Half way to infinity.

Most of the way through the  Psalms which makes me about half way through the Bible.  I have to be honest, it is a very, very poorly written book.  It is repetitive, boring, the lessons are outdated, impractical, or just morally wrong in relation to modern views.  Moreover, the Bible is repetitive.  It is the same 4 stories, told over and over and over and over and over and over.  Anyone who says this is great literature is full of shit.  It is horrid.  At the same time, I am also reading the Harry Potter books, which offers a more believable narrative, has a plot, and is much more enjoyable.

I am going to be taking a little break from the Bible, I just can’t take any more of the worst book, by far, that I have ever read.

In the meantime, I will be working on some retro, portable video games, on one of my other sites.  Until then, I am sure no one is chomping on the bit to read more of my commentary on the Bible.

CARMing questions

Came across these ‘questions for Atheists’ so here are my answers.

How would you define atheism?

The lack of belief in a higher power, entity, or magical creatures that violates the physical laws of this universe.

Do you act according to what you believe (there is no God) in or what you don’t believe in (lack belief in God)?

This is an absurd question, but there is/are no god(s)  I act in accordance to the federal, state, and local government laws, made by man.  Morally I act in the way that my parents, upbringing, and experiences as an adult have shaped.

Do you think it is inconsistent for someone who “lacks belief” in God to work against God’s existence by attempting to show that God doesn’t exist?

No, I do not think this is inconsistent.  I want people to know the how the world really works.

How sure are you that your atheism properly represents reality?

Atheism is not a representation of reality.  It is lack of a belief in a god/higher power/magic dragons.  From what I can tell, a materialistic view of the world or universe is the most accurate by the fact it is a consistent, repeatable and independent of belief.

How sure are you that your atheism is correct?

I am as certain as is humanly possible that there are no god(s).

How would you define what truth is?

Truth is a construct of the human mind, a type of thought and is subjective.

Why do you believe your atheism is a justifiable position to hold?

Yes, since it comports with what we can observe in the real world.

Are you a materialist or a physicalist or what?

I am a materialist.

Do you affirm or deny that atheism is a worldview? Why or why not?

It is not a worldview, it is the default position anyone should take in regards to a god.

Not all atheists are antagonistic to Christianity but for those of you who are, why the antagonism?

I am antagonistic because the damage Christianity and just about any supernatural belief does to the advancement of humanity.

If you were at one time a believer in the Christian God, what caused you to deny His existence?

Poorly worded question.  I am nominally a Christian.  Finding out there was no Santa Claus and dinosaurs are not in the Bible are the initial reason I started to question.

Do you believe the world would be better off without religion?

Yes.

Do you believe the world would be better off without Christianity?

Yes.

Do you believe that faith in a God or gods is a mental disorder?

No, but it is a delusion.

Must God be known through the scientific method?

Yes, of course, any real thing can be subject to the scientific method.

If you answered yes to the previous question, then how do you avoid acategory mistake by requiring material evidence for an immaterial God?

The burden of proof falls on you, not me. What category does your god fall into?  Immaterial?  Then you can’t test for something that is imaginary.

Do we have any purpose as human beings?

No, not in the grand scheme of things.  We make our own purpose.

If we do have purpose, can you as an atheist please explain how that purpose is determined?

We do not have purpose.

Where does morality come from?

From humans working together/the human brain and evolutionary pressures.

Are there moral absolutes?

No.

If there are moral absolutes, could you list a few of them?

No.

Do you believe there is such a thing as evil? If so, what is it?

No.

If you believe that the God of the Old Testament is morally bad, by what standard do you judge that He is bad?

The morality of the Old Testament are just the written down morality of the people at the time are would be considered brutal by modern customs.

What would it take for you to believe in God?

The same evidence that everything else requires, we can measure it, repeatably.  Like everything else in the universe.

What would constitute sufficient evidence for God’s existence?

Same as above, same question, reworded.

Must this evidence be rationally based, archaeological, testable in a lab, etc., or what?

Any of those would be nice.  At this point there is no evidence.

Do you think that a society that is run by Christians or atheists would be safer? Why?

Atheists would run a safer world.  See Japan, France, The Netherlands, and their much lower crime rate .  They have a lot of non believers.  Atheists believe we should do good now, to help other members or our own species.   There is no do over or happy place after death, so working together to make the here and now better.

Do you believe in free will? (free will being the ability to make choices without coersion).

No.  We are limited by the chemical processes in our mind.  It is an illusion.

If you believe in free will, do you see any problem with defending the idea that the physical brain, which is limited and subject to the neuro-chemical laws of the brain, can still produce free will choices?

No, see above.

If you affirm evolution and that the universe will continue to expand forever, then do you think it is probable that given enough time, brains would evolve to the point of exceeding mere physical limitations and become free of the physical and temporal, and thereby become “deity” and not be restricted by space and time? If not, why not?

This question shows you do not understand physics.  The universe will eventually suffer heat death, and no matter how evolved we are, this will not allow us to avoid the extinction of this universe.

If you answered the previous question in the affirmative, then aren’t you saying that it is probable that some sort of God exists?

I answered no, so god(s) do not exist.