In the next blog posts I'll be listing the main ones.
1. The World is Full of Evil and Suffering
Before:
Maybe I'm just a too sympathetic guy, but I can't bring myself to reconcile with the fact there's so much suffering around the world, and at the same time there's some all-powerful dude out there who is doing nothing to fix it.
It started with me being rather selfish as a child (I see it now), and being rather dumbfounded that I'm doing my best to be a "good boy", and yet the "bad guys" are the ones who get popular, get all the girls, and all in all seem successful... while I'm being picked on by thugs for no reason, and can't get any girl to like me.
In a world where good people are supposed to be rewarded and bad people are supposed to be punished, this state of affairs did not make sense to me.
In time, as I grew up, I was exposed to more and more suffering around the world. There are no words to express just how much evil exists in the world... And the most ironic part? The worst possible atrocities are committed in the name of... you guessed it: Religion.
After:
Once I came to accept the fact that there's no God, and there's no divine reward/punishment system in place, I came to the following conclusion:
Humans are aggressive and selfish animals. They are social animals, but at the same time, the concept of the strong survives is still biologically important. It's natural selection. It's simple math:
Take two groups of people: One is aggressive, the other is docile.
Put them in the same location. What would happen?
Since the first group is aggressive, it'll behave aggressively towards the second group.
Since the second group is docile, it will not respond aggressively to the first group.
The first group will eventually exterminate the second group.
Thus the aggressive group flourishes, while the docile group perishes; the 'aggressive genes' move on, while the 'docile genes' go extinct.
Here's another scenario:
Take two groups of people which are identical in terms of aggressiveness.
Put each of them in a different ecosystem: One is in a lush and fertile environment. The other in a harsh desert environment.
The first group can breed and sustain itself rather easily because resources and food are plentiful and easy to access.
The second group has a limited amount of available resources and food. If the group keeps breeding, soon enough they'll exhaust the resources of the environment. They'll have two options:
Either emigrate to a different ecosystem.
Or fight over the resources among themselves.
Those that stay and fight will in time develop instinctive aggressive traits, because that's how they'll survive. They'll be more protective of their bloodline because trust will be difficult to come by (it's easier to trust your own family to not kill you over a well of water for example).
And thus, in time, the first group becomes more docile, while the second group becomes aggressive and over-protective.
There are other examples of scenarios that can explain why would humans become aggressive and selfish. But I don't think there's a point of listing all of them here. If you just put your head to it and/or do some research, it's rather easy to think about such scenarios.
So in conclusion, there are biological, environmental, and genetic explanations to why there's evil and suffering in the world.
Put a divine entity into the mix and suddenly it won't make sense:
An all-powerful being could equalize the environments and give a fair chance to all groups. In a perfect world, there's no need to fight over resources. If you were an all-powerful being, you could think of countless ways to make things better.
But take the divine entity out of the equation, and everything falls into place: The world has evil and suffering because that's how humans survive in a limited-resources environment - on the expense of others. It makes so much more sense, and most importantly - these scenarios are SCIENTIFICALLY DEMONSTRABLE. There were numerous scientific experiments which were done on mice and apes, where exactly this outcome has happened.
Watch the world news at any point in time, and you'll see the same outcome in humans.
Though you are right in effect of the groups with either agressive (or survival instinct) and the docile ones, I think you are running a bit astray with the limited overview on groups in different ecosystems. Remember, that when survival gets endangered, species will fight among themselves too, until a solution is presented. In sense of humans, that doesn't automatically need to be the agressive entities.
ReplyDeleteAnyway, you are really on a roll and I think your text should be a strong 'pilar' for ending ignorance.
Thanks!
DeleteCan you give me an example for the following?:
"In sense of humans, that doesn't automatically need to be the agressive entities."
Dude you have a fair point .
ReplyDeleteOk let's take this to the effect it is what you say it is and the system is what your seeing it as . Yes your right that the times we live in are extremely unfair but have you actually put WHO these people are who are doing this .
Who has the resources to pull this off ? What are these resources ? Where are these resources ? And what is the best way to get them ?
All in all who is pulling these strings basically . Who is the one who can pull this off and then blame it on the easiest scapegoat their is RELIGION? There is good and there is evil . Even in the scenario you have given that exists.
Times are what they are but have you questioned IF their was a GOD what time it is on his clock and not mine or yours ?
Just food for thought .
OK another scenario for you . You have ultimate two possible situations and we were to make program model using the variables I am going to give you .
On one model you have 'do as thou wilt ' and on the other had 'gods law' say just the 10 commandments .
Which model will survive longer ?
"All in all who is pulling these strings basically . Who is the one who can pull this off and then blame it on the easiest scapegoat their is RELIGION? There is good and there is evil . Even in the scenario you have given that exists"
DeleteFirst, you're presupposing a "who". This is begging the question. You need to first demonstrate that such a who exists and in fact they're responsible for this.
Second, I don't think there EVER was a time in known history where religion was perfect and everything was good. Even in your supposedly perfect Islam in your Hadiths and history it is drenched in violence and oppression - I don't care whether you think it's justified or not, it's still violence in the name of religion.
"Who is the one who can pull this off and then blame it on the easiest scapegoat their is RELIGION?"
Way to escape responsibility.
"Times are what they are but have you questioned IF their was a GOD what time it is on his clock and not mine or yours ?"
It's that time when your God decided to be a dick probably. Is that what you mean?
"On one model you have 'do as thou wilt ' and on the other had 'gods law' say just the 10 commandments ."
That's a false dichotomy and you know it. Either of the extremes is impractical and unrealistic, and none of them will survive long.
In fact, this scale is wrong. You're looking at it the wrong way.
The scale should be: 'complete free will' on one side, and 'complete order' on the other.
On the first extreme is where everyone does as they want without repercussions or regard for others - a total state of anarchy.
On the other extreme is where every single action you make in life is ordered and controlled, even your own thoughts - a total state of mindless robots.
The ideal state then, is somewhere in the middle.
*The World is Full of Evil and Suffering* excuse for being an Atheist.
ReplyDeleteTROUNCING REASON: Circular fallacious reasoning, Atheism is the cause of said Evil and Suffering. If everyone is a manipulator riding off other's unrequited good efforts, soon the wagon of parasites will come to a halt, as everyone left alive will be in the wagon with no one to pull it.
*SOLUTION*: expose the parasite's _modis operandi_, then they either accept JESUS, or perish by their own lack of effort. No other action is necessary other than alerting everyone to their existence and methods, the rest is automagic, the *WE-R(c)*, i.e. REAL ROBOTICS will take place.
"Atheism is the cause of said Evil and Suffering"
DeleteThat's a non-sequitor. History has proven time and time again that the worst atrocities are done in the name of religion (be it religion worshiping a god, like Christianity, or a state-religion worshiping a country/leader). Any dogma that promotes a mindset of "us vs them" is divisive, detrimental, and WILL BE ABUSED eventually for violence and conflict. Your dogma is no different.
"*SOLUTION*: expose the parasite's _modis operandi_"
So basically, you're saying everyone should be spamming the internet with anti-Jewish conspiracy theory like you do, and then, magically, everything will be better?
" then they either accept JESUS, or perish by their own lack of effort."
Does that mean that 'accepting JESUS' is 'an effort'? How would that promote anything practical, other than making everyone go to church every Sunday to worship a piece of bread?
"the rest is automagic"
Yeah, somehow I find it hard to believe anyone who would explain away something using a word like "automagic".