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If God exists but doesn't do anything, how would we know? And would it matter?
January 25, 2013 at 1:20 pm
This video made me think of this question:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m9ESphZkANc
It brought me to some questions on the topic. I'm an atheist, but I've said that one specific God that I'm most open minded about is a very hands-off God. That would be a god who created the universe, created the laws of physics, the matter and the energy and then just sat back and said "I'm done; it's all on you from here on."
So, let's say such a god does exist (although, if you want to ask if such a being could exist, that's a legitimate question). What consequences would there be? How would we know it exists? And, again, if such a being died, how would any of us know? And would it matter if this kind of God died?
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RE: If God exists but doesn't do anything, how would we know? And would it matter?
January 25, 2013 at 1:30 pm
Honestly, if the angry desert god existed in any of his alleged forms I think we would know it. He was portrayed as too much of a prick. He'd always be fucking with somebody.
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RE: If God exists but doesn't do anything, how would we know? And would it matter?
January 25, 2013 at 1:44 pm
(January 25, 2013 at 1:30 pm)Minimalist Wrote: Honestly, if the angry desert god existed in any of his alleged forms I think we would know it. He was portrayed as too much of a prick. He'd always be fucking with somebody.
Well, the god of the Bible does *NOT* qualify as a hands-off God. Not a day went by that he didn't kill someone for not doing some detail right. The god I'm thinking of in this question would be more of a deist god than anything.
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"If you cling to something as the absolute truth and you are caught in it, when the truth comes in person to knock on your door you will refuse to let it in." ~ Siddhartha Gautama
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RE: If God exists but doesn't do anything, how would we know? And would it matter?
January 25, 2013 at 1:55 pm
The deist "god" is nothing more than an absentee landlord.
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RE: If God exists but doesn't do anything, how would we know? And would it matter?
January 25, 2013 at 4:00 pm
Why bother believing in a god that is indistinguishable from a nonexistent god?
You'd believe if you just opened your heart" is a terrible argument for religion. It's basically saying, "If you bias yourself enough, you can convince yourself that this is true." If religion were true, people wouldn't need faith to believe it -- it would be supported by good evidence.
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RE: If God exists but doesn't do anything, how would we know? And would it matter?
January 25, 2013 at 4:14 pm
I love 'The Kids in the Hall.'
And I don't think a god such as that dying would matter unless something in our universe was contingent upon its existence.
Even if the open windows of science at first make us shiver after the cozy indoor warmth of traditional humanizing myths, in the end the fresh air brings vigor, and the great spaces have a splendor of their own - Bertrand Russell
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RE: If God exists but doesn't do anything, how would we know? And would it matter?
January 26, 2013 at 9:42 am
(January 25, 2013 at 1:55 pm)Minimalist Wrote: The deist "god" is nothing more than an absentee landlord.
Maybe that's what I'm asking, I guess: what's the practical difference between an absentee landlord and a nonexistant landlord? I honestly don't see any.
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RE: If God exists but doesn't do anything, how would we know? And would it matter?
January 26, 2013 at 11:14 am
(January 25, 2013 at 1:20 pm)TaraJo Wrote: It brought me to some questions on the topic. I'm an atheist, but I've said that one specific God that I'm most open minded about is a very hands-off God. That would be a god who created the universe, created the laws of physics, the matter and the energy and then just sat back and said "I'm done; it's all on you from here on."
As a deist myself, I don't see it as a "hands off" god (a popular but strawman definition, as far as I can tell) as much as a matter of scale.
We exist on a tiny blue dot in a vast ocean of space. Our presence here has been for about 200 K years (give or take) in a universe that has been here for about 14 B years.
Assuming God exists, the mind behind this universe could likely relate to us about as well as a scientist cultivating bacteria in a dish could relate to the microscopic organisms. It kind of invokes a potential "Far Side" type comic, for those old enough to remember them, where one bacteria cell says to another, "Let me tell you about the personal relationship I have with the Great Lab Coat in the sky". The actual existence of the scientist makes this scenario no less absurd.
The sheer scale of it all makes me think that a god who has no ability to relate to us as individuals, never mind an interest in it, seems far more likely than the one who carries us on a beach.
Quote:So, let's say such a god does exist (although, if you want to ask if such a being could exist, that's a legitimate question). What consequences would there be? How would we know it exists? And, again, if such a being died, how would any of us know? And would it matter if this kind of God died?
The consequences are non-existent as far as I can tell. Aside from my sense of wonder at this grand machine (and even this kind of lofty sentiment is shared by many atheists) the way I live, the way I relate to my fellow sentients and the basis for my morality are no different from the atheist.
How would we know is an interesting question. Star Trek V was a terrible movie but it had an interesting point: if a powerful being introduced itself as "God", could we be sure it really is God or just an alien trying to get on board your star ship? And if we can't be sure under this circumstance, how can we be sure without such an introduction?
I think an indication might be discovered when we get out there into the universe. For the deist model to work, I would expect to find not just abundant life but intelligent life. If it really is just us, then it looks more like a more atheistic model, that we won the cosmic lottery.
If I were to somehow find out God was dead, I would say we should honor Its legacy by building on the foundation It started.
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