I liked the earliest versions of belief in gods.

[Dinosaur]

I would like to believe in god of golf, a god of computers, a god of the ski slopes, et cetera.

It would be great to burn a little incense at an altar & have a great round of golf. I would like to be able to burn some incense at another altar & have a trouble free computer.

Prior to beliefs in more sophisticated gods, there was a god of the harvest, a god of the trees, a god who made the sun shine, a god who made the moon glow, et cetera. If you said the correct incantations or burnt some pleasing incense, you could ask for specific good fortune.

In the absence of those ancient specialized gods, I am content to be an atheist.

 

[PsychoticEpisode]

I would like to believe in god of golf

That one exists. He is capable of the following: I can hit the green with a perfect approach shot and watch in horror as the ball rolls back down off the green into a pond or my ball that's hit directly at the pond skips off the water to land 1 foot from the pin. Does He hate me or love me?

 

[codanblad]

I would like to believe in god of golf, a god of computers, a god of the ski slopes, et cetera.

It would be great to burn a little incense at an altar & have a great round of golf. I would like to be able to burn some incense at another altar & have a trouble free computer.

Prior to beliefs in more sophisticated gods, there was a god of the harvest, a god of the trees, a god who made the sun shine, a god who made the moon glow, et cetera. If you said the correct incantations or burnt some pleasing incense, you could ask for specific good fortune.

In the absence of those ancient specialized gods, I am content to be an atheist.

you could be catholic

 

[Norsefire]

In the absence of those ancient specialized gods, I am content to be an atheist.

You mean like the Greek and Roman gods?

You could still become a pagan if you wish.

 

[lightgigantic]

I would like to believe in god of golf, a god of computers, a god of the ski slopes, et cetera.

It would be great to burn a little incense at an altar & have a great round of golf. I would like to be able to burn some incense at another altar & have a trouble free computer.

Prior to beliefs in more sophisticated gods, there was a god of the harvest, a god of the trees, a god who made the sun shine, a god who made the moon glow, et cetera. If you said the correct incantations or burnt some pleasing incense, you could ask for specific good fortune.

In the absence of those ancient specialized gods, I am content to be an atheist.

Actually what destroyed that framework was the relinquishing of obligational duty and sacrifice ... the calling card of kali yuga ... which is characterized by an artificial dependence on useless things (like computers) and a preoccupation with fruitless pursuits (like golf).

IOW rather than having a sense of obligation and duty to gods that govern the (immediate) necessities of life, we have a sense of obligation and duty to things like computers and golf and a host of other things that are trivialities at best and means of destroying the planet at worst.

 

[decons]

I would like to believe in god of golf, a god of computers, a god of the ski slopes, et cetera.

It would be great to burn a little incense at an altar & have a great round of golf. I would like to be able to burn some incense at another altar & have a trouble free computer.

Prior to beliefs in more sophisticated gods, there was a god of the harvest, a god of the trees, a god who made the sun shine, a god who made the moon glow, et cetera. If you said the correct incantations or burnt some pleasing incense, you could ask for specific good fortune.

In the absence of those ancient specialized gods, I am content to be an atheist.

I guess humans gave up individual, more specialized gods because they realized that they are able to learn, master and/or resist the rules governing individual natural events. Humans were even able to manipulate the production of other living beings such as plants and animals, let alone human inventions such as golf, ski, computers and more public holidays (god of public holidays anyone?).

Only thing humans are yet to master is human condition, i.e. why and how we know what we know. This is maybe why polytheist need was replaced by a monotheist one.

If we keep learning new things that answer our remaining questions, and build societies that provide a very human helping hand to those in despair, monotheist religions would be replaced by a belief in the human social systems.

 

[Baron Max]

..., and build societies that provide a very human helping hand to those in despair, monotheist religions would be replaced by a belief in the human social systems.

Why not just kill off all those humans in the society that were in despair, then humans could reach this wonderful state of "belief" in the human social systems? Ain't that easier than keeping all those "sick" people around, and letting them pass on any possible "sick" genes to their offspring ....which would only add to the population of "sick" people in the society.

I'm confused. Why would a human society want to keep citizens who didn't "measure up" to some standard of quality?

Baron Max

 

[decons]

Why not just kill off all those humans in the society that were in despair, then humans could reach this wonderful state of "belief" in the human social systems? Ain't that easier than keeping all those "sick" people around, and letting them pass on any possible "sick" genes to their offspring ....which would only add to the population of "sick" people in the society.

I'm confused. Why would a human society want to keep citizens who didn't "measure up" to some standard of quality?

Baron Max

Society is not made of self-sufficient parts. Every existing part, including despaired ones, is a result of and contributing into its working. "Standard of quality", as well as "sickness" is a result of relationship between those dependent parts. No particular member is guilty. Therefore, you cannot cut off parts and expect higher standards.

Just like death penalty and prison sentences not bringing solutions to the crimes shaped by poverty, social violence, and lack of communication in society.

We are talking about an operating system problem. Religions, poly or mono, are attempts to define the operating systems.

 

[parmalee]

Society is not made of self-sufficient parts. Every existing part, including despaired ones, is a result of and contributing into its working. "Standard of quality", as well as "sickness" is a result of relationship between those dependent parts. No particular member is guilty. Therefore, you cannot cut off parts and expect higher standards.

ohhhh, you do not realize what you are opening up here. interdependency, contingency, and whatnots are anathema to the metaphysical thinking of science.

 

[-ND-]

I would like to believe in god of golf, a god of computers, a god of the ski slopes, et cetera.

If there were other gods
in either [Heaven or Earth]
besides God [Alone],
they would both dissolve in chaos.
-Koran.

It would be great to burn a little incense at an altar & have a great round of golf. I would like to be able to burn some incense at another altar & have a trouble free computer.

Man has been created from impatience.
I will show you My signs
so do not try to hurry Me up.
-Koran.

Prior to beliefs in more sophisticated gods, there was a god of the harvest, a god of the trees, a god who made the sun shine, a god who made the moon glow, et cetera. If you said the correct incantations or burnt some pleasing incense, you could ask for specific good fortune.

Those who enlist other patrons instead of God may be compared to the Spider, who adopts a house for himself. The flimsiest house is the Spider's house, if they only realized it!
-Koran.

In the absence of those ancient specialized gods, I am content to be an atheist.

Those whom you appeal to other than to God will never create a fly, even though they combined together to do so.
Yet if the fly should snatch anything away from them, they would not even know how to recover it from it. How weak the seeker is, and anything he seeks!

I am sorry to inform you, but you lose.

 

[Fraggle Rocker]

. . . . an artificial dependence on useless things (like computers) . . . . computers and golf and a host of other things that are trivialities at best and means of destroying the planet at worst.

I doubt very much that any religion that thrives in modern civilization would have a negative attitude about computers, any more than they had about writing. All religions stress the community of mankind, and computers are tools for communication among ourselves.

 

[lightgigantic]

I doubt very much that any religion that thrives in modern civilization would have a negative attitude about computers, any more than they had about writing. All religions stress the community of mankind, and computers are tools for communication among ourselves.

The problem is that computers are closer to foundations of modern civilization as opposed to mere tools of it ... which again wouldn't be such a problem if it didn't underpin it with a sense of obligation and dependence.

 

[codanblad]

I am sorry to inform you, but you lose.

I could quote the quran as well, but i wouldn't waste everyone's time.

 

[Dywyddyr]

Praying to Dogbert usually works, the patron saint of technology.

 

[-ND-]

I could quote the quran as well, but i wouldn't waste everyone's time.

What part of my post did you find fiction? Explain and quote.

 

[Doreen]

If we keep learning new things that answer our remaining questions, and build societies that provide a very human helping hand to those in despair, monotheist religions would be replaced by a belief in the human social systems.

I believe this stage will be skipped. We will belief in the computer/gene modification/nanotechnology systems, where decisions are handled by AI and homo sapians will be a term about the past only. We will be 'rationally' modified, along with our world, our of existence. Something post-human will rapidly appear or, I should say, is appearing.

 

[codanblad]

What part of my post did you find fiction? Explain and quote.

i find religion fiction, which is the basis of all of your arguments. if i believed in Allah and the quran i'd be ok with what ur saying.

If there were other gods in either [Heaven or Earth] besides God [Alone], they would both dissolve in chaos. -Koran.

i disagree.

Man has been created from impatience. I will show you My signs so do not try to hurry Me up. -Koran.

we weren't created

Those who enlist other patrons instead of God may be compared to the Spider, who adopts a house for himself. The flimsiest house is the Spider's house, if they only realized it! -Koran.

this is just propaganda.

Those whom you appeal to other than to God will never create a fly, even though they combined together to do so. Yet if the fly should snatch anything away from them, they would not even know how to recover it from it. How weak the seeker is, and anything he seeks!

man has made sheep, does that count?

 

[-ND-]

i find religion fiction, which is the basis of all of your arguments. if i believed in Allah and the quran i'd be ok with what ur saying.



i disagree.



we weren't created



this is just propaganda.



man has made sheep, does that count?

The word I says it all. Thank you.

You disagree? What would happen then?

How did we come about?

Propaganda? So, a web is sturdy and can resist through a resistance test?

Really? I thought that was called "cloning". Cloning and creating life are completely different.

 

[codanblad]

I'm happy to agree to disagree, i just don't agree with what you're saying.

The word I says it all. Thank you.

You disagree? What would happen then?

How did we come about?

Propaganda? So, a web is sturdy and can resist through a resistance test?

Really? I thought that was called "cloning". Cloning and creating life are completely different.

What's it matter whether i say I? would i be more/less correct if i said we?

i define god as a being that can do anything, therefore if he wanted two of himselves it would be fine.

i don't know how we came about before natural selection occurred, having heard religious points of view i don't think i've come across the answer yet.

it has nothing to do with the properties of a web, your quote ridicules non-muslims. thats why i called it propaganda.

you're right - cloning is not creating life, that was intended as a joke. the quote it applied to is propaganda. "anyone who's non-muslim sucks" - ok. creation of life by god is a myth.

 

[jpappl]

ND,

Those who enlist other patrons instead of God may be compared to the Spider, who adopts a house for himself. The flimsiest house is the Spider's house, if they only realized it!
-Koran.

Tell that to a fly. Another stupid ignorant statement in a religious text.

http://www.riverdeep.net/current/2001/09/090301_spider.jhtml

"The strongest spider silk, made by the golden silk spider, Nephila, is the strongest fiber known to man! It is five times as strong as steel. It is also stronger and more elastic than Kevlar, the patented material used in bullet-proof vests. "