Theology

Started by Sabby, Sep 01, 2013, 02:51:02 AM

Author
Theology (Read 207,416 times)

Sabby

Sabby

#30
That's a very interesting view on the development of Deities.

Cal427eb

Cal427eb

#31
Quote from: TheLoneSpoon on Sep 01, 2013, 07:07:38 AM
I really like Douglas Adams explanation on why the idea of a God even came about, I mean it's pretty obvious. But he explains it pretty well.

Spoiler
"Where does the idea of God come from? Well, I think we have a very skewed point of view on an awful lot of things, but let's try and see where our point of view comes from. Imagine early man. Early man is, like everything else, an evolved creature and he finds himself in a world that he's begun to take a little charge of; he's begun to be a tool-maker, a changer of his environment with the tools that he's made and he makes tools, when he does, in order to make changes in his environment. To give an example of the way man operates compared to other animals, consider speciation, which, as we know, tends to occur when a small group of animals gets separated from the rest of the herd by some geological upheaval, population pressure, food shortage or whatever and finds itself in a new environment with maybe something different going on. Take a very simple example; maybe a bunch of animals suddenly finds itself in a place where the weather is rather colder. We know that in a few generations those genes which favour a thicker coat will have come to the fore and we'll come and we'll find that the animals have now got thicker coats. Early man, who's a tool maker, doesn't have to do this: he can inhabit an extraordinarily wide range of habitats on earth, from tundra to the Gobi Desert - he even manages to live in New York for heaven's sake - and the reason is that when he arrives in a new environment he doesn't have to wait for several generations; if he arrives in a colder environment and sees an animal that has those genes which favour a thicker coat, he says "I'll have it off him". Tools have enabled us to think intentionally, to make things and to do things to create a world that fits us better. Now imagine an early man surveying his surroundings at the end of a happy day's tool making. He looks around and he sees a world which pleases him mightily: behind him are mountains with caves in - mountains are great because you can go and hide in the caves and you are out of the rain and the bears can't get you; in front of him there's the forest - it's got nuts and berries and delicious food; there's a stream going by, which is full of water - water's delicious to drink, you can float your boats in it and do all sorts of stuff with it; here's cousin Ug and he's caught a mammoth - mammoth's are great, you can eat them, you can wear their coats, you can use their bones to create weapons to catch other mammoths. I mean this is a great world, it's fantastic. But our early man has a moment to reflect and he thinks to himself, 'well, this is an interesting world that I find myself in' and then he asks himself a very treacherous question, a question which is totally meaningless and fallacious, but only comes about because of the nature of the sort of person he is, the sort of person he has evolved into and the sort of person who has thrived because he thinks this particular way. Man the maker looks at his world and says 'So who made this then?' Who made this? - you can see why it's a treacherous question. Early man thinks, 'Well, because there's only one sort of being I know about who makes things, whoever made all this must therefore be a much bigger, much more powerful and necessarily invisible, one of me and because I tend to be the strong one who does all the stuff, he's probably male'. And so we have the idea of a god. Then, because when we make things we do it with the intention of doing something with them, early man asks himself , 'If he made it, what did he make it for?' Now the real trap springs, because early man is thinking, 'This world fits me very well. Here are all these things that support me and feed me and look after me; yes, this world fits me nicely' and he reaches the inescapable conclusion that whoever made it, made it for him."
[close]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5GgflscOmW8#ws

Sabby

Sabby

#32
Quote from: Cal427eb on Sep 01, 2013, 07:26:22 AM
I didn't read it, laugh out loud

Very well, something more entertaining!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BS5vid4GkEY#

Space Sweeper

Space Sweeper

#33
Agnostic, but I might as well consider myself an atheist. Only reason I mark down as 'agnostic' is because intelligent design has always been such a fascinating concept to me, even if it's just an incomprehensible platform for life itself. Yes, that's right, I'm agnostic because I wrap myself up in sci-fi concepts. I still don't believe that there is any use or value in worshiping the manufactured, earthly unknown, no matter what people claim to have experienced or have chronicled. It would require a mass-experienced revelation to change that.

Sabby

Sabby

#34
By 'intelligence design' (I don't know if that's a typo or not) do you mean Creationism, or just things in fiction, like Stargate Universe?

Space Sweeper

Space Sweeper

#35
That was a typo.

Sabby

Sabby

#36
Thought so :) Though question stands.

Space Sweeper

Space Sweeper

#37
For the question, nope, not creationism, just things that we can only portray in fiction, things as mysterious as the nature of the infinite void we live in.

I would really love for this thread to remain civil and level-headed as it has so far, so good OP, Sabby.

Sabby

Sabby

#38
Thank you for clarifying ^^ I hope it stays civil as well, so I'll ask that no one mention the existence of Prometheus. Retarded Creationist scumbags like VenomfangX and NephilimFree are welcome to be discussed, but the main characters of Prometheus? Nope.

TheLoneSpoon

TheLoneSpoon

#39
Quote from: Sabby on Sep 01, 2013, 07:52:03 AM
Thank you for clarifying ^^ I hope it stays civil as well, so I'll ask that no one mention the existence of Prometheus. Retarded Creationist scumbags like VenomfangX and NephilimFree are welcome to be discussed, but the main characters of Prometheus? Nope.

Wants things to remain civil, called a creationist a retard.


Sabby

Sabby

#40
I don't think it's uncivil to call someone who regularly displays stupidity stupid. The civility I ask to keep is between the participants of the discussion. Do feel free to express any personal feelings or convictions you hold, as long as they don't result in being rude or uncivil to other members, and with the understanding that these convictions can and likely will be questioned by others.

maledoro

maledoro

#41
Quote from: TheLoneSpoon on Sep 01, 2013, 05:29:27 AM
Quote from: RazorSlash on Sep 01, 2013, 05:27:17 AM
I was raised Catholic, my parents are still a little annoyed that I'm agnostic. My father is flat out in denial  :-\

"I don't know what you read on the internet, but you're Catholic. You don't have a say in that."
-Actual quote from my father when I told him I was agnostic

you can never leave
I left.

Bjørn Half-hand

Bjørn Half-hand

#42
My parents were genuinely devastated when I told them that not only did I not believe in ''God'' even if it could be proven to me that he existed I wouldn't worship him.

DC

DC

#43
My religion is science. :)

Sabby

Sabby

#44
I've heard so many people call Atheism and Science 'a religion' with a completely straight face xD (not you, I'm pretty sure your kidding :)) Because, ya know... we believe in Evolution in exactly the same way that others believe in dirt being changed into a human being by spoken word 6000 years ago. They're both equally valid theories, you understand.


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