I feel that to be invited to live a certain way by a personal God is a way to relieve oneself of responsibility. When we can refer upwards the burden of "policing" the race, we are absolved, I feel, of a duty to do something ourselves. If we are to live this way, based on the idea that if we don't we shall be punished in some way, then where is our morality? There cannot be any, as such. We cannot be expected to live moral lives, because the choice is not truly ours to make- the repercussions, with a personal god, are of all the importance, and the choice itself means nothing.
You also talk about our world, and how chance it seems that we are able to live on this planet. You say that if gravity was a bit stronger we would not be here. Well, perhaps we would not, but who are you to say that another planet would be able to foster life? And further, perhaps we need only realize that the only way for us to even speculate how we came to be was for us to be solves a bit of the mystery itself- there are around 100 billion stars in the milky way galaxy alone, and there are 100 billion other galaxies (or ten billion trillion stars!). With all these possible places to live, it does not really shock me that life originated somewhere. The point being, of course, that if we were born in the Andromeda galaxy I'm sure we would be saying, "Wow, what amazing conditions we have here!" It's all perspective.
I'm surprised, too that you seem so down on life. I mean, yeah, it's rough, but can you imagine life without the bad? What would be the point? I'm not saying I like it, mind you, but I just can't fathom enjoying anything without a counterpoint. Unlik you, however, I don't think that without god, without christianity, there is no good in life. In breaking away from a reliance on a perfect life after death, the importance of living your life now, not wasting it in waiting for what comes next, becomes clear. Life is indeed, too short to waste. And you're right, a natural disaster could strike at any moment. I could get murdered for no reason. My family could all fall sick and die. But that's what makes enjoying what we've got worthwhile. That's what makes friends, family, love, laughter, and joy all the more poignant. It is not because I'm striving towards a deity that these things are meaningful to me, but rather because they are what makes life worth living. So perhaps I should not have used the word "evil" when really I just meant the bad things that happen to people. Evil carries a connotation of intentional malice, so yes, I mispoke.
You also talk about our world, and how chance it seems that we are able to live on this planet. You say that if gravity was a bit stronger we would not be here. Well, perhaps we would not, but who are you to say that another planet would be able to foster life? And further, perhaps we need only realize that the only way for us to even speculate how we came to be was for us to be solves a bit of the mystery itself- there are around 100 billion stars in the milky way galaxy alone, and there are 100 billion other galaxies (or ten billion trillion stars!). With all these possible places to live, it does not really shock me that life originated somewhere. The point being, of course, that if we were born in the Andromeda galaxy I'm sure we would be saying, "Wow, what amazing conditions we have here!" It's all perspective.
I'm surprised, too that you seem so down on life. I mean, yeah, it's rough, but can you imagine life without the bad? What would be the point? I'm not saying I like it, mind you, but I just can't fathom enjoying anything without a counterpoint. Unlik you, however, I don't think that without god, without christianity, there is no good in life. In breaking away from a reliance on a perfect life after death, the importance of living your life now, not wasting it in waiting for what comes next, becomes clear. Life is indeed, too short to waste. And you're right, a natural disaster could strike at any moment. I could get murdered for no reason. My family could all fall sick and die. But that's what makes enjoying what we've got worthwhile. That's what makes friends, family, love, laughter, and joy all the more poignant. It is not because I'm striving towards a deity that these things are meaningful to me, but rather because they are what makes life worth living. So perhaps I should not have used the word "evil" when really I just meant the bad things that happen to people. Evil carries a connotation of intentional malice, so yes, I mispoke.
