RE: Why I am a Gnostic Atheist
May 12, 2013 at 2:15 am
(This post was last modified: May 12, 2013 at 2:24 am by Faith Is Glorified Delusion.)
(May 12, 2013 at 12:42 am)Gearbreak Wrote: I agree that we never experience the supernatural in this world and that things we make up are usually made up, but I still disagree. I think the supernatural only exists outside the natural universe, what we call the natural universe. My current theory is that god is a being that lives in another plane of existence and only functions as a creator. It's possible that he interacts with the universes it creates, but I'm not going into that now. I see things as god creating universes and laying out the programming or "laws" of those universes and setting things into motion. I can understand that this might be a silly belief to a lot of people here, but It's still possible. I've always liked to think of the universe like a computer, and god as the programmer or even the thing that makes sure the whole thing doesn't crash. I will admit there's a high chance that I'm wrong, but that's still not 100%
Deistic beliefs are more tenable than theistic beliefs where deists don't presume a supernatural agent much less a personal one. But my position isn't against deistic claims but theistic claims. I am a gnostic atheist, not a gnostic adeist. I, like you, reject the supernatural aka unnatural because it doesn't exist. Gods are traditionally defined as supernatural agents, and since the supernatural doesn't exist - therefore gods do not exist. If an agent is not of this universe but of any other hypothetical universe then it is a still a natural and not a supernatural agent. However, I don't agree with Deism due to the position of an agent creating the universe and letting run without detection is indistinguishable from the theory of a universe arriving by natural causes.
(May 12, 2013 at 1:46 am)whateverist Wrote: Are you sure you know what is meant by a god? That is something I've never been clear on. What exactly counts as one? Even if you think you know, are you sure you understand what other people have in mind? I don't think there is really all that much agreement.
My inclination is to think it is all silly stuff of course but is awfully hard to know exactly what we are talking about. I do agree that "supernatural" is a suspect category. It seems patently obvious to me that everything there is or could be is natural. The only meaningful distinction is between natural we understand and natural we don't yet understand.
Personally I just don't give enough of a fuck about whether or not gods exist -whatever they might be- to invest any belief one way or the other in them. I just don't think it is either urgent or important enough to deserve a decision from me.
When I say gods/deities, I define them as humans have defined them through out the millennia - as supernatural beings with supernatural powers, most of them are/were depicted with anthropomorphic traits like joy, anger, jealousy, wrath, lust, greed, loving, forgiving etc., some were depicted as half animal half human anatomies. They were/are usually have a niche in governing a specific area in nature or in human affairs.
And I too do not give a fuck whether gods are real or not. There just as real to me as all the other mythological beings and creatures depicted in religions and cultures. But too many people do give a fuck if their god is real - many are making life difficult for their fellow man because of it.
(May 12, 2013 at 2:10 am)rexbeccarox Wrote: Until you define what a "god" is, it's impossible to be gnostic about it. And, to go a step further, how do you know if your definition of "god" is the correct one?
OP, no offense, but I think being a gnostic anything when it comes to the supernatural is intellectually dishonest.
It is not my definition of what deities are it is the theists' definition of what their gods are. My position is that out of all the deities that have been worshiped and their attributes throughout the historical record what did they all have in common? They were depicted as supernatural agents imbued with supernatural powers and strengths.
