Philosophy Now Forum

This a serious questions to true believers.

We all have seen them.

They are all over.

In government, in military, in business, in the citizenry at large and even on forums.

Was this part of his "intelligent design"?

If you can explain this to me, in a way that makes sense, I might be tempted to believe myself!

PS. What I don't understand is how an omnipotent, omniscient being, with infinite love for his creations, could allow this debilitating handicap to plague such a large percentage of his children?

Ned wrote:PS. What I don't understand is how an omnipotent, omniscient being, with infinite love for his creations, could allow this debilitating handicap to plague such a large percentage of his children?

Off the top of my head, I would say it is a fallacy to attribute everything to God, if you accept free will. Of course if you believe in determinism, then everything should be blamed on some other force, and the most convenient is to blame God. Just because God is an omnipotent and omniscient being, with infinite love for his creations, does not mean that God will not allow his creation to make bad choices. I have children, and there have been times when I allowed them to make a bad choice, knowing it would end badly, because they insisted that is what they wanted to do. Of course I was careful that no real harm would come to them, but I would occasionally let them make a mistake.

God did it probably to aggravate me, knowing that I wouldn't believe in him, so 'he' wanted to punish me.

Well, it worked -- they are swarming all over the place, there is no getting away from them!

You should look into dystheism or misotheism, Ned. It helped me answer a lot of these questions, that atheism just can't reach. Assuming God exists, it doesnt automatically follow that he is beneficent. Or capable of creating perfection, either. Nor does it follow that one must agree with his design, or plans. And why would I worship that which I don't agree with? Out of fear at his power and possible condemnation? He may be able to use me as his whipping boy, but I'm not going to love him for it.

I consider him more a malignant demiurge.

Dalek, don't for a second assume that I believe in god.

That never stopped me for blaming him for everything and cursing him when I am upset about something.

It is like a safety valve -- I anthropomorphize everything, it helps me to relate to things.

Ned wrote:Dalek, don't for a second assume that I believe in god.

That never stopped me for blaming him for everything and cursing him when I am upset about something.

It is like a safety valve -- I anthropomorphize everything, it helps me to relate to things.

That is very interesting, you claim that you don't believe in God, yet you blame God, and curse God when something goes wrong?

Just how do you manage to keep these concepts separate?

Ned wrote:Dalek, don't for a second assume that I believe in god.

That never stopped me for blaming him for everything and cursing him when I am upset about something.

It is like a safety valve -- I anthropomorphize everything, it helps me to relate to things.

I hear you. And I'm not preaching.

thedoc wrote:

Ned wrote:Dalek, don't for a second assume that I believe in god.

That never stopped me for blaming him for everything and cursing him when I am upset about something.

It is like a safety valve -- I anthropomorphize everything, it helps me to relate to things.

That is very interesting, you claim that you don't believe in God, yet you blame God, and curse God when something goes wrong?

Just how do you manage to keep these concepts separate?

Think he's saying that, when he talks of anger at God, it's like throwing darts at a picture of your bosses' face. You know that it's not actually your boss your getting your frustrations out on. Similarly, it's not an actual God he's venting at. More a symbol. Am I correct, Ned?

thedoc wrote:

Ned wrote:Dalek, don't for a second assume that I believe in god.

That never stopped me for blaming him for everything and cursing him when I am upset about something.

It is like a safety valve -- I anthropomorphize everything, it helps me to relate to things.

That is very interesting, you claim that you don't believe in God, yet you blame God, and curse God when something goes wrong?

Just how do you manage to keep these concepts separate?

It's easy, doc.

I am just letting off steam and giving it a name -- it could be anything, but since I hate the concept of a god (remember my predation poem), it is convenient to rail against the concept of an entity, at whose feet the all the bucks stop.

What I am actually saying is: "if there were a god, I would really hate the bastard!"

Dalek Prime wrote: it's not an actual God he's venting at. More a symbol. Am I correct, Ned?

Yes, dalek, as you can see from my previous post!

Ned wrote:

Dalek Prime wrote: it's not an actual God he's venting at. More a symbol. Am I correct, Ned?

Yes, dalek, as you can see from my previous post!

Don't get upset. I posted that before you as an explanation to Doc.

Thankyou, both of you, I actually knew the answer, but I wanted to hear it from you to be sure that I understood. I applaud you both for your honesty, it's refreshing to read a post from an honest person on a forum, when fakes on forums are so common.

Dalek Prime wrote: Think he's saying that, when he talks of anger at God, it's like throwing darts at a picture of your bosses' face. You know that it's not actually your boss your getting your frustrations out on. Similarly, it's not an actual God he's venting at. More a symbol. Am I correct, Ned?

I think I posted on this or another forum, now I can't really remember where I posted anything, but I will do that in my imagination when someone angers me, and by working it out in my imagination, I can let it go for real.

Ned wrote:PS. What I don't understand is how an omnipotent, omniscient being, with infinite love for his creations, could allow this debilitating handicap to plague such a large percentage of his children?

Hi Ned

Im interested in where you are getting this notion of God having infinite love for his creations, is that from the bible or did you here it on TV?