I just saw a bumper sticker on the back of a parked car. At first I thought Oh no, not another one of those, but then I read it carefully. It said: God Bless the Whole World, No Exceptions.
I thought that was nice for a change, instead of the usual God Bless America tripe, or even worse, God Bless Our Troops, as if "God" would bless hired killers; I mean, to endorse the USA's belligerent, psychotic foreign policy the god in question would have to be a raging lunatic with a record of mass murder, genocide, wiping out the entire population of the earth with the exception of a few people on a boat...oh, wait a minute.
One could, of course, interpret that sticker in a couple of different ways. A good god (if there could be such a thing, though there can't) would certainly bless all humans and not just a select group based on belief or geography or some other arbitrary restriction.
Then again, if we're talking about a "blessing" rather than a blessing, then the god who might exist would give it to us all, and in fact has. None of us escape the sorrows, the disappointments, the sicknesses, or the often awful burdens of life. And none of us gets out alive...Yeah, that's a "good" god.
You're brave and honest, I like that.
ReplyDeleteHi Suzy, thanks.
ReplyDeleteSee I go one step further, I think that if God created the universe, then he loves all of it, not just one tiny little mammal on one tiny little planet.
ReplyDeleteWhy does no one get out alive? Because God doesn't play favorites.
And if there is a God, then I don't believe he interferes with what he has made. He would no more save me from a car crash, then a star from dying. He gave his creation true freedom and that means he doesn't interfere with any of it.
What we know of the universe seems to show this to be true, there is no evidence of any type of God tampering with the natural progression of existance. So either God doesn't interfere or there simply is no God.
Good comment, Kerri, thanks.
ReplyDeleteI don't think we really disagree at all, except perhaps in the details. Though if God is omnipotent, I do question the way he/she is running things (or not running them).
I just don't think the free-will defense will wash if God is a personal being with all the traditional attributes of classical theism (though I know you're a deist).
Deist is the closest I can come up with but my definition is somewhat unique.
ReplyDeleteI certinaly don't believe in any of the traditional definitions of the word God. That's why I don't think he interferes with creation.
I don't really think it's a conscious personal being but if I'm wrong, then I think that is the only explanation that comes close to fitting the facts as I understand them.
I don't think "free-will" is a defense for anything really and I certainly don't agree with most theists since I don't believe in any kind of punishing God what so ever and I don't really believe in an afterlife... but I'm aware that I could be wrong about pretty much everything ;)