Book: The Reason for God - one for Kelly?
Posted on: August 29, 2008 - 5:47am
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Book: The Reason for God - one for Kelly?
Hey folks,
Anyone seen or read the book being promoted here?
http://www.thereasonforgod.com/
I've had a look at the reading guide on the site and it at least seems like he's rehashing the same old appeals. I just wondered if anyone had actually read it and could give a review of it.
M
Forget Jesus, the stars died so that you could be here
- Lawrence Krauss
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I find the book reviews, like in Amazon very helpul. For me I take religious discussion as a discussion of me and you, as we are the Christ, the Buddha etc. In the east it is more about who is your favorite "mentor". In the west it's more like my mentor or fuck you. I find wise and silly in all religious philosophies and groups. Heck, the "Twilight Zone" is profound and silly too.
I am an atheist materialist to the bone, but I am also a jesus, buddha, taoist, confucius, hindu, mythology fan. But FUCK dogma by any design .... i am god as you are god as all is god, period. Fuck all supernatural separatism. Whatever the fuck there is, is ME and YOU. What is not connected?
Anyway, that book is irritating me already, and would be mostly a waste my time reading it, being god, as I AM. Oh, but the minds of the god clueless? In that regard, maybe something of value is in that book. Yeah, a look into "separatists" dellusional world view.
Atheism Books.
Well, taking a couple of minutes, I can address a couple of his points.
Jephthah was was moved by the "Spirit of the Lord" to make this oath:
And Jephthah made a vow to the LORD : "If you give the Ammonites into my hands, whatever comes out of the door of my house to meet me when I return in triumph from the Ammonites will be the LORD's, and I will sacrifice it as a burnt offering." - Judges 11:30-31
After which, the first person he meets is his daughter:
When Jephthah returned to his home in Mizpah, who should come out to meet him but his daughter, dancing to the sound of tambourines! She was an only child. Except for her he had neither son nor daughter. When he saw her, he tore his clothes and cried, "Oh! My daughter! You have made me miserable and wretched, because I have made a vow to the LORD that I cannot break." - Judge 11:34-35
And, after giving her two months to grieve:
"You may go," he said. And he let her go for two months. She and the girls went into the hills and wept because she would never marry. After the two months, she returned to her father and he did to her as he had vowed. And she was a virgin. - Judges 11:38-39
This is just one explicit mention of God requiring a blood sacrifice of a child by inspiring a rash oath. By Keller's own argument, we should rank the Judeo/Christian belief very low indeed.
I base it on the proposition that there is a just, fair, loving God. If there was, then the universe would be a more just, fair place for humans. Since it is not, the premise must be incorrect.
An omnipotent, omnibeneficent god would not have to oppose harmful elements. As the author of all things, he can set up the scenario however he likes. And, given omniscience, he should also know all of the consequences of the scenario he creates. So, he deliberately put the serpent in the garden. He deliberately allowed the Earth to be so filled with wickedness that it was better to drown it. And so on and so forth. At best, the idea of a wrathful god is childish. I would punish my children for exhibiting such behavior. At worst, it is outright evil. Either way, it is silly to think that such a god is anything more that a projection of human nature onto an omnipotent screen.
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Those are just a few answers off the top of my head. If I didn't need to get to work, I could keep going. Anyone else care to take a stab?
All that is necessary for the triumph of good is that evil men do nothing.