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If I were God - philosophical rant

If I were God, I wouldn't allow annoying threads telling us what assholes we are for wanting to be God happen.
 
If I were, all of your keyboards would be hooked to 220.

A select few would cease posting quickly, due to my electric feedback.
 
I'm an agnostic leaning towards atheism (although I don't particularly care about religion), yet I never use the "If I were God" argument to say that God would end more evils if he were real. I'm calling b.s.! If there is a God, I believe that he is handling things correctly. Having evil in the world forces humans to confront that evil, and to do good in order to overcome it. Having challenges allows us to improve ourselves and become the best we can be. Sure, there are some ridiculously evil things that have been done in our history (i.e. the Holocaust), and maybe these events can be used to challenge the existence of a God, but I do not think so. Even then, good/great humans could've stopped it before it got as bad as it did, and for most "evils" in the world, I believe that God would be acting correctly in staying out of it and requiring humans to be good in order to overcome them.
 
If I were God I'd be taking care of the virgin sacrifices. :2razz:
 
NoC_T said:
I wish you were God, Tucker.
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Be careful what you ask for,Noc.

He might make certain parts of you in his image.
 
Double post. :)
 
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I wouldn't be God. I don't get that much time off from mining salt.
 
Paschendale said:
That's not a fact. That's the cornerstone of the abusive and evil philosophy embraced by monotheistic religion. It is predicated on brainwashing people to think that they are more flawed than they are, and that they need religion to cure them of this disease that is humanity. We luminous beings. Our moral abilities are not insufficient. Pretty much this whole argument is a result of the biblical stories about god depicting an evil and vicious creature who does not live up to modern ethics. This god was fine with rape, slavery, bigotry, execution of people for apostasy, the absolute authority of kings, torture, mutilation, genocide, war, and a host of other things that bronze age people thought were okay that we do not. The only way to hold god up as a pillar of morality is either to subscribe to a moral code that is frankly evil (consider Tigger as an example) or to simply ignore the bad parts, which suggests a lack of authority on the part of god, so why bother with the god argument and not just figure out what's moral? Or one can invoke the "mysterious ways" argument, which is utter nonsense. If god is manipulating us for what we have only his word are good ends, then god cannot be taken at face value and is not a credible source of morality, may be outright lying to us, could be malevolent, could really be the devil in disguise, or any number of other explanations. If god can deceive us in one manner, then there's no reason to trust him not to do so in others.
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It's hard to say exactly how and why, but you're both right, and wrong.

On the one hand, the idea that human beings are inherently depraved and unworthy of the salvific grace of some deity, is pretty bad. I think it's fairly obviously false. The idea that human beings are damned to some program of eternal torment and torture simply because we're born to that fate, and because the one who orders the universe has decided it should be thus. Again, this seems pretty obviously false.

On the other hand, the idea that human beings are generally not very powerful seems correct. Human reasoning is quite frail. Physically, we are not very powerful, even compared to other animals of roughly the same size on this planet. Our emotions and values are open to dispute which we ourselves bring against one another.

I suspect pretty strongly that some ideas of religion were founded on this latter fact, and things gradually morphed into the former, at least for some sects.
 
Rainman05 said:
If I were God, I would not let any evil happen in the world. I would destroy it and have only good things in the world. Everybody would be living in Paradise.

If I were God, I would have saved that child from suffering or from dying or from a car crash.

If I were God, I would have cured that child.

If I were God, I would have never let malaria and HIV and whatever exist.

If I were God, I wouldn't let people starve.

If I were God, I would have made religious texts a bit more clear and stopped terrorists and evil people from abusing religion for power.

If I were God, I would have <insert whatever holier than thou stupid sh*t you would have done if you were an omnipotent being>


You may have recognized something like that. It's the most common form of expression of atheists worldwide, anti-religious zealots or anyone really who wants to show that he has a moral conscience... or that he is deep or something really. I find that to be the stupidest form of putting a problem about religion, any religion really. And it is used by idiots like Dawkins to put the religious people in their corner. Why does God allow this or that to happen? That's a sign that he doesn't exist and all he does is cower behind a verse saying that "God works in mysterious ways".

Ok. Lets get a few things straight. You, as a human being, are and despite your best efforts, will always be, a pathetic, weak, stupid creature that is destined to wander on this world as long as he isn't the subject of a horrific disease or an accident, to waddle about... and some of us, humans, will end up somewhere. most of us... won't. Most of us are the walking, talking nobodys'. Granted, today, more of us nobody's talk to other nobody's and sometimes to some somebody's than ever before, but that doesn't change anything. We're a bunch of powerless critters. And no matter how much power we get from our fellow men through artificial means, we are still powerless critters. Why? Because powerless critters have very little to no power to give in the first place. We empower politicians and leaders and bankers and movie stars to shape opinions and make laws and dictate interest rates... over us.

Sometimes, just sometimes, we manage to pull one out of our collective asses and actually do something worthwhile in the world that makes life significantly better and even make a significant mark in the world. But we didn't do nothing really. I mean, compared to the vastness of the universe and all there is out there, we're just doing the equivalent of a circle jerk to one another. We don't know what real power is. We just give it different interpretations. To declare war... to know how to build a spaceship... to know something... or be able to dictate something. Sometimes, we build machines for the purpose of defying natural law, and that's ok. We should do that. That's really important to us so that we can circle jerk some more.

But compare that to being OMNIPOTENT. Compare that to being able to do whatever you want to do. Think of the wildest thing you can. Create a new sun. Ah... abolish gravity. Bring back the dead and not in the Walking Dead sort of thing. Hell, reshape planets. Reshape everything. I can't even think of sufficient things that omnipotence can bring. And you, as a pathetic human being with no real power have the audacity to say: if I were God, I would do that... or that...

I mean really. How far is your head up your ass? First off, you can't even think differently than a human being. You don't even know another plane of reasoning. We don't understand Genius people, people whose brains are wired so amazingly that they can think things we don't... and yet you think you have the right to demand that if you were more than that... more than we have ever experienced, you would cure AIDS. That would be your accomplishment. Go piss on yourself you bloody asshole. Your wish should be: If I had a bit more willpower to get off my lazy ass and go jogging...
If I had a bit more intelligence to be able to learn things faster and get a better job...
If I had a bit more charm to actually be interesting to other people.
If I had a bit more musical talent so I could sign a nice song instead of paining people.
If I had <anything that is actually achievable if you put your mind to it and want it>

Not, If I were God. Don't you think you're overstepping your boundaries a bit? You don't know what omnipotence or power is. You don't know how such a being would think. We haven't even met a different bloody intelligent species from another planet. We don't know jack except our circlejerk ignorance and most of us, don't even know everything about our own human condition, and yet, we think we should be more than just human.

I submit to you, I am no better, but at least I don't try to check-mate people with absurdities.
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The problem with your idea of morality in relation to God is because you experience it, God doesn't, so in essence your idea of morality as experienced as a human, is irrelevant (in relation to God). I say irrelevant because how God experiences something and you experience it, are totally different. I imagine God to be like a scientist. He introduces a phenomenon we humans call "evil" and sit back and watch how we react to evil. Because do we as a society call scientist evil when they introduce pain to an animal for the purpose of serving society or do we call scientist inhumane because the animal is experiencing pain?

For me, if I were God I would do exactly what God is doing now with the exception for hell based on trivial religious beliefs because personally I believe to be absent of God in the sense of abandonment, is hell in itself no need for a lake of fire for a person to feel pain.
 
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God created the heavens and the universe. Earth rejected God so it is the doomed piece of crap we call home. Utopia and paradise can be found on several other planets that knew what the consequences would be to sin against God. (True story)
 
rhinefire said:
God created the heavens and the universe. Earth rejected God so it is the doomed piece of crap we call home. Utopia and paradise can be found on several other planets that knew what the consequences would be to sin against God. (True story)
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About as true and a L. Ron Hubbard story.
 
If I were god, I would unveil the 11th commandment, hidden from the people until today:

"Thou shalt do no violence in the name of thy Lord, for in doing so thou does violence unto thy Lord Himself"

And count the open mouthed blank stares across the world.
 
If I were God...

I would abuse my power.

Vote for me!
 
shagg said:
If I were god, I would unveil the 11th commandment, hidden from the people until today:

"Thou shalt do no violence in the name of thy Lord, for in doing so thou does violence unto thy Lord Himself"

And count the open mouthed blank stares across the world.
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No need for a new Commandment; Jesus spelled it out: "Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me" (Matthew 25:40).
 
nota bene said:
No need for a new Commandment; Jesus spelled it out: "Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me" (Matthew 25:40).
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looks like a lot of Christians throughout history have gotten it wrong then.....
 
If I were the God of biblical fame, I would not let a subordinate(Satan) get me into a pissing contest over the souls of my creation. I would have destroyed Satan before the temptation of Eve.

But....that's the biblical God. I think God transcends most of the Bible. In fact, I often question the validity of a good chunk of it. Since it was "voted" upon by men at the Nicean Council. How much did they change? We know that Christmas was invented to appease the Pagans...but what about the Roman power structure?

Pay unto Caesar that which is Caesar's.....the parable of the talents, where an admitted unjust master punishes a fearful servant who didn't turn a profit, but didn't go out and spend the money either.

Even the passage "no one gets to the father except through me"...mighty convenient for a fledgling religion who has the entire weight and power of the Roman Empire behind it.

No...I think God is much simpler than what is portrayed in the Bible. God's greatest commandment? "Love one another as you do the Lord" the Golden Rule is also a good one....and that one transcends virtually all religions.

Not simpler as in God the entity...but simpler of what God requires from us.

Another thing that I can't wrap my head around is that religion is mostly cultural. People are born into and indoctrinated into a certain religion according to their culture. The idea that an all powerful, all knowing being would turn away a person of faith who tries to be the best Muslim, Buddhist, Hindu, Taoist, etc..that they can be just doesn't make sense to me.

I walk a Christian path(more or less), but I think that I am more of a deists when I look at the bigger picture. I don't think the flaw lies with God or even religion....the flaw lies within man. Man bastardizes their Holy Books to suit their political and personal agendas. The Middle East is a prime example, as is fringe groups here in the US like Fred Phelps and his Westboro disciples.

I don't know....maybe I'm talking out my ass and am totally offbase....may God forgive me.
 
Originally Posted by Rainman05
If I were God, I would not let any evil happen in the world. I would destroy it and have only good things in the world. Everybody would be living in Paradise.
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You can't have free will and not allow someone to commit evil. Otherwise you'd just be programmed robots who could only do good.
 
Steelplate said:
If I were the God of biblical fame, I would not let a subordinate(Satan) get me into a pissing contest over the souls of my creation. I would have destroyed Satan before the temptation of Eve.

But....that's the biblical God. I think God transcends most of the Bible. In fact, I often question the validity of a good chunk of it. Since it was "voted" upon by men at the Nicean Council. How much did they change? We know that Christmas was invented to appease the Pagans...but what about the Roman power structure?

Pay unto Caesar that which is Caesar's.....the parable of the talents, where an admitted unjust master punishes a fearful servant who didn't turn a profit, but didn't go out and spend the money either.

Even the passage "no one gets to the father except through me"...mighty convenient for a fledgling religion who has the entire weight and power of the Roman Empire behind it.

No...I think God is much simpler than what is portrayed in the Bible. God's greatest commandment? "Love one another as you do the Lord" the Golden Rule is also a good one....and that one transcends virtually all religions.

Not simpler as in God the entity...but simpler of what God requires from us.

Another thing that I can't wrap my head around is that religion is mostly cultural. People are born into and indoctrinated into a certain religion according to their culture. The idea that an all powerful, all knowing being would turn away a person of faith who tries to be the best Muslim, Buddhist, Hindu, Taoist, etc..that they can be just doesn't make sense to me.

I walk a Christian path(more or less), but I think that I am more of a deists when I look at the bigger picture. I don't think the flaw lies with God or even religion....the flaw lies within man. Man bastardizes their Holy Books to suit their political and personal agendas. The Middle East is a prime example, as is fringe groups here in the US like Fred Phelps and his Westboro disciples.

I don't know....maybe I'm talking out my ass and am totally offbase....may God forgive me.
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Faith is about a unique personal relationship rather than about "indoctrination."
 
nota bene said:
Faith is about a unique personal relationship rather than about "indoctrination."
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Really? Then why are the vast majority of Americans Christian, the vast majority of people in the Middle East Muslim and the vast majority of the far East members of the various faiths predominant in their areas(Hinduism, Buddhism, Taoism, etc)?
 
Steelplate said:
Really? Then why are the vast majority of Americans Christian, the vast majority of people in the Middle East Muslim and the vast majority of the far East members of the various faiths predominant in their areas(Hinduism, Buddhism, Taoism, etc)?
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The One True Religion is usually the local thing, whatever you were raised with. What's amazing is there are so many of them? All that "truth" and what a ****ing mess.
 
TiredOfLife said:
The One True Religion is usually the local thing, whatever you were raised with. What's amazing is there are so many of them? All that "truth" and what a ****ing mess.
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That's why I think the basic truths such as the Golden Rule is truly where God resides.
 
Steelplate said:
That's why I think the basic truths such as the Golden Rule is truly where God resides.
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I would supplement that golden rule with the serenity prayer, using whatever "higher power" (greater good?) suits your fancy, in place of god, if you so choose. ;)
 
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