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Post by Occam's Spork on Aug 12, 2021 23:23:59 GMT 10
It seems, for some atheists, that the need for religion and God isn't that unnecessary, after all..  |
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Post by pim on Aug 13, 2021 5:48:19 GMT 10
They've even got their own hymn, Occam, from Porgy and Bess ...
Oh, I got plenty o' nuttin'
And nuttin's plenty for me
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Post by Occam's Spork on Aug 20, 2021 7:51:36 GMT 10
Here's some more!
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Post by pim on Aug 20, 2021 12:42:57 GMT 10
Atheism is a challenging position to hold in a universe in which the Ultimate is a reality that passes all understanding. By which I mean that a universe with a Purpose - created by a Divinity for a reason - is as mind-boggling as a godless universe with no purpose, which is the ultimate Absurd.
Most of us are too busy with our little lives to bother our heads too much about these Big Questions but for those of us who do it’s a case of not being able to know the Unknowable so you’re thrown back onto Faith. I don’t despise Faith so I don’t knee-jerk reject it. But not everyone can acquire it so what do people do when - without Faith - they confront the Unknowable and conclude, based on the available evidence, that there’s nothing there that isn’t explainable by the laws of physics. If we live in an Absurd Universe - taking “absurd” to mean “absence of meaning or purpose” - then the Absurd is a reality that has to be dealt with. Hence the Myth of Sisyphus: the Titan of Greek myth and legend who displeased the Olympian gods and as punishment they condemned Sisyphus to perform an absurd task for eternity. A bit harsh I would have thought! These heathen gods could be bloody vindictive. I much prefer the Christian notion of forgiveness and redemption. Sisyphus’ absurd task was to roll a giant boulder painfully up the mountainside only to watch helplessly as it rolled back down once he reached the summit. He would then have to trudge back down to the bottom of the mountain and roll it back up again - with the same outcome. And this for all eternity. Atheist philosophers have tried to argue that Sisyphus could find happiness in his absurd task thus rendering it meaningful. You can agree or disagree with their arguments but I see an acknowledgment of the logic of atheism: that a godless universe is an absurd universe and rather than accept this as some sort of “proof” of God’s existence they accept the challenge that the Absurd poses: if the universe is Absurd then it has always been absurd so what’s the point of everything? Of human history? Of human existence? I’m not going to try to answer this in a trite sentence or two on a discussion board except to say that accepting the challenge of the question that the Absurd poses is a necessary first step. The questions are more important than the answers.
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Post by Gort on Aug 20, 2021 15:10:13 GMT 10
Meanwhile the proportion of Australians who describe themselves as having no religion has risen from 26.0% in 2003 to 45.5% in 2020 according to Roy Morgan research. Almost the majority view these days.  |
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Post by Occam's Spork on Aug 22, 2021 2:33:48 GMT 10
Many Christians wouldn't define themselves as 'religious' either.
So how precise would you think that is?
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