I Don't Believe It

It is often asked of atheists, “What would it take to make you believe in God?” I think this is a fair question as atheists often have no compunction about asking exactly the opposite question. So I started thinking about all the common arguments for God’s existence and found that if one thinks about the various arguments even a little, they really make no sense. I just cannot accept any of the common arguments for the existence of a god and there doesn’t seem to be any argument for God that makes me say, “Well, maybe…” I’m not going to cover every argument for the sake of brevity, but give the basic argument and a quick response that gives the most superficial analysis, demonstrating the foolishness of the so-called proof.

Here are the most common arguments for the existence of God and why they fail in my view:

1.      “Because we had to come from somewhere (or) something had to create the universe.” The argument is circular; if everything has to have a cause, the first cause requires a cause as well. Even if there were a first cause, this says nothing about who or what the first cause is. For example, imagine a robot with the knowledge to build a robot exactly like itself. Should the built robot consider its builder a god? 

2.      “Because the universe appears as though it was designed (or) because the universe is fine-tuned for life.” First, assuming this is true, is says nothing about the designer or designers who again, must have been designed themselves. Two, the universe appears as ordered as it appears chaotic, but not designed. Arguments of design presuppose how any given person would design a universe from scratch. 

3.      “Because belief in God is intuitive.” No it is not. If someone grew up without anyone else around, it is unlikely they would have any conception of the supernatural unless they were seeking explanations for things they could not explain. Even if a belief in the supernatural is a proclivity hardwired into our genes, as it appears, particulars regarding belief are contingent upon a person’s immediate environment. 

4.      “Because morality has to come from somewhere.” Morality is driven by culture and is relative; there are no universal moral maxims that exist necessarily. Even if God did exist we couldn’t be sure such a being were moral since that being would either be able to say whatever they want as being moral (in which case God may be an evil dictator) or have a system outside of itself by which they recognize morality. 

5.      “Because miracles have happened.” There has never been an event shown to violate the known laws of the universe, which is the definition of a miracle. Self-appointed prophets have never been able to demonstrate they can perform a miracle. 

6.      “Because prophecies have come true.” These always just happen to be cases of interpretation. Notice that prophecies are never very specific, which helps them be ‘fulfilled.’ A prophecy is also not a prophecy when the future is written after an event has transpired. Of course, holy men are never that dishonest. 

7.      “Because people have reported visions of Heaven.” Delusions. Notice that visions of Heaven always reflect Heaven as it is imagined by the religion of the person claiming to have seen such a place. No one imagines seeing Heaven in a way that doesn’t include some information they have come across previously.

8.      “Because this life cannot be all there is.” Why not? Just because one has an unpleasant life is not reason to conclude there is a better life waiting for them after they are dead. It is also interesting that people who want to believe in Heaven due to the amount of suffering or evil they see in their Earthly life are often the same people willing to make others suffer when those others don’t adhere to the same beliefs. 

9.      “Because the Bible/Torah/Koran is historically accurate.” Even if some events in scriptures are accurate, this does not reflect an overall accuracy. Imagine a geology book before the discovery of plate tectonics; some of the information may be accurate but that doesn’t mean the book is accurate in its entirety. 

10.   “Because if you don’t believe and God does exist, you won’t like the consequences (aka Pascal’s Wager).” Accepting Pascal’s Wager has been shown to actually increase the likelihood that one may be wrong about God’s existence because the wager (as originally formulated) doesn’t account for other religions. Pascal’s Wager also works in the opposite direction, for if one finds out on their death bed that God does not exist, they have wasted their life believing in God. 

11.   “Because God is a perfect being.” (Often attributed to Thomas Aquinas) It is argued that God must exist since existence is entailed in the definition of a perfect being, which God is. But this is like saying the perfect woman exists simply because in order for her to be perfect, she must exist by virtue of what is included in the definition of a ‘perfect woman.’ Nonsense. If you think otherwise, please produce a perfect flying unicorn. 

12.   “Because I have experienced God (or God’s presence).” Problem with anecdotal evidence is that it makes everyone’s experience of God equally valid. If one says that they have experienced the Christian god’s presence, their claim to the truth about God is no more valid than someone who says they have experienced the presence of Allah or even the Flying Spaghetti Monster. Personal visions do not equal universal truths. 

13.   “Because there is good and evil.” This is a really dumb argument as even if we did have acts that were intrinsically good or evil, this says nothing about the origin of good and evil and nothing that prevents intrinsically good or evil acts from being rooted in our evolution. Moreover, if you consider some acts to be more or less good or more or less evil than others, how was it ever determined that anything was ever intrinsically good or evil in the first place?

14.   “Because human beings are special.” In what way? Because we build things by destroying other things? Because of our seemingly advanced communication skills that nonetheless breakdown when resources are at stake? Because we can imagine a god in our own likeness? Because we are conscious beings who cannot explain how they came to be this way (not yet anyway)? None of these questions points to human beings being any more special than any other animal in their own way. 

15.   Finally, here’s one I haven’t heard in a long time, probably because it is so dumb; the Argument from Aesthetic Perfection, “There is the music of Johann Sebastian Bach. Therefore there must be a God. (You either see this one or you don't.)” I don’t see it, probably because there is nothing there.

As it stands, there appears to be no argument that can make me even consider the existence of a god because even if we did find some powerful being with vast knowledge and incredible powers, we couldn’t be sure the being wasn’t just a really smart alien with a really intimate knowledge of physics. Theists would do well to simply try to avoid using reason to argue for the existence of a god since no reason (so far) stands up to scrutiny. I have a lot more respect for people who say they believe in God simply because they want to, not because they claim to have proof. They don’t. And if that person then tells me there is nothing I could say to make them not believe in God, I’d call it even and we should all grab a drink together and chill the fuck out.

My NDE

It happened in 1994. What was supposed to be a mundane trip to the garage to get a something – I don’t remember what – turned into the most bizarre experience of my life. I had a near-death-experience (NDE).

Before I get to my experience, I am writing this blog entry in reference to an article I read a few days ago on “death science,” an emerging branch of science investigating the possibility of life beyond death. Now, I am not going to say whether there is life after death or not, I don’t know and it’s going to be an extremely difficult thing to test (much less prove) but I agree in part with Socrates, who regards death in any manner a win since we either go into an eternal sleep or enter a blissful spiritual realm (as related in Plato’s Apology). I have also experienced some of the qualities typically associated with NDE’s through meditation; infinite happiness and infinite sorrow. But, I did not experience either during my NDE. In reading about the experiences of other NDE’ers, it seems my experience was atypical. Here’s what happened.

I was going out the back door of my mother’s house to the garage. The back door was a screen door and although it was the summer, she still had the winter glass installed. Annoyed about going out to the garage for something I thought I had already brought in the house, I pushed the door open too forcefully which broke the spring at the top of the door. The door came back towards me rapidly and in an effort to protect myself, I stuck out my right arm. The glass struck the tip of my elbow and shattered, cutting my forearm in three places, the largest gash being three inches long. I saw blood fly everywhere and knew immediately I was in trouble, so I grabbed my right arm with my left hand to apply pressure. Instinctively, I ran towards the neighbor’s house for help since my mother was not home and I knew I couldn’t dial a phone. The neighbor, Jimmy, wasn’t home, so I had to run downstairs to his tenant’s apartment, get passed the guard dog there, and ask the tenant to call an ambulance.

I slumped against the wall outside their door to wait for help. Meanwhile, the dog was barking in my face which at this point meant little to me. Then, nothing. It was like someone flicked a switch and turned me off; I’d blacked out from blood loss.

The next thing I was aware of was something like a ball approaching me, but I understood this mass of whatever-it-was to be my life experiences. It struck me like a tidal wave and over the next split-second, I re-lived everything that had ever happened in my entire life up to the point I blacked out, after which I blacked out again. At some point I’d woken up and the dog was biting and scratching at me, but I don’t remember who pulled him off. Eventually, the EMT’s arrived and put me on a gurney and whisked me off to the hospital. There, my surgeon said there was so much blood, he initially thought I was a gunshot victim and then sewed me up with 120 stitches. Because I was still in danger from blood loss and because the doctor started stitching me up before the local anesthesia could start working, I would not get to reflect on me NDE until the next day.

While the NDE was bizarre, it wasn’t life changing. I suppose it should be, though, because if I am going to re-live my life again when I die, I should be pursuing more pleasures and spend less time worrying or being stress-out over life’s little challenges. Then again, was it really an NDE? How close was I to dying? The anecdotal evidence surrounding NDE’s implies some truly strange things happen in the brain when one is near death, but should it mean anything beyond possibly being the brain’s one last gasp to save itself? While I can certainly see an evolutionary reason why some NDE’er experience extreme happiness during an NDE, I don’t see why other NDE’ers would experience extreme sorrow or have an experience such as mine. To be clear, I am not trying to make a case for an afterlife here, just that such experiences deserve a great deal more research. Undoubtedly, such research will either be extremely pleasing to theists, or, just the opposite. Unlike many atheists, I do think this avenue of research deserves to be pursued if for no other reason than it will help us to understand the brain.

I am thankful for my experience. When I reflect on it, knowing what I know now, I remind myself that I need to spend more time on sex, drugs, and rock-n-roll and a little less time being mean to Justin Bieber.

My Top 10 Favorite Books

I got the "Name 10 Books That Stuck With You" Challenge from my friend, Ruth. This was not easy since I like to read so many different things. So, yes, it was a challenge, unlike the ice bucket challenge which is just inane. In as close order as I could get them...

10-The Information by James Glieck. A fascinating review of the transmission of information throughout human history. I know, probably interesting only to me.
9-Hithching Rides with Buddha by Will Ferguson. Reading this right now and not even finished but this is my favorite travel memoir ever that recounts the author’s comic adventures as he hitchhikes his way across Japan, chasing the cherry tree blossoms.
8-Me Talk Pretty One Day by David Sedaris. My first and hardly last David Sedaris book. His memoirs are hysterical.
7-The Great Big Book of Horrible Things by Matthew White. The top 100 atrocities in human history, few of which which actually caused by religion (much to the horror of New Atheists everywhere).
6-The Fountainhead by Ayn Rand. Finer in scope than her more well-known Atlas Shrugged, The Fountainhead is about a man who holds himself as the measure of all things. I identify deeply with the protagonist, Howard Roark.
5-Lila by Robert Persig. This sequel to the cult classic Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance really hammers home some of the greatest problems facing Western Philosophy as a path towards knowledge.
4-The Tao of Pooh by Benjamin Hoff. I’ve always found Taoism attractive as far as life philosophies go, and here the author makes its ideas relatable through analyzing Winnie the Pooh’s characters.
3-The Bible. As entertainment, the Bible is hard to beat.
2-Encyclopedias. I grew up reading them because I wanted to know more about the world. I think it’s important to know a little bit about everything.
1-Comic books. Not strictly a book, but some of the greatest stories ever told have come out of comic books. Some of my favorite stories of all-time include Marvel's The Thanos Quest, DC's Watchmen, and Batman's A Death in the Family.