Friday, July 13, 2012

I’m ready to become a believer, so why doesn’t their God make it happen?



Each night I let the dogs out around 11:00 pm for their final rest stop before bed. Where I live there is little light pollution and with no moon last night the night sky was magnificent.  I laid down on the grass and watched a satellite, or the international space station, slowly creep across the sky and disappear into the dark space between the spangle of stars.  There is no greater evidence of the majesty and power of nature than the beauty and vastness of the night sky.

We’ve all heard religionists say things like “The proof of God is all around you” or “The Bible is proof of God’s existence.”  These platitudes are proof of only two things: their lack of understanding of what constitutes “proof”, and a weak mind that has succumbed to fable and stopped there.  What’s all around me is the proof of forces both understood and not yet known that resulted in the natural universe.  It is not evidence of a boogie man’s creation accept to those who cannot or will not examine the scientific evidence.   The Bible is no more evidence of a supreme being than the Koran is evidence that Muhammad flew to paradise on a winged horse. 

What would constitute proof of a supreme being to me would be something unmistakably beyond the laws of nature; something supernatural, inexplicable, in your face and observable by everyone so that it would discount simple psychosis and could be mistaken for nothing either natural or faked.
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As I lay there looking at the night sky it occurred to me how so very easy it would be for a supreme being - if it existed and if it really gave a fiddler’s damn about whether its creations believed in it or not -  to end the speculation and give everyone a chance to save themselves from the eternal hell it is said to have created for non-believers. Like what? 
Like this...

If one evening, every star in the sky began to move in unison, and converge to form an illuminated three dimensional Latin Cross that filled the entire void, leaving the rest of the sky utterly black, devoid of any stars or planets; with Jesus’ face superimposed upon it, speaking in all languages at once its expectations of us, and for good measure it simultaneously rained human blood across the planet; and this all lasted for 24 hrs so that every person on Earth could view the event for themselves ... I’d buy it.  I’d become the worlds greatest Christian.  Or if it were equally strong evidence of some other god being, I’d be first in line to at least apologize to it for my denial and happily sacrifice to it, grovel at its hooves, or otherwise demonstrate my reverence.. 

How hard can that be?  And what the heck is holding it up? Xtians will say there’s enough proof all around, and the bible should be sufficient so that god doesn’t need to pull any grandiose displays of its existence to satisfy everyone. Or that God doesn’t need to do miracles or magician’s tricks [anymore] to convince those who reject it. But that’s a cop out, self-serving intellectual dishonesty, since believers attribute “miracles” to God all the time, and take it as evidence of its existence and concern for humanity.

No, if a God created men to think, it knew that thinking leads to doubt, and diverse interpretation, and respect for science. If it really loved it’s creations it would end the debate and settle the matter, and permit everyone to live for eternity in paradise as Xtians are promised, by ensuring our thinking minds are satisfied beyond a shadow of a doubt. 

So, Xtians, believers, religionists, supernaturalists -  either have your god give us all the ultimate undeniable miracle that surpasses all human experience, explanation, reason, and laws of the universe or shut the hell up already.  I’m ready anytime it is...preferably at 11:00 pm EST.     

10 comments:

NewEnglandBob said...

" I laid down on the grass and watched a satellite, or the international space station, slowly creep across the sky and disappear into the dark space between the spangle of stars."

If I laid down on the grass at 11 PM the mosquitoes would devour me and then pick up whats left and dump it in the pool.

I am two-thirds into reading a book: "Daylight Atheism" by Adam Lee

http://www.amazon.com/Daylight-Atheism-ebook/dp/B008FQMPZY/ref=wl_it_dp_o_nS_nC?ie=UTF8&coliid=I2DXQ9HI67OUFD&colid=1KGXEPIXULXVW

who also has a blog: http://bigthink.com/blogs/daylight-atheism

His writing is clear, concise and he does a phenomenal job of getting his points across.

Anonymous said...

I find your requirements of GOD proof inadequate:

Even if all you described happen, how could one discount this was caused say by:

a) A gas leak (e.g. mass hysteria)
b) Super Tech (e.g. Anal probing Aliens/Men in Black)
c) An elaborate hoax on you (and everyone else in on it...).
d) You're brain damaged (and so are your neighbors)

Granted the above are extremely improbable, but slightly more probable then "God did it" (espcieally of the Jewish/Christian/Moslem variety).

- Fastthumbs

Dromedary Hump said...

Bob..this is NH. Mosquitoes aren't allowed after 10 pm. Thanks for the link, I'll check it out.

Fast...LOL.. well, you're a harder sell than I. If the entire planet, every man woman and child, was hoaxed or experienced mass hallucination simultaneously, shit.. I'd take that as a sign of a really weird God ;)

Jim Hudlow said...

Hump...first, the space station is 200 miles up going 17,000 mph...it crosses the sky FAST...I have seen it once. As for a god...if this "diety" had anything to do with the bible I would just flip her off until she burned me to a crisp. I hate that god with all my being. But if some really smart alternate entities offered us some ways to empirically investigate their manner of living or whatever that the less enlightened among us considered supernatural activity then fine. But I will need consistently repeatable proof for aliens smarter than us...let alone omni-everything being(s) that claim dominion over us. And even then I will lead the revolution.

Chatpilot said...

There is no proof that God could provide me of his existence that would make me worship him. If the bible is true then he is a tyrant and a monster not worthy of worship. I prefer to remain defiant and fry in hell forever, than to grovel to a God whose moral character is a disgrace and inferior to my own.

Nicole Stohr said...

Hump,
As I explained to my conservative Christian employer, that was a big part of what I don't understand about the book of Revelations...I mean, if I were Satan, why wouldn't I just buy a bible, see what they are saying I am going to do, where the big end game will be,(where I lose my ass, of course), and then just make a new game plan and surprise the SHIT out of everyone by doing something completely different? I mean....DUH. I'm not even an omnipotent lord of darkness and that would be what I would do! Perhaps read, The Art Of War beforehand and then Serve Jebus his ass on a platter....I mean, just sayin'

IniD said...

I dunno... even if God did exist and he did create the universe, I'm not sure that gives him the right to tell me how to live my life.

Anonymous said...

God happened to be flying around over Canada at 11:00 EST last night. You just missed him.

There's always some lame excuse as to why he hasn't shown himself. I'm sure we'll all see evidence come rapture time. /s

Dromedary Hump said...

Jim..thanks.. i guess it was a satellite of some sort.

Jim, Chat, IniD... well, this would assume that the Bible descriptor of this god is accurate. I'm not sure that is a reasonable assumption.
If a god demonstrates proof of existence to our satisfaction, it doesn't necessarily imply the Bible had any of its stories or personal qualities correct. I'd give the thing the benefit of the doubt, and let it prove and explain itself...before I join the "revolution." ;)

Nicole..you're being way too logical and rational. That will get you nowhere with your religious nutter boss...or, nowhere good ;)
Believers in Satan and god are too stupid to see the reasonableness of your idea.

Gristle..damnit!! Next time take a pic will ya?

Texas Mike said...

Hump, any good Southern Baptist will tell you EXACTLY why god does not provide proof. It is because salvation requires FAITH, silly camel.