(no subject)
In a previous post, I mentioned that I keep an open mind to supernatural phenomena. At a first glance, this may seem to be in stark contrast to the idea that I am an atheist and a skeptic. But in actuality, it contradicts neither. Skepticism demands that I question the validity of supernatural claims, and that I do not put blind faith in supernatural claims that lack any evidence, and I meet these criteria. Atheism demands that I not belief in any gods, and I also meet this criteria. While I have an open mind towards certain supernatural phenomena, this does not extend towards deities.
Now, it may seem that I am cherry-picking with which supernatural phenomena I am willing to keep an open mind towards, but this is not the case. The fact of the matter is that in all of existence, in both reality and fiction, there exists no entity worthy of being called a god. There may be entities that are more powerful than humans, perhaps much more so. But nothing perfect, nothing worthy of the title of 'god' or any worship that may come with it.
To explain what I mean by this, consider what 'perfect' really means. Consider a 'perfect' being and the 'perfect' world that would be the natural result of this god's existence. Surely, the world would lack conflict, yes? There would be no wars, no struggle, no tragedy, no scarcity of physical nor mental nor emotional goods.
There would also be no challenge(and therefore no feeling of accomplishment or worth), no genuine emotion, and no meaningful art nor literature nor music. FUUUUUUUUCK THAAAAAAAAT.
And of course, any fracture in the perfection that allowed for all those qualities above to develop naturally would also make the world imperfect, and thus the being controlling these variables would be something less than a god.
This whole idea can be likened to some of the banter from a page of the now-finished webcomic 8-bit Theater, in which some of the characters are talking about Superman, and one character comes to the conclusion that Lex Luthor is the hero and Clark Kent is the villain.
Think about it. Lex Luthor is an incredibly wealthy and successful man. There are no riches or fame or power to be had from defeating Superman. Superman is no threat to Lex; the only reason they ever fight is because Lex is instigating the whole rivalry. So why does Lex do it? Why stand up against the Man of Steel, who has devoted his existence to helping humanity?
It is to prove that humanity can stand on its own. Superman comes in and uses his god-like superpowers to remove challenges from people's lives, and Lex Luthor stands against him to show that humanity is worthy.
Now, granted, Clark Kent never asked to be a superhero. He's just doing everything he can to help people out. That's why we all cheer when he always foils Lex's plans and keeps on keeping on. Likewise, if I saw Thor save a town from frost giants, I certainly wouldn't begrudge him for it; quite to the contrary, I would be quick to buy him all the ale and mead I could afford. But at the same time, I wouldn't worship him, because he's not perfect. Nothing is.
(To clarify, I define 'worship' to be anything that is symbolic of an oath of fealty to another being. This seems to be the standard definition for most if not all religious practices.)
Now, it may seem that I am cherry-picking with which supernatural phenomena I am willing to keep an open mind towards, but this is not the case. The fact of the matter is that in all of existence, in both reality and fiction, there exists no entity worthy of being called a god. There may be entities that are more powerful than humans, perhaps much more so. But nothing perfect, nothing worthy of the title of 'god' or any worship that may come with it.
To explain what I mean by this, consider what 'perfect' really means. Consider a 'perfect' being and the 'perfect' world that would be the natural result of this god's existence. Surely, the world would lack conflict, yes? There would be no wars, no struggle, no tragedy, no scarcity of physical nor mental nor emotional goods.
There would also be no challenge(and therefore no feeling of accomplishment or worth), no genuine emotion, and no meaningful art nor literature nor music. FUUUUUUUUCK THAAAAAAAAT.
And of course, any fracture in the perfection that allowed for all those qualities above to develop naturally would also make the world imperfect, and thus the being controlling these variables would be something less than a god.
This whole idea can be likened to some of the banter from a page of the now-finished webcomic 8-bit Theater, in which some of the characters are talking about Superman, and one character comes to the conclusion that Lex Luthor is the hero and Clark Kent is the villain.
Think about it. Lex Luthor is an incredibly wealthy and successful man. There are no riches or fame or power to be had from defeating Superman. Superman is no threat to Lex; the only reason they ever fight is because Lex is instigating the whole rivalry. So why does Lex do it? Why stand up against the Man of Steel, who has devoted his existence to helping humanity?
It is to prove that humanity can stand on its own. Superman comes in and uses his god-like superpowers to remove challenges from people's lives, and Lex Luthor stands against him to show that humanity is worthy.
Now, granted, Clark Kent never asked to be a superhero. He's just doing everything he can to help people out. That's why we all cheer when he always foils Lex's plans and keeps on keeping on. Likewise, if I saw Thor save a town from frost giants, I certainly wouldn't begrudge him for it; quite to the contrary, I would be quick to buy him all the ale and mead I could afford. But at the same time, I wouldn't worship him, because he's not perfect. Nothing is.
(To clarify, I define 'worship' to be anything that is symbolic of an oath of fealty to another being. This seems to be the standard definition for most if not all religious practices.)