> Accepting that there is any higher power, while there is evil,
is the ultimate in giving up in despair. If such really does already
exist we are eternally screwed and we have no hope.
> If one accepts that there is already a higher power, then one
must spend his days trying to theodicies or justify evil in the face
of this higher power. If one accepts this, they have no hope of
overcoming evil, even if they become as powerful as this higher
power.
For if this higher, even all powerful being, can't do it, how can we
ever hope to do any better!?
#Not voting one way or the other on "higher power," but this line of
reasoning contains an unwarranted assumption--that any higher power
is not only good and moral, but in fact shares "our" concept of
morality. Put bluntly--who says it gives a damn?
#If we/the universe was created by an intelligence, it was most
likely done for its own purposes, and not our own.
#Simple example: Higher power feels life is superior to nonlife, puts
known universe into motion with conditions conducive to life--then
splits, on to the next project, figuring the little buggers are lucky
to be here at all...
:)
jm
On 26 Apr 2001, at 9:34, Brent Allsop wrote:
>
>
> BigBooster <fm1@amug.org>
>
> > What do extropians consider to be the most common errors made by
> > humans?
>
> The biggest mistake everyone makes is thinking that one can
> "hope" or "have faith" that there is already any kind of a higher
> power. If one believes or accepts that there is already some higher
> power (Gods, ETs or whatever) out there hiding from us, yet watching
> and occasionally influencing our existence, while there is still evils
> like isolation, suffering, death... is just the opposite of faith and
> hope. Accepting that there is any higher power, while there is evil,
> is the ultimate in giving up in despair. If such really does already
> exist we are eternally screwed and we have no hope.
>
> If one accepts that there is already a higher power, then one
> must spend his days trying to theodicies or justify evil in the face
> of this higher power. If one accepts this, they have no hope of
> overcoming evil, even if they become as powerful as this higher power.
> For if this higher, even all powerful being, can't do it, how can we
> ever hope to do any better!? The theist spends all his days in the
> futile effort trying to come up with various absurd theodicies in an
> attempt to justify it and their already all powerful God. They can't
> hope to overcome evil, so they must instead try to justify it and some
> how attempt to try to twist it into being good. The theist can't hope
> to overcome evil, but instead merely attempts to justify and accept
> it.
>
> But if you "hope" there isn't already a higher power, then and
> only then can you have "faith" that perhaps such evils aren't all that
> hard to overcome and aren't all that necessary. You can work with the
> faith and hope that we are about to overcome all such evils.
>
> A theists that claims to have faith and hope is a liar. The
> atheist is the only one that can have true and honest faith and hope.
>
> Despite how blatantly obvious this is, for some reason, no one
> can see it.
>
> Brent Allsop
>
John Marlow
This archive was generated by hypermail 2b30 : Mon May 28 2001 - 09:59:59 MDT