This I Believe

I believe that the earth is one of 8 (or 9 if you count Pluto) planets in a Solar System which revolves around the sun. I believe that our Solar System is just one small part of a huge galaxy which is only one small part of a vast Universe.

I believe that I was born of the love of two wonderful people I call my parents as they were born of their parents and my children of me and their father.

I believe that the only constant is change and that all life is evolving as it has in the past and will continue in the future. I believe humans like all life, adapt to the situation at hand

I believe that while I am on this earth that it is my responsibility to leave it better than I found it. I believe that my children and their children are my legacy and that it is my task to pass on my beliefs to them.

I believe most people are morally sound and emotionally logical. I believe that religion is dangerous because it provides an excuse for bad behavior (“I am weak and I sin.”) and a crutch when things don’t turn out well (“God please forgive me”). I believe that religion provides a bucket for one’s responsibility. (“It’s God’s will”)

I believe that I am responsible for my life; my decisions and the consequences. I believe that I make mistakes and that I learn from my mistakes. I believe that I have something to offer the world, even when I have no idea what it may be. I believe that I will die and that my body will become dust and rejoin the earth. I believe that I will live on after I die in the memories of those who love me. I believe that death is the end of the body and that the only thing that remains is the footprint I made while I was here.

Faith...what is it?

Faith is a cop-out. If the only way you can accept an assertion is by faith,
then you are conceding that it can’t be taken on its own merits.

- Dan Barker

Last night I watched several episodes of The Athesim Tapes. If you aren't familiar with them they we done by Jonathan Miller for the BBC. He interviews several scientist and avowed atheist and theologians. He is a terrific interviewer but I kept wanting him to ask about faith. He asked for a definition of atheism but not faith....so I am still wanting.

What is it? How can you explain it? How is it defined?

God Wouldn't Do That!

A frequent commenter in this space, Rick B. made, in part, the following statements (some spelling and punctuation corrections made):

“… I find it funny people … claim, we don’t believe God exists, we don’t believe
God would do this or that.… how can you say, you don’t believe God would do this
or that; you deny He even exists, so why do you care what He would do or not
do.”

I have decided to create a new thread to answer his question. Rick finds it “funny” that atheist would say we don’t believe in God and then that we don’t believe “He” would do that.

He may be right on this point, at least in the literal sense of the statement. However, my statement is somewhat different:

I do not believe in the existence of any god.

Rick provides me with a description of his god and I reject the notion just as I do many others. But the second part of his statement needs some clarification I think because I agree that if you DO NOT believe in something you CAN NOT disbelieve that the thing you don’t believe in would or would not do something.

What should be expressed here is the disbelief that ANY god who COULD create a perfect universe with perfect creatures WOULD do so. And if he/she WOULD do so, there must be a logical explanation.

It makes no logical sense for a god to create a people that he/she requires to worship and obey him/her, and then allow them to do otherwise. I’ve heard that free will stuff but it makes no logical sense.

If I were god I would do it right the first time and have my worshipers at my feet for eternity…why take chances…why wait…why play games with the lives of my perfect creations?

So Rick, I don't "care what he/she does or doesn't do" and I don't believe he/she exist and I don't believe if he/she did exist he/she would do the things you claim.

It makes no sense.

Religions' Interference in Government

Richard Packham has a post on his site about the California Prop 8. Okay I know it's old news but I was struck by one of the responses from the church.

The church does not object to rights (already established in California) regarding hospitalization and medical care, fair housing and employment rights, or probate rights, so long as these do not infringe on the integrity of the family or the constitutional rights of churches and their adherents to administer and practice their religion free from government interference. (italics are mine)

My first and last thought is: I don't object to your rights to practice your religion, so long as your practice does not infringe on my rights or the constitutional rights of the government to operate free from religious interference.

A Lesson Well Taught

My mom is gone now but I remember well the things she taught me. She always said:

• always be proud to sign your name to what you do
• if a job is worth doing it is worth doing well
• do it right the first time and you won't have to do it over

Okay...I did a great job this morning; I'm proud to sign my name to it, but I know that next Saturday I'll have to mow that damn lawn again!

Lord willing and the creek don't rise

An old gentleman who works in my office said yesterday as he was leaving, "See you tomorrow, lord willing and the creek don't rise." Then, he didn't come in today.

I wondered, did the creek rise or was the lord not willing? It bothered me all day.

The more I thought about it the more ridiculous it sounded. My dad used to say the same thing and I always wondered about it. If the lord was willing wouldn't he keep the creek from rising?

Just a late night thought.

The Nature of God or Gods

I've been reading Mormon Coffee again and it occured to me that the argument going on is over the top.

You have the Mormons and the Christians debating the nature of god and whether or not men can become gods. On one side the belief is that mankind is created in his image...maybe both sides...but then they part company. The Christians rant that no one can be a god except god. The Mormons say they can be "like god" but seem to stop short, at least in public, of saying they will be gods.

Did they ever stop to think about how incredible, and I mean unbelievable, the entire idea of god is? Do they not understand how non-believers look and listen to their stories and marvel that intelligent, educated people can believe such malarky?

I truly hope, as I have been told, that we are closer to being a secular nation. It's about time!