Assuming

What if there is a god as you believe but he isn't a Christian god but instead a Muslim god? Or, more closely a Baptist god instead of a Catholic god? How close to worshiping what god actually is do you have to be to get credit?

Proof of God.

I have heard plenty of arguments for the existence of God and not a single one works. Let's see if I can avoid ranting or drag on in explaining them.

The most recent one to be brought in front of me was the argument of the egotistical or faith-filled atheist. It claims that being an atheist requires just as much faith as being religious. This is silly. We don't claim to know everything. We, in actuality, claim to know much less then religious people do. We don't know how the world began. We don't know where humans came from. We don't know what happens after we die.

We have ideas of how these things work. Ideas based off of reality and I'd rather take ideas over the rantings in a 2000 year old book any day.

It's the relation between facts, theories and hypotheses that most people who make this argument don't understand. Evolution happening is fact. How evolution works is a theory. The thought that the Earth hasn't always been here is fact. The big bang theory is a theory.

As for hypotheses...A hypothesis is an idea that has nothing to back it up. It can become a theory after that and, in some cases, even become a fact.

Christianity is a hypothesis. It has nothing to support it and many proofs against in. In science, if you find proof against a hypothesis, you abandon it and find another one. In religion, you call it faith and ignore all the reality that proves your beliefs wrong.

Another silly argument I hear often says 'Love/Morality/Life/Happiness/Etc. comes from God. Without God there is no (your above choice).' Also, in my opinion, without the existence of Poseidon the ocean doesn't exist.

Attaching your baseless deity to an emotion or behavior doesn't make it exist. Popsicles can't exist without God. Well, since popsicles exist, God must as well. There is no logical application of this argument.

The above behaviors exist within humans simply because, as humans we are social creatures, we can feel pain and like to avoid it, and we have the cognitive ability to notice the emotions and reactions of other humans. Since we don't enjoy pain we assume, quite correctly, that others people don't enjoy pain either. Empathy is natural for a social creature who thrives off of emotional bonds.

Evolutionarily it's simple to realize that a human who works against other humans is less likely to survive than one who does work with others. Fending off predators, gathering food, raising one's young, and improving technology and culture are all things that easily work better with help from others. In common day it is obvious why most people live in cities and towns instead of alone in the wilderness. It is easier to trade labor for money and the money for shelter and food than to build your own shelter and gather your own food.

Assuming you are going to live in these societies, not killing and stealing from others works best. You would prefer no one else would perform these actions on you so, with fingers crossed, you don't do it to them hoping they do the same for you. In fact, though there is always deviants, most people conform to the standards.

This is where laws come from, really. People prefer to not be attacked by others in society. Society flows better when you follow the laws of the society. To be part of the society you follow these rules.

Maybe I'm a rare case, but I have no interest in stealing or killing. It isn't from fear of retaliation from society via fines or imprisonment. It isn't fear of going to hell after I die. It is simply because I don't want to be stolen from. I don't want to be killed. I respect other people's right to life and property. I don't think they deserve to be hurt if they aren't hurting anyone else.

An interesting thing, in relation to this post is the Surrogate Mother Experiment by Harry Harlow. In this experiment baby monkeys were put in a cage with two fake mothers one made of terrycloth and the other made of wire. Even if the wire mother was the source of food, it was shown that the baby monkeys went to the terrycloth mother if a threat was introduced. Food source didn't matter. All that mattered was the source of comfort. Other humans are a source of comfort. Even without a god existing, we would still seek the comfort of other humans.

Any arguments for God I missed you would like me to disprove? Any ultimate proof of God I missed? Feel free to post it. I will believe in a god if you can provide proof for one. Of course, I mean relevant proof that can't point to anything besides a god.

A 2000 year old book could be proof of a god, or it could be proof that people wrote their beliefs down 2000 years ago. The platypus could be proof of god, or it could be proof of the common ancestry of mammals and birds. The 'finely tuned for life' universe we live in could be proof of god, or it could be proof of chance and the fact that if the laws of the universe weren't as they are, we wouldn't be here.

Parallels

Former Mormon President Ezra Taft Benson in 1967 talking about the attempt by African Americans for equality:

There is no doubt that the so-called Civil Rights movement as it exists today is used as a communist program for revolution in America

Current Member of the Mormon Quorum of the Twelve Apostles Dallin H. Oaks talking about the attempt by homosexuals for marriage equality:

Among the most threatening collisions in the United States today are (1) the rising strength of those who seek to silence religious voices in public debates, and (2) perceived conflicts between religious freedom and the popular appeal of newly alleged civil rights.

'So-called civil rights' and 'alleged civil rights'. I find this hilarious. You know what they say, Wrong once, wrong twice, wrong a thousand times, those mormons are never going to fucking learn.

This is even more ironic when you consider that they're trying to compare themselves to the blacks when, just like they're fighting against the gays now, they fought against the blacks then. Can you say, irony?

The Mormons do it again

You know who's an asshole? Dallin Oaks, of the Mormon church. I'll even call him by his cult title 'Elder' only because he's so old and ignorant.

So, Oaks proclaimed quite a few stupid things this week. First, he compared the ridicule of Mormons after Prop 8 is the same as the oppression of African Americans during the Civil Rights Movement. Yes, being ridiculed for oppressing others is the same as being oppressed. I don't think Oaks even knows the definition of 'logic'.

Even as we seek to speak with love, we must not be surprised when our positions are ridiculed and we are persecuted and reviled. As the Savior said, “so persecuted they the prophets which were before you”

Yes, if everyone around you is saying you're wrong you...are right? Wait, what? You lost me, Oaks. If reality says one thing and you say another, which is right?

Third, we must insist on our freedom to preach the doctrines of our faith. Why do I make this obvious point? Religious people who share our moral convictions feel some intimidation. Fortunately, our leaders do not refrain from stating and explaining our position that homosexual behavior is sinful.

Yes, you do have that freedom and the rest of the world has the freedom to tell you how much of an ignorant, bigoted, self-righteous asshole you're being.

Fourth, as advocates of the obvious truth that persons with religious positions or motivations have the right to express their religious views in public, we must nevertheless be wise in our political participation.

No one is saying you don't have the right to say what you want, they're just making fun of you for it. Oaks needs, very desperately, to learn the difference between ridicule and oppression. The Mormons are being ridiculed, not oppressed.

Also, he's right, they do need to be 'wise in our political participation'. That's a brilliant idea. When are you going to start? I'd like to know because, so far, you've been as dumb as a brick.

Religious values and political realities are so interlinked in the origin and perpetuation of this nation that we cannot lose the influence of Christianity in the public square without seriously jeopardizing our freedoms.

Yes, because your Sky Daddy makes morals so if his fingers aren't up the rectum of America, then America is going to become evil or some shit, right? No, you're wrong again, Oaks.

There's so many other lies in that speech, I could go on all day. I'll just say this: Dallin K. Oaks is a dick.

The whole speech can be found here.

Marriage equality in the real world.

"One of the reasons that many Parents find themselves torn over the issue of slavery is the fear that their parental rights to teach their children right from wrong will be stripped away. They fear that they will be put in a position where they must either pull their children out of public school, or put-up with the potential conflict when Schools teach that black people are equal to white people, and that those that teach otherwise (like their parents) are bigots."

I pulled this from http://www.maine4marriage.org/ with a few little changes.

How about:

"One of the reasons that many Parents find themselves torn over the issue of gender equality is the fear that their parental rights to teach their children right from wrong will be stripped away. They fear that they will be put in a position where they must either pull their children out of public school, or put-up with the potential conflict when Schools teach that women are equal to men, and that those that teach otherwise (like their parents) are bigots."


History shows again and again how nature points out the folly of man.

I just don't understand why religious people are so proud to be so ignorant and controlling. Gay marriage is an issue of equality. You're either for everyone being equal when it comes to marriage or some people being treated better than others. I'm sorry equality is such a harsh concept you don't want your children to learn of.

Keep them ignorant for all I care. Our children, those of us that aren't assholes, will live in a better and brighter future whether you like it or not. The fight for equal marriage is far from over but, just like racial equality, just like gender equality, marriage equality will finish with our side the victors.

International Blasphemy Day

Happy Internation Blasphemy Day, everyone. I bring you this poem from Cuttlefish. Check out his blog as well, it's a good one. The links at the end of this post.

The first amendment means, to me,
The right to play at blasphemy;
The right to say “There is no God”
Without the threat of firing squad.
To speak, or sing, or draw, or write
And not be paralyzed with fright.
To mock Jehovah if I wish;
To point and laugh at Jesus fish;
And though the image strikes me weird,
To pluck Mohammed’s silly beard.
To say such things as I may choose
Regardless of opposing views.

About the pow’r of Holy Writ
I proudly do not give a shit.

Cuttlefish's Blog

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