hold religious beliefs.</em><br /><br />Argument from authority. It's a fallacy Holly.Ashurhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01417015465252344017noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6343440705731999214.post-3451272840114338592010-07-11T14:42:27.816-07:002010-07-11T14:42:27.816-07:00And no friends! And you never learn anything! Yo...And no friends! And you never learn anything! You never even have to <i>think</i> anything!<br /><br />Okay, seriously now: intelligence is a complex topic. You can define it in terms of achievements, or academic aptitude, or as measured on various tests. And many people who would rank as intelligent on these grounds--probably much <i>more</i> intelligent than you, I'm guessing, unless you have some major achievements you haven't mentioned--hold religious beliefs.<br /><br />Bear in mind, religion's not simple or unitary. Many religious people do <i>not</i> believe in a God whose actions are comprehensible or predictable to mortals. There's a lot of people out there who are open to the idea of an overarching intelligence in the universe but don't perceive it as anything as simple as "he wants me to avoid premarital sex and pork and then he'll make sure only good things happen to me." My understanding of God is mysterious and uncertain--not necessarily omnipotent, not necessarily omniscient, not necessarily omnibenevolent, and definitely not the God of the Bible--but I believe there is an awareness and intelligence to the universe.<br /><br />It's okay to not believe in a God. A lot of very, very smart people don't. But it's not self-evidently obvious.Cliff Pervocracyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02080142422250604406noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6343440705731999214.post-16928368296137567142010-07-11T13:34:10.872-07:002010-07-11T13:34:10.872-07:00You spelled the post title wrong, genius.
I sup...<em><br />You spelled the post title wrong, genius. <br /></em><br /><br />I suppose that's the advantage of pissing people off. You get a free spellcheck :PAshurhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01417015465252344017noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6343440705731999214.post-68145461911144930392010-07-11T10:41:33.234-07:002010-07-11T10:41:33.234-07:00You spelled the post title wrong, genius.You spelled the post title wrong, genius.Cliff Pervocracyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02080142422250604406noreply@blogger.com