In my most recent post, I laid out a quick description of why I don't believe in the god of the Bible anymore. I didn't really go into much depth because I have written so much on the subject in the past on the blog. A commenter named Anonymous decided to try his hand at convincing me to believe in his/her god by very nicely stating his/her version of Pascal's Wager. Well...I'm not buying it - and never will.
Here was his/her comment:
My winding response:
Ah. Pascal's Wager.
That's an easy question. In my opinion, you've wasted much of your energy looking for or at something that is imaginary. One can lead a much more fulfilling life when they see themselves as the be all and end all for how their life carries out. There is nobody to blame for your failures as well as nobody to thank for successes that YOU did alone - save for the rest of humanity that helped you along the way.
As for your statement of belief, you may have read the Bible, but it is obvious you have blatantly disregarded the more uncomfortable attributes of God. You have revealed that you do not believe in the literal and inerrant Bible (which is okay with me...I find Christians like that to be much more enlightened and nice).
Anyway, no water off my back. One day, I hope you drop the whole idea in favor of living for the rest of us without forgetting yourself.
Also, "Food for thought"?
Was that directed at me? Or was that a statement saying you were chewing on my words. I hope it was the latter because I'm pretty tired of arguments and statements like yours. Bible god isn't a nice god and anyone who would call the Bible God "loving" MUST throw away how evil he is. If God is an omniscient being, there is absolutely no way that you have free will. It's a pipe dream. God, with all his love, created hell to throw you in, then lied to you that he doesn't want to throw you in, knowing full well you weren't going to solve his riddle perfectly by the end of your life. That's the literal Bible narrative.
Or, perhaps you solved his riddle correctly, creating or discovering one of millions of interpretations of orthodoxy and other less orthodox positions that may or may not cancel out the orthodoxy you purport to believe in, causing your faith to be worthless until you stumble on so better truth.
I'd be very afraid, Anonymous, very afraid. Did you get it wrong? Bummer...that God'll kill you - forever! And he'll be very happy to do so. After all, if you had REALLY read the Old Testament, you would know that fact. God enjoys murder. He loves ordering the slaughter of children. He loves it when people kill in his name. He loves the praise he gets when little children are bashed against rocks. He loves to watch as pregnant women have their bellies ripped out with swords. he loves watching captured virgins raped in his people's home.
And just because some people made up the deity of Jesus, we're just supposed to believe that that god, who says he never changes, somehow loves us?
Well...that's what you have to lose. Life with that god. If he exists, well, count me out. As my boy , Bruce Gerencser. says, I'll be far away from that god with a bunch of really good people.
Here was his/her comment:
[Very interesting post IC. You have not proven that God doesn't exist, you have simply chosen not to believe in Him for various reasons. I don't understand all the stories of the Bible (especially the Old Testement). I wasn't there, and I don't know what it's like to be in God's shoes from the beginning to present. But I have read the Bible (including the New Testement) and I happen to like the God that was presented there. So I've made a choice of my own. I chose to believe that God is real, and that He loves me. I also respect the fact that He chose to give humanity free will and therefore does not control or manipulate us for good or evil. I do appreciate that everyone will be judged according to their behavior at the end of their life, so nobody is going to get away with bad behavior forever.
Whether you and I believe in God or not, will not change reality will it. If you are right, and God doesn't exist, yet I follow Him anyway and in doing so causes me to be a better person, what have I lost? But, if He does exist and everything the Bible says is true? What have you lost?
Food for thought.]
My winding response:
Ah. Pascal's Wager.
That's an easy question. In my opinion, you've wasted much of your energy looking for or at something that is imaginary. One can lead a much more fulfilling life when they see themselves as the be all and end all for how their life carries out. There is nobody to blame for your failures as well as nobody to thank for successes that YOU did alone - save for the rest of humanity that helped you along the way.
As for your statement of belief, you may have read the Bible, but it is obvious you have blatantly disregarded the more uncomfortable attributes of God. You have revealed that you do not believe in the literal and inerrant Bible (which is okay with me...I find Christians like that to be much more enlightened and nice).
Anyway, no water off my back. One day, I hope you drop the whole idea in favor of living for the rest of us without forgetting yourself.
Also, "Food for thought"?
Was that directed at me? Or was that a statement saying you were chewing on my words. I hope it was the latter because I'm pretty tired of arguments and statements like yours. Bible god isn't a nice god and anyone who would call the Bible God "loving" MUST throw away how evil he is. If God is an omniscient being, there is absolutely no way that you have free will. It's a pipe dream. God, with all his love, created hell to throw you in, then lied to you that he doesn't want to throw you in, knowing full well you weren't going to solve his riddle perfectly by the end of your life. That's the literal Bible narrative.
Or, perhaps you solved his riddle correctly, creating or discovering one of millions of interpretations of orthodoxy and other less orthodox positions that may or may not cancel out the orthodoxy you purport to believe in, causing your faith to be worthless until you stumble on so better truth.
I'd be very afraid, Anonymous, very afraid. Did you get it wrong? Bummer...that God'll kill you - forever! And he'll be very happy to do so. After all, if you had REALLY read the Old Testament, you would know that fact. God enjoys murder. He loves ordering the slaughter of children. He loves it when people kill in his name. He loves the praise he gets when little children are bashed against rocks. He loves to watch as pregnant women have their bellies ripped out with swords. he loves watching captured virgins raped in his people's home.
And just because some people made up the deity of Jesus, we're just supposed to believe that that god, who says he never changes, somehow loves us?
Well...that's what you have to lose. Life with that god. If he exists, well, count me out. As my boy , Bruce Gerencser. says, I'll be far away from that god with a bunch of really good people.
I love where he/she says "everyone will be judged according to their behavior". Is everyone really going to be judged by their behaviour or by their gullibility to believe in something with no rational supporting evidence?
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