thought of the day.346

God is pretend. Love is divine.

thought of the day.345

Which 5 people would you invite to dinner?

My youngest son, Nicholas, was asked that as part of an assignment in class a couple days ago. I have always enjoyed reading which people are chosen and why. The persons picked are always important to the person picking. Jesus, a famous athlete, celebrity, scientist, family member, etc. But Nic chose people he felt didn’t get the appreciation and love they deserved when alive and wanted them to know how much people cared about them after they had died. It wasn’t about him at all. Damn. I was impressed.

thought of the day.344

One of my fundamentalist christian friends just updated me on his truly remarkable children. What excellent citizens, athletes and students these kids are! Yet I couldn’t help but think how sad it was that their brightness is dimmed by the horrible shadow of hell. How sad to go through life thinking all one’s wrong-believing friends and neighbors are destined for a very uncomfortable eternity. What a crime.

thought of the day.343

On Humanism

Old: God created the world and humanity.
New: The world and humanity evolved.

Old: Hell is a place of eternal torment for the wicked.
New: Suffering is the natural result of breaking the laws of right living.

Old: Heaven is the place where good people go when they die.
New: Doing right brings its own satisfaction.

Old: The chief end of humanity is to glorify God.
New: The chief end of humanity is to improve ourselves, as individuals and as the human race.

Old: Religion has to do with the supernatural.
New: Religion has to do with the natural; the so-called supernatural is only the not-yet-understood natural.

Old: Humankind is inherently evil and a worm of the dust.
New: Humankind is inherently good and has infinite possibilities.

Old: Humankind should submit to the will of God.
New: Humankind should not submit to injustice or suffering without protest and should endeavor to remove its causes.

Old: Salvation comes from outside humanity.
New: Improvement comes from within. No person or god can save another person.

Old: The ideas of sin, salvation, redemption, prayer, and worship are important.
New: These ideas are unimportant.

Old: The truth is to be found in one religion only.
New: There are truths in all religions and outside of religion.

~ Charles Francis Potter, Originally published in 1930, Language updated in 1994

thought of the day.342

While conversing with a Christian today I was offered this gem that is often used as a last resort:

“...When I die, if I am wrong about my God, I have nothing to lose. When you die and if you are wrong about there not being a God, you have everything to lose."

My response: What if you are wrong about the particular god you worship? What if there is in fact a god but his name is Allah and you get tortured in Muslim hell? Or what if there is a god but She doesn’t care for religious types and rewards only atheists with heavenly bliss?

If there is no god — no afterlife — it means the christian has spent their one and only life living a grand delusion. They have spent precious time and resources on believing and perpetuating a falsehood — a big fat juicy lie. Now that seems to me to be quite a loss indeed.

thought of the day.341

The difference between Science and Creationism

Scientists search for a deeper understanding of reality by:
1. collecting data
2. drawing conclusions

Creationists believe they already possess the Truth (Bible) and so:
1. start with the conclusion
2. collect data to support it

Science continually expands our knowledge while Creationism retards it and is yet another example of the harm done by religion.