If there were a god, I would want one that is completely incompatible with the world as we know it. I would want a perfectly good being that is omnipotent and omniscient. Being omnipotent, it could make the universe any way it wanted, and being perfectly good, it would want there would be no suffering of any kind for anyone or anything, so there would be no suffering of any kind.
Obviously, no such god exists, nor does any god exist that is even close to being of that description. If there were an omnipotent god, it would be evil, as it allows plenty of evil to happen. (Indeed, the world is better set up for suffering than for delight; for example, a person can more readily experience pain than pleasure.) Or if there were a perfectly good god, it would be more impotent than a man. A man can call the police when someone is being hurt, but god doesn't even manage that much help. The idea that there is a perfectly good being that is omnipotent and omniscient is one that deserves the most extreme ridicule possible, as it is about as moronic as any idea could possibly be. If there were such a god, this would be the best possible world. But even a halfwit can think of countless improvements that could be made. For the ridicule, Voltaire's Candide is a good start.
Obviously, no such god exists, nor does any god exist that is even close to being of that description. If there were an omnipotent god, it would be evil, as it allows plenty of evil to happen. (Indeed, the world is better set up for suffering than for delight; for example, a person can more readily experience pain than pleasure.) Or if there were a perfectly good god, it would be more impotent than a man. A man can call the police when someone is being hurt, but god doesn't even manage that much help. The idea that there is a perfectly good being that is omnipotent and omniscient is one that deserves the most extreme ridicule possible, as it is about as moronic as any idea could possibly be. If there were such a god, this would be the best possible world. But even a halfwit can think of countless improvements that could be made. For the ridicule, Voltaire's Candide is a good start.
"A wise man ... proportions his belief to the evidence."
— David Hume, An Enquiry Concerning Human Understanding, Section X, Part I.
