Tuesday, October 25, 2005

Life, death, and the eternal question of why

Disclaimer: The contents of this rant may or may not me my true opinion. I do not want to be stabbed in the heart with a wooden stake by some crazy christian fundamentalist.


I am pain’s overseer for the better half of the 21st century. The second half, the worse half, will be after our time, and the new generation will suffer the legacy we left it. Poverty, pollution, population. Pain. Why was I born now? Is this fate? Who’s the guy writing out fate? I want to know because that fucker is my arch nemesis. But really, I don’t believe it; I can’t see why fate would exist when the world is on such a downward spiral. Or maybe it’s in the cards that we fall. Just as there is no proof of a big dude with a beard in the sky there is no proof that there exist forces such as fate, luck, or karma. We were created. No one can say for sure that it was ‘just an accident’ that so much fucking mass came into being just like that and exploded for no apparent reason to create what we now call the universe, just as no one can say for sure that some madman called Jesus was the son of a bearded fuckwit in the sky. What a half assed effort of a theory that is.

I am sick of people thinking they know when they don’t know shit. Atheists are just as moronic and ignorant as the religious. Both come to absolute decisions without a shred of credible proof of either assumption. “There is no god”. What the fuck would you really know, just because nothing shows its face doesn’t mean some huge entity didn’t accidentally blow up some mass in an alien test tube several times the size of our universe in a dimension where one second to them is a million years to us and the birth and inevitable death of our universe is a blink-and-you-miss-it event. And I can prove this is true because I have FAITH, faith in the test tube theory. If only faith was sufficient like catholics seem to think. If you ask them a difficult question about their beliefs they bring it all back to faith, and you can’t go wrong when you have faith for an answer. Now a note about faith: faith is for the fearful that need something to cling on to. It’s a safety net, but hey whatever it takes to stay happy. Just don't dictate it to everyone else. We’ll make up our own minds.

Now the religious reading this are shaking their heads, “The Lord pities your ignorance, Jesus loves you, but you must repent if you are to save yourself from eternal damnation.” Are these people insane? They are clearly hearing voices; they are textbook schizophrenics. Now, what faulty nerve endings are responsible for the idea that he even knows the meaning of pity, ever think emotion is a human curse? Ohhh wait you assumed this god was human. Because god made us in his image right? Well if we were truly made in his image WHY CAN'T I MAKE MY OWN UNIVERSE.

Are there so few levelheaded people out there that realize with me how little is known and how little will ever be known? Why must people come to such half-baked, senseless conclusions? I say to the billions of fools of this planet: accept that our universe’s existence is a mystery shrouded in black matter until the sky cracks open and great Beelzebub descends once and for all to rape and pillage all of humanity.

Don’t think for a second that this is the outlook of a gloomy man, on the contrary, I just refuse to live in denial, and I’d love more to have some mystery about life rather than a retarded and dated concept such as the bible. Adam and eve can eat my ass.

This is the Age of Superstition disguised as Reason. Put me in the dark ages when the world was flat; throw modern societies’ ‘knowledge’ in the incinerator, do it, because ignorance is the path to true enlightenment. The less known is the less damage done to this fragile mass of crapola. But fuck that, I’m gonna save my breath, because the damage is already done.

The End


Now read Juan's rant on POP FAKERS below.
- Some guy bought 12 copies of the single voodoo child by rogue traders today, he said all the other shops were sold out of it and that they were going for $30 on ebay. Found this hard to believe since its the worst song on the singles chart at the moment and there is stiff competition from the likes of crazy frog, rhianna, jessica simpson and robbie williams. Sigh. Anyway I checked ebay tonight and there is one copy of voodoo child selling for eighty-seven cents. That idiot now has 12 copies of a terrible song, I pity the poor souls that will be getting this as a present from him come Christmas. I pity his entire close and extended family.

Comments on "Life, death, and the eternal question of why"

 

Blogger JP said ... (2:00 AM) : 

"Beelzebub descends once and for all to rape and pillage all of humanity."

I don't care how powerful the Devil is, but he is NOT going to conquer my ass dagnabbit.

 

Blogger Jason said ... (10:44 PM) : 

Oh no! You've asked for it now.

The first thing I want to do is address what I consider to be an unacceptable generalisation. An unacceptable generalisation is one made about a group of people in relation to a characteristic which is not a requirement membership to that group.

Secondly, I would like to say that I am not what is widely considered to be a "normal Christian". I don't agree with believing something just because someone has told you it is the case, especially in religious, metaphysical and existential matters. I want you to understand that I am not just parroting what someone else has told me to say.

Thirdly, some assertations I make in this comment may be reliant on a belief in the Christian God. Whether or not you have this belief, let's assume that it's true. If anyone would like me to go into why I believe it, etc., then I'd be more than happy to do so.

"Poverty, pollution, (over-) population. Pain. Why was I born now? Is this fate? Who's the guy writing out fate?"

The pitiful state of the earth is not a valid proof or even a contributory factor to a proof for the non-existence of God. The Bible very clearly states that things will get worse before they get better (let's not get into the origin of evil, which, if the Biblical God exists, must be God Himself).

I have a dualistic view on fate. While God knows what is going to happen, He doesn't make it happen. While God plans for what is going to happen, He doesn't make those plans come true. If God did either of these things, He would be violating the free will with which He claimed to provide us, which would mean that original sin was God's fault, and we couldn't be held accountable for our actions and thus couldn't be condemned to Hell (which is another issue altogether). While God can control our lives, He will not.

"Just as there is no proof of a big dude with a beard in the sky there is no proof that there exist forces such as fate, luck, or karma."

You are right, there can be no proof of God. I do, however, believe that there is evidence which establishes the probability (not certainty) of God's existence and that He is, indeed, the Christian God. However, that's another story.

"I am sick of people thinking they know when they don't know shit."

I agree with you on this point, but I'm almost sure it's for a different reason. I freely admit that I don't know everything. In fact, with each new thing I learn, come another hundred things which I need to learn. I can't stand people saying something when they have no factual basis for it, but we all do it from time to time. I fully believe that God exists and I have researched this belief very thoroughly, so everything I believe comes out of research.

"If only faith was sufficient like catholics seem to think. If you ask them a difficult question about their beliefs they bring it all back to faith, and you can't go wrong when you have faith for an answer."

I disagree with you. I think you can go very wrong when your only answer is a mislabeled and misapplied faith. Christianity does not require blind faith. Many times in the Bible, Christians are commanded to engage not only their spirits, but also their minds. This being said, if God really is of infinite complexity (as the Bible claims Him to be), then there is no possible way that a being of finite complexity could understand Him and as such, some things must be left to be unknowable. This is not to say that everything is unknowable. Do you require physical proof that the vacuum of space is indeed how it is described in a science textbook? No, yet you believe it anyway. This is faith. God does not go against logic, but beyond it.

"Because god made us in his image right? Well if we were truly made in his image WHY CAN'T I MAKE MY OWN UNIVERSE."

You are working with a flawed definition for and understanding of the word image. An image does not reproduce every characteristic of the subject. For example, a picture taken of myself cannot think, it cannot breathe, it cannot eat and it cannot have sex, yet it is still an image of me. When God created humanity in His image, it was not that we were exactly the same as Him, but that we had characteristics in common with Him. I believe the main characteristic is that of agency, or free will.

Having both agreed and disagreed with you, I commend you on your ability to go against the flow and question the so-called truth with which we are indoctrinated. If we don't question the status quo, then we'll never learn anything new.

 

Blogger Patrick said ... (8:57 PM) : 

All the anger and swearing of Maddox, minus the humour.

 

Blogger justin said ... (1:09 AM) : 

Oh no! lol.

I think its unreasonable that you reply to a rant with an essay, I was amused by the length of your reply to my half assed babbling, and that you took it in as literally as you take the bible, but I breezed over controversial things so I guess now the game is on.

Never said there was a god, never said there wasn't, so spare us your points on whether ones existence is probable or not. I agree that there is a reasonable chance of there being a greater being, but I am completely sceptical of the idea that it is of Christian description.

As for my generalisations, they would have been less general if it WASN'T A RANT. I enjoy making rash generalisations, don’t ask why, it humours me. And not intentionally anyone else (Patrick sir, don’t make Maddox comparisons. He's a professional you know.).

Ookay.
What stands out is your reliance on a single piece of literature written thousands of years ago:

“While God knows what is going to happen, He doesn't make it happen. While God plans for what is going to happen, He doesn't make those plans come true. If God did either of these things, He would be violating the free will with which He claimed to provide us, which would mean that original sin was God's fault, and we couldn't be held accountable for our actions and thus couldn't be condemned to Hell (which is another issue altogether). While God can control our lives, He will not.”

These ideas here are taken entirely from the bible. The basic idea that god has any involvement whatsoever is completely unsubstantiated. Therefore it is reliant on your sense of probability of it being true, and your faith. In my opinion the probability of knowing such defined characteristics, such as god’s purpose, is ridiculous. You already know my thoughts on faith, hehe. And the bible: the known fact it was loosely translated and has been continually revised with NEW information as the years go by (fucked if I know how they think they can rewrite the WORD OF GOD, as they claim it. ‘They’ being the holier than thou men revising it) makes it less and less credible as a source of factual information. That being said, it never really was to begin with. So there’s my opinion of the bible without the swear words for all you conservative academics out there. Your true thoughts, I have gathered, are that from it can be derived reasonable theories and concepts. That’s your way, I have mine. I personally think similar and less fanciful ideas are easily gathered from other sources, other than a christian text. I'd like to hear your thoughts on why god is christian particularly, and why you think all other religions are worthless, because there’s not much else I can say without some real details. I do think that the bible demonstrates solid morals, but the sheer way that, over just one century, the bible's stories (such as Jesus curing a man’s blindness) have turned from being interpreted literally to being considered just symbolic is proof that christians have always had a very vague understanding of the book on which they base their entire belief system.

Not going to bother with the overzealous analysis of my interpretation of ‘image’.

I think as much as we like to say we are thinking outside the box here, we are all at the mercy of the trends of society. We're surrounded by christianity in this country. Is your family christian? Christian school? There are churches everywhere. Picture this. If the entire world was Zen Buddhist and we were handed the bible of an unknown religion called Christianity, don't you think most people would read it and see it as a presumptuous and superstitious fairy tale? You'll say that people have to look past the exterior to derive meaning, but you can say that about Star Wars too. The Force etc. It's deep stuff... and it has a steadily growing fanbase! In two thousand years billions will be converted to the Jedi religion because it is noble, it is just, it is practical and the concept gives life purpose and meaning. No shit.

 

Blogger Jason said ... (1:11 PM) : 

"I think it is unreasonable that you reply to a rant with an essay, I was amused by the length of your reply to my half-assed babbling, and that you took it as literally as you take the bible, but I breezed over controversial things so I guess now the game is on."

Perhaps my reply was too lengthy, but I don't really think it matters (of course, if we're whinging about the writing style of the other person, perhaps you should learn how to write proper English). It is in the "half-arsed" babblings of people that we often discover what they truly think. I believe that a large portion of the Bible was written in a literal sense and thus needs to be interpreted literally, but I am unsure what this has to do with the issue.

"Never said there was a god, never said there wasn't, so spare us your points on whether ones existence is probable or not. I agree that there is a reasonable chance of there being a greater being, but I am completely skeptical of the idea that it is of Christian description."

My belief in God is an integral part of my philosophy and, as such, requies some substantiation. Are you forbidding me to talk about my beliefs? Perhaps you do not wish to hear what I have to say. If you are seeking the truth (which I believe is the most admirable pursuit), then you would not have a problem with me justifying my beliefs unless you thought that I was an idiot and had nothing to offer you. Is that what you are saying?

"As for my generalisations, they would have been less general if it WASN'T A RANT. I enjoy making rash generalisations, don’t ask why, it humours me. And not intentionally anyone else (Patrick sir, don’t make Maddox comparisons. He's a professional you know.)."

I don't care if you were writing inserts for fortune cookies. Some things are just not acceptable.

"These ideas here are taken entirely from the bible. The basic idea that god has any involvement whatsoever is completely unsubstantiated. Therefore it is reliant on your sense of probability of it being true, and your faith. In my opinion the probability of knowing such defined characteristics, such as god’s purpose, is ridiculous."

Yes, some of my beliefs are taken entirely from the Bible (although I do, wherever possible, attempt to base my beliefs on other things as well). You are right to say that our understanding of God's purpose is taken entirely form the Bible. However, my research has shown that the Bible is almost certainly a veracious book. I do not use the Bible to show that the Bible is the Word of God - that would be stupid.

"And the bible: the known fact it was loosely translated and has been continually revised with NEW information as the years go by (fucked if I know how they think they can rewrite the WORD OF GOD, as they claim it. ‘They’ being the holier than thou men revising it) makes it less and less credible as a source of factual information. That being said, it never really was to begin with."

The Bible was not "loosly" translated, as you have put it. Hundreds of scholars have devoted their lives to making the Bible more and more accurate. You might argue that the Bible was translated hundreds (if not thousands) of times, with each new translation being from a precedent translation. Additionaly, you might say, translative errors are to be expected and these errors would compound over time and result in a completely fallacious work. You could not be more wrong. I shall not go into mind-numbing detail here, but in the 1950s (or something similar to that), the Dead Sea Scrolls were found. These scrolls contained a number of Biblical books dating back thousands of years. We compared these scrolls to the then current translation of the Bible and there were very few translative errors. The essential "WORD OF GOD" (as you so eloquently phrased it) has not been rewritten, just updated to reflect changes in our vocabulary (or the degradation of the English language). When I study the Bible, I like to go back to the earliest version available, which means that I often use the Latin, Greek or Hebrew versions of the Bible. This enables me to understand what was said in the original language and context.

"I'd like to hear your thoughts on why god is christian particularly, and why you think all other religions are worthless, because there’s not much else I can say without some real details."

I don't think all other religions are worthless, just wrong. If I did not believe this, then I could not be a Christian. I believe in an absolute truth (i.e., not relativism). If you really want me to go into why I believe in the Christian perspective on metaphysics, then I shall.

"Not going to bother with the overzealous analysis of my interpretation of ‘image’."

Why, because I proved you wrong? If your arguments cannot stand up under investigation, then you must leave them. I always say that I welcome questions and criticisms of my beliefs, for it is through questioning and investigation that the truth is found. If nobody was ever questioned, then we should never learn.

As for being at the mercy of our society, I agree with you to an extent. Yes, my family is Christian, but no I did not go to a Christian school. I have always been an outcast for my beliefs and have been ridiculed, questioned in many ways. I am thankful for this, because, as they say, what doesn't kill you can only make you stronger (unless it is something like HIV, then you're in trouble). I have had many arguments with my parents about the nature of Christianity and why they believe what they do. I never believe anything because someone else tells me that I should believe it.

Your example of Star Wars is a good one, I think, because I believe Star Wars does present some positive aspects which a religion may desire. However, it lacks one thing - God provides eternal life, a fictional, man-made religion cannot provide such a thing. Christianity only provides eternal life if it is correct, which is what I believe the case to be.

Thank you for your extensive response. Until next time. :)

 

Blogger justin said ... (5:43 PM) : 

"Some things are just not acceptable."
I hope for your sake you can get used to people doing such unacceptable things, because it happens several hundred-thousand times a second all over the world. You seek extremely definite ideas about everything, and I don't think you can stand it when someone breaks the rules, do you cringe if I say ass instead of arse? Why? You still understand what I'm saying, which is clear because you made an effort to correct me. Why do my spelling preferences matter if you understand the true meaning? Same goes for my generalizations; you take what you want from it. I know for a fact that not all Christians say “the Lord pities your ignorance”, only a great many do. I don’t care that it came out as a generalisation, it sounded better that way. It’s my choice if people are outraged by that, and maybe I did it on purpose. We’re not writing for fucking Time magazine here.

"God provides eternal life, a fictional, man-made religion cannot provide such a thing."

Yea sure he provides eternal life, because man made it so. Man-made religion? So what? The billions of non-believers in Christianity (such as followers of other religions as well as people like myself) will tell you that man made god and not the other way around. That is in no way saying they are right, or that you are wrong, it is merely pointing out that there is and always will be HUGE doubt over it. I would be surprised if the way of the Jedi became a popular, real religion (although people have tried), so let’s not give that example too much significance. But you do see what I was saying; many people latch onto things if it gives the world a positive spin and I think that is very much true with religion. Also, as we speak people are using fundamental religious beliefs as justification for their hatred of other peoples. Before you jump up and down like a lunatic about another generalization, I’ll point out to your overly literal eye that I am not saying this is true for all religious people. It’s just an example of how religious ideas have been, and always will be, shaped and bent to the will of mankind. I don’t know how many documentaries I have seen about the origins of the bible, and ideas such as that it was written in Constantinople under the guidance of a King who needed absolute control over his country. I don’t know the validity of that, the point is there are so many varying opinions and so much widespread uncertainty among academics much more involved than you or I, and there is so much information contrary to that stated in your bible, that you can’t help but be sceptical.

I like the way you endeavour to carefully research your beliefs, but I can’t for the life of me see how they came to be. I do want answers, but a large part of me knows that answering such a deep truth will always be beyond human comprehension. I am intrigued that you think you have the answers after just a few years of conscious thought.

 

Blogger Jason said ... (11:48 PM) : 

Well, you have discovered my flaws in a matter of days. I don't suppose that is a huge accomplishment, because they are painfully obvious to me. Yes, I can be quite pedantic (a pedant is one who is excessively concerned with minor detail or with displaying technical knowledge, the fact that I gave this definition is evidence in itself), especially when it comes to language.

I am used to people doing unacceptable things, but it does not mean that I must accept them. All across the world, thousands of people are raping other people, eating people's entrails and mutilating people's spinal cords. No matter how many people do something which I find unacceptable, I shall do whatever I can to stop them.

I do agree that religions have been (and still are) shaped by what men want them to be. Christianity is no exception. This is why I do not believe anything just because someone tells me to believe it. I think that is the height of stupidity. We shall always find a way to pervert something, no matter how good it is. This fact does not make Christianity any less true.

 

Blogger Angus said ... (8:54 AM) : 

hey jason. justin. striker pal patrick. and symbolic gesture to our loving democratically elected dictator juan pablo.

sticks and stones people. why don't we break up this unproductive and philosophic debate with tradiional austrian mountaineering girls!

 

Blogger Jason said ... (5:36 PM) : 

Why is it that many people can't handle an argument?

 

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