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A new (?) argument for the non-existence of god
Persons who believe in god seem to be no morally better, happier, or luckier than persons who believe there is no god.1 If god (as conceived by Christians and Muslims, at any rate) did exist, that would seem to be impossible. Therefore, god does not exist.
_______________- First sentence revised on February 3. Original version: There seems to be no difference in goodness, happiness, or luck between persons who believe god exists and persons who believe there is no god. I found it necessary to revise the sentence to avoid implying that people free of religion might be no better (or better off) than those enslaved to it.
But there's a catch. The ultimate judge of "morally better" is God Himself! And belief in the existence of God gives one enough brownie points to cancel a multitude of sins. Belief in God rigs the game. Anything can be excused, redeemed, justified. What makes me happy is the thought that only in a secular world can moral judgments have credibility.
ReplyDeleteNice parody of the comeback one might hear from someone who believes there is a god!
ReplyDeleteThe god of the Old Testament and the Qur'an is clearly so morally bankrupt as to disqualify himself. In his brilliant must-read, The God Delusion, Richard Dawkins quotes a passage from Exodus (34:14): "For thou shalt worship no other god: for the Lord, whose name is Jealous, is a jealous God...." He nicknamed himself "Jealous"! He was portrayed as having the swagger and cockiness of George W. Bush himself! I wonder who "He" considered to be his turd blossom. (I ignore the fact that it's a moot point, given that the god in question was a fantasy of the men who concocted him.)
Dawkins gives many examples of the moral bankruptcy of the Old Testament and some of the moral bankruptcy of the New Testament as well, with or without Jesus's beatitudes.
By the way, I of course read the quoted passage (and most else in the Old and New Testaments)—probably several times—as a Bible-reading, devoutly church-going teenager. Reading Dawkins has persuaded me that it might be hilarious to read it again—as the sick fantasy it is.
ReplyDeleteI'm reading The God Delusion for the third time and can see myself reading it another three, it is that marvelously good. It is a travesty that so many more copies of the Bible and the Qur’an get sold.
ReplyDelete