Agnostic Universe

I received a few tweets asserting that I’m “an atheist without a spine or a dictionary”. Another tweet said “agnostic isn’t a better label for anyone when it comes to belief, theism is a belief, atheism the lack of it.”

I agree that agnostic is not a label for belief because it concerns knowledge. You can go through this blog and see that I am consistently without theism and therefore atheist by definition of belief. I might be critical of religious belief at times but I wouldn’t consider myself anti-theist, just lacking in those beliefs as an atheist and not seeing their usefulness for being human.

Regardless, people’s beliefs aren’t as important as what they KNOW. I know that if someone claims gnosticism they don’t actually have provable knowledge of anything supernatural. I have yet to see such claims proven without some flawed and convoluted circular logic. Knowledge is more important than belief and from our knowledge of the universe we don’t know why it exists or the actual root cause for it to come to be if it hasn’t always existed. Anyone claiming such knowledge has not come with proof that we can all confirm and agree upon. It is from knowing the limits of our knowledge that we know theistic beliefs don’t have the answers and is why I embrace the Agnostic label as the most important to me. Atheist just doesn’t mean much. I don’t have the same beliefs as religious people, so what? Why don’t we believe them? Atheist only sounds contradictory: I don’t believe you. I’d rather say that we don’t know and beliefs aren’t important in the face of actual knowledge.

Another tweet said that “there is no supernatural since the big bang, anything before the big bang is, by definition, not natural, even if it’s not magical or aware.” I’m not sure I follow that comment, but I can say that since we’re in the universe I’m not sure if we can accurately determine what may be beyond our current phenomenon. We do try and we may one day find whatever caused creation if there really was such an event. See these recent articles from a SETI astronomer for interesting ideas in this area: Who or What Built the Universe? and When One Big Bang Is Not Enough.

The Big Bang as the first natural event of a completely natural existence may not be the complete picture.

Merry Christmas! This is the day Christians celebrate the fact that a married woman who had not yet had sex with her husband was impregnated by God through a Holy Ghost. It sounds like rape to me and if I were Joseph I’d be furious if Mary claimed she was impregnated by God.

Merry Yule! That’s for those of us that don’t believe such an odd story passed down from our more primitive ancestors.

This is a funny one from Atheist Cartoons to complement my post this month called Santa and God – The Same Kind of Real.

I love the British version of The Office and I think Ricky Gervais has always been outstanding. Now I know why I really like him as a person. Here’s some excellent holiday reading for you all:
A Holiday Message From Ricky Gervais: Why I’m an Atheist

Along with the excellent follow-up:
Does God Exist? Ricky Gervais Takes Your Questions

The fact that science can say “we don’t know” is exactly my point. Science doesn’t start with a set of convenient conclusions and try to justify them. It follows evidence. In fact, it tries to prove itself wrong. When it can’t, it’s right. Superstition, religion and blind faith cherry pick the evidence and justify the results by changing the goal posts. There are no cover-ups in science. For better or worse it finds stuff out. It has no moral code as such. It leaves those decisions to society. It discovers life saving drugs but leaves it up to you whether to use them or not. It discovers that splitting the atom can release a massive amount of energy very quickly and leaves it up to governments to try it out or not. It finds out what and how and why. It asks can we? Not should we? This is why it baffles me that some god fearers believe that without a god there is no reason to be good. Really?

If you don’t know what made the universe it seems pointless to say a God must have made it then. You have to then say “But what made God?” If you are then willing to say that God was always around, you may as well say that the universe was too. Saves time doesn’t it? How long did he wait till he made the universe by the way? And where was he? Did it turn out just like he planned? If he had to make another one would he do it any different? Where would he put it?

Since there is nothing to know about god, a comedian knows as much about god as any one else. An atheist however is alone in knowing that there is nothing to know so probably has the edge. An Atheist comedian can make people laugh about belief or lack of it. A good atheist comedian can make people laugh AND think about belief or lack of it. An agnostic would say that since you can neither prove the existence nor the non-existence of God then the only answer to the question “Is there a God?” is “I don’t know.” Basically they are saying just because you haven’t found something yet doesn’t mean it doesn’t exist. Well firstly we have to know what definition of God we are asking about. Many can be dismissed as logical impossibilities. In the same way that if you were asked can you imagine a square circle the answer is of course “No.” Let’s give them the benefit of the doubt. Let’s just say there is a definition of a God that is possible. Does he exist? “I don’t know” in this case is indeed the correct answer. However this must also be the answer to many other questions. Is there an elephant up your a—? Even if you’ve looked you can’t say “no.” It could be that you just haven’t found it yet. Please look again and this time really believe there is an elephant up there because however mad it sounds no one can prove that you don’t have a lovely big African elephant up your a—.

Peace to all mankind. Christian, Jew, Muslim and Atheist.

What about Agnostics?

Uhm?…I don’t know. Only joking. Yes even Agnostics.

Peace and goodwill to ALL mankind.

We love you Ricky! Peace and goodwill to you too!

I previously posted a great auto-tune of Carl Sagan and here’s a new one called Wave of Reason from Symphony of Science. It starts off with one of the orginal agnostics, Bertrand Russell. Below that is another one I like as well as the original auto-tune song that made me notice Symphony of Science. As much as a I like science and see it is a good source of answers, the emotional connection I feel for different music highlights the non-logical aspect of life that reminds me that science may never give me answers concerning things like joy and love. There is so much complexity to human existence that science and religion could never properly capture and explain in simple words. Why can’t people just admit that there is so much we do not know?

Here is We Are All Connected (ft. Sagan, Feynman, deGrasse Tyson & Bill Nye).

Here’s the Carl Sagan A Glorious Dawn song I previously posted that I absolutely love and is still the best one of these in my opinion.

I enjoy The Daily Show very much!

It’s that time of year again to have some fun with the kids and celebrate the secular aspects of an American Christmas. It’s also that time of year that I think about how Santa and God are the same kind of real. Yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Claus and he’s the God of the Children! He’s like a God with training wheels.

Santa Claus has some disputed origins from Sinterklass that might even trace some of his current traits back to Odin. The stories of the miracles of Santa have expanded and spread throughout the world because they are a compelling message of the true power of Santa. Santa could be credited with childhood morality and the source of all good girls and boys. We would certainly have an entire population of juvenile delinquents without Santa watching over them and keeping them good, right? The only reason for childhood goodness and morality is because Santa commands it in order to receive the ultimate gift he could give the children. That gift is to grant the wishes of the children for toys or other presents through the greatest miracle I’ve ever personally witnessed. That miracle is that all of those presents are delivered on a single night to all of the true believers of Santa around the world. If you don’t believe then you usually have to settle for lesser gifts from your parents or other loved ones. Some kids never receive presents at all no matter how much they wish for Santa to bring them. Hopefully the US Marine Corp Toys for Tots program can help them through the work of generous people like you.

This time of year I see all of the signs of Santa Claus and his believers spreading the message of Santa to keep him alive and well in the minds and hearts of the people. He has representatives in every mall spreading his image and message of goodness in trade for gifts. He’s all over our culture and media and does so much good that there would be no reason to stop this belief from continuing. I’ve personally witnessed and taken part in the greatest miracle I’ve ever seen and would never spoil that for any little kid today even though my own children have outgrown this belief. It’s fun and harmless for elementary school kids and younger as they do experience the real miracle of Santa. The concept of Santa delivers even though Santa himself is not real and what Santa is based on could never do what the concept has been able to accomplish year after year.

But what would you do if your teenager or coworker professed a deeply held belief in Santa? It’s a harmless belief, right? Can you imagine a distraught coworker coming in after the holidays fearing that they’re a bad or evil person because Santa didn’t deliver a present to their solitary apartment? Can you imagine a happy coworker that says with all honesty that Santa brought them an iPod for Christmas because they got a gift from “Santa” written in the handwriting of one of their loved ones? Do you really think that kind of delusion is a good thing and would be comfortable telling that person to not do something you think is wrong because Santa is watching and might not bring them a present next year?

There are parallels between the reality of what is accomplished by the concept of Santa and the concept of God. The concept of Santa has some good and harmless effects on humanity as long as we grow up and see Santa for what it really is so we can keep the adult part of this concept harmless. The concept and how we all perpetuate it for the children makes it feel very real for them. But what if we didn’t grow up and we thought Santa was still real in adulthood and that he just needed us to help deliver his presents? How would we treat the unbelievers that wouldn’t give credit to Santa for some presents? The goodness of our children are in jeopardy if we let the unbelievers stop serving Santa!

What will Santa bring you this year on his own without any help? How can you be a good person without a belief in Santa Claus? Borrowing from the United Coalition of Reason, millions of Americans are good without Santa. Think about it.

Happy Holidays everyone!!!

This little bit of fiction may seem odd, but bear with me. Stories are better when they have characters you are familiar with and understand. I think you’ll be very familiar with the characters and stories here.

Imagine if George Washington had accepted the wishes of the people that wanted to hold him up to be more than a simple man and crown him as their King of the United States. Imagine it is now back in that time. George Washington rules over us as a King and can decree all sorts of laws to punish us for what he decides are crimes. He could require all sorts of payments and penance for us to redeem ourselves in the eyes of the King as the sole ruler of our domain. George Washington was a good guy, so that’s why some people think it would be good to have someone like him with that much power over everything. Most people think its true and make it happen, so you should accept that George Washington is your King.

King George Washington lets all of that power go to his head and becomes a jealous King requiring all of his loyal subjects to love him above all others. He decrees that as a law in the First Amendment of the Constitution under the King’s new Bill of Commandments. Some of the other amendments make murder a crime, bans theft of private property, and makes adultery a crime the government should handle for us. We generally believe King George Washington is a good and righteous king overall even though he now requires unquestioning belief in his judgment and our unwavering loyalty or we risk a lifetime in a hellish prison.

George Washington, father and King of our country, eventually decides he needs to provide a son to the world since he considers himself the King of Kings. He believes his rule should live on to save us from our criminal instincts, lest we break down in to anarchy without his rule. He’s the King and can do just about anything he wants including having a son how he chooses. He decides the best way to do this is to demonstrate his power as King and use a nice young couple that had just gotten married. They haven’t had a chance to consummate the marriage and the young bride is still a virgin even though she has a husband. King George Washington rapes the young woman and forces her to have his child as the best way he can think of to provide the greatest gift he has for the country. King George Washington loves his new son and names him James Washington.

He realizes the people are suffering under his often misunderstood laws and that he loves the citizens of the country more than his own son. Even though he’s the King and makes all of the laws he can’t just undue them all by decree. That might make him look like he didn’t know what he was doing with all of those laws about slavery, goat sacrifices, and public stoning to punish certain offenses. King George Washington makes a new law, referred to as the New Deal, saying that if the Native Americans would kill James, then any crimes for those old laws would always be forgiven and the American people wouldn’t have to follow them anymore (now referred to as the Old Deal). King George Washington arranges for the murder of his only son to forgive the people of all crimes committed under the Old Deal laws he had made.

The citizens of the United States rejoice when King George Washington issues the New Deal for the country. The old laws required the citizens to love him as their only King, but under the New Deal he has devised a way for everyone to love him since he cares more about that than the breaking of any laws. There is now one condition for receiving a not guilty ruling for some of the old laws that make sense to continue to follow and any new laws the King and his growing set of advisors create. A person has to profess their belief in the King’s rule and offer King George Washington their love, and then the loving King finds them not guilty for their crimes. A person could murder someone but then can be found not guilty in the King’s eyes as long as they love and believe in their King. You still shouldn’t kill someone even though murder was a law under the Old Deal and the New Deal repealed some or all of those laws. You still shouldn’t kill someone even though your crimes can be pardoned by the King if you just believe in his judgment and love him. Believing in King George Washington is more important than anything so don’t worry about the details of crimes and forgiveness.

It does get a little confusing as the New Deal progresses because nobody hears from the King himself anymore and only gets messages through his advisors. The King’s advisors assure everyone the King still lives and that they’re authorized to pass along his new laws and pardons. We all must continue to love the King if we hope to have all of our crimes pardoned. It’s good to love the king and believe in his judgment. Why would you want to risk jail when his pardons are such a great gift?

Wouldn’t the United States have been great if we really could have made George Washington our King instead of just a President?

If a picture is worth a thousand words, then how many words is a video worth? I like finding well made videos about nonbelief since they serve as wonderful examples and tools for communicating what I believe. Here are two recent finds I enjoyed that I want to share.

Coffee with Bernie is a good dialog describing the nontheist point of view. Watching the back and forth between belief and nonbelief is more compelling than just presenting one view or the other by itself.

So now that you’ve heard arguments against belief in gods, now what? This next video is a good one with the honest dialog, beautiful pictures of the universe, and the music at the end. Science Saved My Soul is something that I personally find emotionally moving. It’s an agnostic religious experience. The jealous god of the Bible dreamed up by our primitive ancestors is pathetic in comparison to the majesty of the universe itself.

I added Bertrand Russell’s Liberal Decalogue to the Agnostic Universe online library. It’s a much better guide to morality than any religious writings I’ve read that usually cover obvious ethical viewpoints such as murder being a bad thing. Do we really need a god to tell us murder is bad?

Here is what an agnostic by the name of Bertrand Russell wrote in 1951, as good a year to write down words to live by as anything written 2166-440 BC or 50-95 AD:

1. Do not feel absolutely certain of anything.

2. Do not think it worth while to proceed by concealing evidence, for the evidence is sure to come to light.

3. Never try to discourage thinking for you are sure to succeed.

4. When you meet with opposition, even if it should be from your husband or your children, endeavor to overcome it by argument and not by authority, for a victory dependent upon authority is unreal and illusory.

5. Have no respect for the authority of others, for there are always contrary authorities to be found.

6. Do not use power to suppress opinions you think pernicious, for if you do the opinions will suppress you.

7. Do not fear to be eccentric in opinion, for every opinion now accepted was once eccentric.

8. Find more pleasure in intelligent dissent than in passive agreement, for, if you value intelligence as you should, the former implies a deeper agreement than the latter.

9. Be scrupulously truthful, even if the truth is inconvenient, for it is more inconvenient when you try to conceal it.

10. Do not feel envious of the happiness of those who live in a fool’s paradise, for only a fool will think that it is happiness.