Tuesday, October 17, 2006

Tuesday

9 comments:

Anonymous said...

Is that God looking at the world gone wrong?

Jacques de Beaufort said...

There is no god.

Anonymous said...

Maybe there is a God but he is more human than we all thought and he is a really bad parent.

Jacques de Beaufort said...
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Jacques de Beaufort said...

No...definately no god.
You, on the other hand, do have a human parent already. Please look up Sam Harris(author) on wikipedia for further questions

Anonymous said...

Sam Harris is an observational genius. Every person on the face of the planet should have to study what he is saying. But it wouldn't change much because people run the world and make their own decisions and too many people in power make really bad decisions. We can't say that because the people make poor decisions that there is no God even though it seems that way because those who believe in God think that he is in control of the world and those people assume that everything must make sense somehow because God is 'just'. That's the problem. There is no God controling the world and many heinous things are done in the name of religion. There is no real justice. There is power. A few people control that. The one's who believe in God need to grow up and become accountable for their own actions and stop using religion as an excuse or a justification for exerting control on others.

Jacques de Beaufort said...

Human beings need to be part of something greater than oneself, to believe that one's life makes sense and not to be faced with the yawing abyss of nothing that haunts us at ever turn, This is why 39 people in San Diego committed suicide in 1997-to go to another planet on the tail of a comet...or 900 people took their own lives in Guyana for Jim Jones. And is the same reason that otherwise reasonable and rational people turn to theistic religion..because of emptiness and fear and the need for a father figure, that fear of being an individual alone in the world. And if millions of other people believe in a cult..then it must be legit. Unfortunately, the strength of these convictions and the rapidly proliferating nuclear capabilities means that some sort of disaster is more than likely in the long...if not short term.

Speaking out against the dangers that religion poses to humanity should be the highest priority in the intellectual community at this time. I'm not sure that it will be successful...but I'd hate to be complicit in the destruction of mankind. Being an atheist doesn't mean you don't love mankind or are lacking in spiritual empathy...quite the contrary. It means that you have enough courage to face the end with a clear and rational mind, with dignity and grace. Not with a soul clouded and perversed by mindbending and absolutist religious dogma.....or maybe South Park is right and we should all become Mormons.

Who am I talking to?

Anonymous said...

Disaster has already happened and we live in it every day. If we navigate the day without stepping on a landmine - it is a good day. If we do step on a landmine and survive, then we pick ourselves up again and go on hoping that we learned enough not to step on another one.

A person can talk forever about the changes that could make the world a better place but if you aren't giving lip service to the popular opinion it's like fighting a tidal wave. Someone once said that if most people are doing something one way then it's probably the wrong way to do it. There are too many sheep in the world and the shepherds tend to be wolves.

That said, there are many great people in the world it would be a priviledge to know, many kind and generous acts that go unhealded because they don't sell newspapers, and there is much that is wonderful to be experienced. The most difficult times make possible the most beautiful and meaningful opportunities. There is still joy to be had.

Who am I? Just one of the millions of people on this planet who by knowing you would find their lives enriched.

Jacques de Beaufort said...

Wow, thanks. I could say the same! It's great that someone is out there with such intelligence and character!