All natural occurrences—from an earthquake to an exploding star in a distant galaxy— are completely meaningless. All human actions in and of themselves are also meaningless. Only when we give something meaning does it have one.
My point is that meaning does not exist outside of our minds. We can’t point to meaning. Nothing has meaning unless there is someone to perceive it and make meaning of it.
To Peyton Manning, the Super Bowl has all kinds of meaning. To me it means much less. A tree falls. It means something quite different to the logger and the tree-hugger. The logger perceives the event as more or less money and the tree-hugger as a tragedy, but in and of itself, the falling tree is meaningless.
Two people are having sex. What does that mean? You can’t answer it because the physical act itself is meaningless. It takes a mind to make or project meaning upon the act.
1. Christianity is INHERENTLY DIVISIVE as believers are promised eternal bliss and nonbelievers eternal torture.
2. Christianity INDUCES UNWARRANTED GUILT AND FEAR by asserting that a Cosmic Judge watches one’s every move and knows one’s every thought.
3. Christianity OBSCURES TRUTH AND PROMOTES FALSEHOODS by diverting focus from the natural (real) to the supernatural (unreal).
4. Christianity DEBASES HUMANITY by condemning us as sinners worthy of eternal damnation.
5. Christianity BREEDS A FALSE SENSE OF IMPORTANCE by asserting that The King of the Universe knew each of us intimately before we were born, knows the numbers of hairs on our head, has a special plan for us, loves us, watches us, listens to our every word, desperately wants a personal relationship with us and even promises to give us anything we ask for (Mt 21.22).
6. Christianity’s assertion that the Devil is real ALLOWS FOR THE LITERAL DEMONIZING of others.
7. Christianity PROVIDES THE ULTIMATE JUSTIFICATION FOR EVILS of all kinds (such as the vilifying of homosexuals and the subjection of women).
8. Christianity’s THREAT OF HELL HARDENS HEARTS and causes others mental anguish.
9. Christianity PROVIDES COVER FOR ABUSES OF ALL KINDS as evidenced by thousands of sexual abuse cases in the last few years alone.
10. Christianity LEGITIMIZES FRAUD as evidenced by countless insincere televangelists and church leaders.
4 comments:
How does one attribute meaning to an event?
My point is that meaning does not exist outside of our minds. We can’t point to meaning. Nothing has meaning unless there is someone to perceive it and make meaning of it.
To Peyton Manning, the Super Bowl has all kinds of meaning. To me it means much less. A tree falls. It means something quite different to the logger and the tree-hugger. The logger perceives the event as more or less money and the tree-hugger as a tragedy, but in and of itself, the falling tree is meaningless.
So, let me get this straight.
You are telling us that human action has no meaning through a human action?
Self-refutes. You are attempting to communicate meaning to us through an action.
Two people are having sex. What does that mean? You can’t answer it because the physical act itself is meaningless. It takes a mind to make or project meaning upon the act.
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