How did this all start?

From: Joe
To: Moristotle

Just so I have a better understanding of what you believe. How did this all start? How did we get here? How did the universe begin? You believe that there is no God. How do you explain some of the complexities of how the universe works?

I start this conversation realizing that we have different beliefs...I am just trying to understand your position better.

From: Moristotle
To: Joe

If you really want to know, I ask you to please read from the past year's entries on my blog. You can do that selectively, ignoring entries on other subjects.

But I can ask you one simple counter-question: How does God explain anything? How do you explain God? Positing God as an explanation for anything is not helpful. God is simply unnecessary. And morality doesn't depend on God either, anymore than explanation does.

And, of course, fanatic religionists have been (and still are) responsible for much murder and pillage (including pogroms against Jews, the Inquisition, murders of abortion-clinic staff members, and not just bombings and beheadings by Islamic jihadists). We'd all be much better off without the magical thinking and parochial arrogance characteristic of religion.