It's common for atheists to describe God as a celestial tribal leader and killer or as a sky ghost who telepathically communicates his revelations and his marching orders to those he has privileged to receive them. He spies on everything we do looking for anything that we do that breaks his many rules. He hurts us if we violate those rules. He also inspires people to write books in languages that almost nobody will eventually speak or understand. He can't seem to clarify every message he has supposedly authored in those books, and some of those books either go missing or get thrown out as what even his followers cannot believe.
Atheists do not and apparently cannot believe in such a God, and neither do I. While I see some compelling reasons to believe in a God, I don't believe in the God I have described above. I think that's a God that people have made up for their own purposes to feel special about themselves and to see others as not so special. A God like that is only good to control and take advantage of others. He's useless as a source of truth, so why claim that any truth can come from him?
The God I Don't Believe In
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- Paul of Tarsus
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Re: The God I Don't Believe In
Post #81So you believe in a fair God?Paul of Tarsus wrote: ↑Sun Apr 11, 2021 6:13 pmAtheists do not and apparently cannot believe in such a God, and neither do I. While I see some compelling reasons to believe in a God, I don't believe in the God I have described above. I think that's a God that people have made up for their own purposes to feel special about themselves and to see others as not so special. A God like that is only good to control and take advantage of others. He's useless as a source of truth, so why claim that any truth can come from him?
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Re: The God I Don't Believe In
Post #82Do you claim that truth can come from God? If so, then why do you think God can be a source of truth?Purple Knight wrote: ↑Tue May 04, 2021 6:15 pmSo you believe in a fair God?Paul of Tarsus wrote: ↑Sun Apr 11, 2021 6:13 pmAtheists do not and apparently cannot believe in such a God, and neither do I. While I see some compelling reasons to believe in a God, I don't believe in the God I have described above. I think that's a God that people have made up for their own purposes to feel special about themselves and to see others as not so special. A God like that is only good to control and take advantage of others. He's useless as a source of truth, so why claim that any truth can come from him?
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Re: The God I Don't Believe In
Post #83My claim is that God can't exist. The construction you say you don't believe in could exist, but a God from which truth about good and evil comes, cannot.Paul of Tarsus wrote: ↑Tue May 04, 2021 8:22 pmDo you claim that truth can come from God? If so, then why do you think God can be a source of truth?
It cannot simply because peoples' consciences routinely disagree, so one person must be wrong, and God doesn't arrive to set the incorrect person straight.
I'm not talking about people who are wrong because they haven't tried to discover the truth of good and evil, or are lazy, or who haven't thought about it. I'm talking about people who legitimately want to be good and simply lack the information to do so. Perhaps they've even prayed for it, and it hasn't arrived. If even one such person exists, there cannot be a fair God, from which information flows.
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Re: The God I Don't Believe In
Post #84A simple no will do.Purple Knight wrote: ↑Tue May 04, 2021 8:44 pmMy claim is that God can't exist. The construction you say you don't believe in could exist, but a God from which truth about good and evil comes, cannot.Paul of Tarsus wrote: ↑Tue May 04, 2021 8:22 pmDo you claim that truth can come from God? If so, then why do you think God can be a source of truth?
I can now answer your question. I wouldn't say that God is fair or not. It appears that God doesn't care about what we think is justice. People make up Gods that meddle in human affairs because people want to meddle in the affairs of other people. Dressing up as God can help in that pursuit.
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Re: The God I Don't Believe In
Post #85That's just the thing; it's not no. If God existed of course truth could come from it. It would, by definition, know what the truth was. However. God could also be a liar and deceiver such as it seems from the costumes people wear when they pretend to be (or speak for) God.
So I will assume this being exists; this all-powerful being. Now I'm trying to decide whether it's benevolent and guiding or whether it's a sadistic monster laughing in glee at all the people picking the wrong version of good. And I can only conclude that if it wasn't the monster... it would just bloody show up and tell me what good actually is, rather than let me falter.
Then it's not very helpful with regard to attaining moral truth...?Paul of Tarsus wrote: ↑Tue May 04, 2021 9:28 pmI can now answer your question. I wouldn't say that God is fair or not. It appears that God doesn't care about what we think is justice. People make up Gods that meddle in human affairs because people want to meddle in the affairs of other people. Dressing up as God can help in that pursuit.