(April 20, 2014 at 12:21 pm)coldwx Wrote: Those who prefer to adhere to a secular, relativistic world where there are no absolute; where self satisfaction is the soup de jour, do so not because of the lack of evidence on the existence of God. No, I have discovered that when a person does not want to be judged, they just proclaim that the Judge doesn’t exist. However they wish to believe, it does not change the reality of justice. Be certain of this, one day when the Author of the play walks on the stage, the curtain will be dropped.
I hate this ruse. What your father is really saying is, "I have no evidence for God; therefore, I can't begin to demonstrate his ability or method of judgement. I recognize this results in my inability to use the fear of eternal torment to influence your behavior. For this reason I must now attempt to shame you into submission with yet another unsupported declaration; namely, that you don't want to be judged."
Everyone constantly discriminates and judges. Evolution has wired us to make choices as a means of navigating our existence. Any system that codifies its dos and don'ts under the constant threat of eternal torment supported only by the fact that someone said so is morally bankrupt. The fact that we culturally don't abide by the dictates of the Bible is proof enough that regardless of ongoing ethical debate, the arbiter of good and evil is extra-biblical.
I am not enamored by all things Ayn Rand; however, I find little to disagree with regarding her proclamation, "judge, and prepare to be judged". I also have a measure of control regarding how much consideration I give received judgement. I value greatly what my wife thinks of me, but I don't blindly accept everything she has to say regarding my behavior.
If God were to exist I would have the reasonable expectation that he could provide some direct feedback. If he couldn't be bothered to do this then I couldn't be bothered to give a fuck.
