I still don't see why a god or God must follow the hell and brimstone route.
What if this personage created the universe as a child might create a
sandcastle, and then 'grew up' and away from childish things? It might not
have any idea that life arose, and even if It did, It might care as little
as we do for an anthill 'way out in the woods...Why must we assume evil
intent? Yes, of course, the lack of positive interaction might appear evil,
especially if you are getting the short end of things because of it.
>Strong atheism should definitely be a part of the transhuman package,
>certainly if you want to teach the philosophy to novices, because
>otherwise they would be easy prey for any religious fanatic. "If you
>don't stand for something, you'll fall for anything". God (and the rest
>of the "supernatural") does not exist until he comes down from the
>heavens in all his glory etc. People really need to get rid of that
>"there must be some higher force"-meme in order to make truly rational
>decisions (about cryonics, for example). The god-meme is very powerful,
>in order to beat it one has to have a powerful counter-meme, not the
>maybe/maybe not agnostic approach. People are going to get infected
>with memes (programmed/brainwashed etc.) one way or another, that's
>how we work, so better make it the transhuman/atheist/rationalist meme.
>
In my younger days, I was 'born again' by close association with friends in
bible churches. I outgrew this in a few weeks when I realized that they had
the same lack of answers and proof as all other churches I had
seen...Teenagers are most at risk, I think.
>Oh dear, I have been preaching again...:-)
>
Hey, somebody's got to preach, else there can never be a force for change..
Chuck Kuecker