To the OP:
Why am I an atheist? It seems that some people believe in something they call gods (but sometimes only one). Since those people are classified as theists, no matter which brand of gods they subscribe to, anyone who does not share a belief in any of those gods must be - by default - an a-theist, someone without a belief in gods.
Now I don't really spend much time looking for these gods. I've never gotten a good enough description a god to make me feel confident I could identify it even if I tripped over one. It is hard to be sure just how eternal they are and just how omni- their various super powers must be. And then there is the question of their role in the creation of the universe.
I've never understood what the minimal creator requirement would be for godhood. I'm pretty sure those physicist who bring heavy new elements into creation for the fleetingest of instants are not gods. But just how much of the universe must a putative god be responsible for anyway? Half? 1%?
However that may be, there is then the question of whether they may (or perhaps must) work within the constraints of the material at hand. In other words, must they also be responsible for determining the very properties of the stuff they create - or - can they get partial credit if they at least take something very basic but pre-existing but, by putting their own special whammy on it, make it into the stuff we perceive?
Then there is the question of intent. Even if gods create 100% of the universe from scratch, must it represent a deliberate attempt at perfection? What if god is just some being on a grand scale that, as a natural 'bodily' function just excretes galaxies or maybe big bangs? It would certainly be 'his' creation but would it satisfy the creator requirement of godhood if it were not a deliberate creation representing the realization of some holy goal?
Then there are the questions pertaining to having a plan-for-man. But I won't even go there. Suffice to say I find the concept so vague as to be incomprehensible. Until someone tells me exactly what the minimal requirements must be for godhood, I can't be bothered to wonder if there are any.
Why am I an atheist? It seems that some people believe in something they call gods (but sometimes only one). Since those people are classified as theists, no matter which brand of gods they subscribe to, anyone who does not share a belief in any of those gods must be - by default - an a-theist, someone without a belief in gods.
Now I don't really spend much time looking for these gods. I've never gotten a good enough description a god to make me feel confident I could identify it even if I tripped over one. It is hard to be sure just how eternal they are and just how omni- their various super powers must be. And then there is the question of their role in the creation of the universe.
I've never understood what the minimal creator requirement would be for godhood. I'm pretty sure those physicist who bring heavy new elements into creation for the fleetingest of instants are not gods. But just how much of the universe must a putative god be responsible for anyway? Half? 1%?
However that may be, there is then the question of whether they may (or perhaps must) work within the constraints of the material at hand. In other words, must they also be responsible for determining the very properties of the stuff they create - or - can they get partial credit if they at least take something very basic but pre-existing but, by putting their own special whammy on it, make it into the stuff we perceive?
Then there is the question of intent. Even if gods create 100% of the universe from scratch, must it represent a deliberate attempt at perfection? What if god is just some being on a grand scale that, as a natural 'bodily' function just excretes galaxies or maybe big bangs? It would certainly be 'his' creation but would it satisfy the creator requirement of godhood if it were not a deliberate creation representing the realization of some holy goal?
Then there are the questions pertaining to having a plan-for-man. But I won't even go there. Suffice to say I find the concept so vague as to be incomprehensible. Until someone tells me exactly what the minimal requirements must be for godhood, I can't be bothered to wonder if there are any.
