> > From: ChuckKuecker <ckuecker@mcs.net>
>
> > At 01:02 4/23/98 +0200, you wrote:
> > >> From some public statements made by atheists around here, I would > >> be tempted to define atheism as a fervent belief in the NON > >> > >>existence of a supreme being...
> > >
> > >Indeed, atheism is (often) more than just saying "it's extremely
> > >unlikely that god exists", but also "it is not _desirable_ that god
> > exists". It's about understanding that, certainly for a transhumanist,
> > >the existence of god is _not_ "neutral", but very, VERY bad. All our
> > >efforts would be futile. After all, don't we want to become gods
> > >ourselves? No such luck if the job has already been
> > >taken...(remember: if god existed he would _not_ be "nice", just look > >at this deathist planet and universe. Being omnipotent = being
> > >responsible for all that happens.
> > >
> >
> > That is one of the views I have held for quite a long time. The > Christian Old Testament god is a particularly nasty critter..if this > is the way things actually run, I will be quite happy to tak>
> Indeed, it's a sadistic psychopath by anyone's standards...
>
> > However, I don't think the universe is 'deathist'. Life is just > localized reversal of entropy. As such, it appears the universe is out > to get us...Actually, for the universe to be 'deathist' wo>
> Or a god...That was the point: if you assume that the Judeo-Christian
> God is real, than you also must assume that he doesn't give a crap about
> the well-being of his creatures. Fortunately the chances that the bible
> even remotely approximates the truth (where the supernatural is
> concerned) are very slim, and it's much more likely that all is just a
> big ol' coincidence. That would explain a lot.
Whether there is a real god or not, there is little doubt that "God",
as worshipped, is created in man's image. Look at the crap Moses
himself says *he* ordered, and see if it isn't a lot like the crap
"God" was pulling in the Pentateuch. Which is reportedly written
entirely by Moses.
Also there has been some acknowledgement of late that early Judaism,
through sometime after the original Temple was built, practiced human
sacrifice. This is hardly unusual, most religions --
specifically including almost all storm-god-based religions -- did so
at the time.
(Looking at the biblical Jehovah, it's fairly obvious that he's Thor
with delusions of grandeur.)
All through the Old Testament, it is clear in virtually every book
that Jehovah is a lot like the guy who was writing that particular.
book. As another example, Isaiah was the sort of asshole who would
call down the curse of an almighty and attentive god on a bunch of
little kids for teasing an old man about his baldness -- and Isaiah's
god was the sort of asshole who would send a bunch of bears
to kill a bunch of little kids for teasing his prophet. (If, as some
claim, he was just teaching Isaiah to be more careful about what he
asks for -- that's a pretty callous way to deliver the lesson.)
Solomon's god, on the other hand, was extremely wise and
compassionate, but also passionate.
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