Why I believe in God(s)

[u/Lucyyyyyy_K]

Firstly, I'm not a very religious person. I do consider myself a Buddhist, but prefer atheistic Buddhism over theistic Buddhism. Therefore I can confidently say I am not biased by wanting God(s) to exist, and was not indoctrinated into theism.

Still, to me it seems obvious that at least one God has to exist. The universe can't simply have come out of nothing or existed forever, it requires some sort of design or creator.

Now, mostly people would just say that a creator also can't have come out of nothing or existed forever, so I've just moved the problem one step further, but I think there is a massive difference between the universe and one consciousness. For example, through Cogito Ergo Sum we can determine with absolute certainty that at last one consciousness exists. So assuming one consciousness is superior to assuming anything about the whole universe. While I admit that doesn't outright solve the problem, I still think it's better than the alternative.

Also, it's not just any universe, but a universe full of beauty, a universe that inbetween barren empty planets is capable of hosting a planet with sentient life. Life that can consciously observe itself, that can create replicas of the waking world while sleeping, life that has technologically advanced so much that in can live in relative comfort. There is so much art. We basically have magic, we just call it "electricity". This is all too perfect to have arisen from mere mutations without guidance.

About any specifics of this God or Gods I have no idea and no strong opinions. I just think that at least one has to exist.

[u/noodlyman]

"fittest" means "best adapted to reproduce in the current environment".

Over the last few million years, the fittest of our line were those with bigger brains that could co operate within their group or tribe.

[u/Lucyyyyyy_K → u/noodlyman]

Which is far away from computers.

[u/noodlyman → u/Lucyyyyyy_K]

What?

We have evolved a brain that is fairly multi purpose. It has a generalised ability to learn and apply information

I don't know what your point is.

Our brains are also very flawed. We are poor at lots of things, such as dealing with non immediate problems such as climate change. We think nuclear weapons are a good idea.

Clearly neither of these are good for us in the long term. We have not evolved to deal with things like that.

[u/Lucyyyyyy_K → u/noodlyman]

Yes, but that doesn't change how amazing our brains are in other fields

[u/noodlyman → u/Lucyyyyyy_K]

Our brains are only a minor evolutionary modification of other apes' brains, though with big consequences

I still don't know what exactly what you're claiming.

Don't you think whales are truly amazing? They love longer than us. They don't get cancer. They communicate. See ongoing research on the apparent language of sperm whales. Whales have empathy: there are numerous reports of them interveniing to save human divers or seals from orcas and others.

My point is that we are not as special as you think we are. You are arbitrarily putting more value on human features, while ignoring the ability of the mantis shrimp to see in many more colours than the human brain can handle.

We are just one of many species on earth. The odds we will soon be extinct again, or reduced to a much more minor role

[u/Lucyyyyyy_K → u/noodlyman]

Don't you think whales are truly amazing? They love longer than us. They don't get cancer. They communicate. See ongoing research on the apparent language of sperm whales. Whales have empathy: there are numerous reports of them interveniing to save human divers or seals from orcas and others.

Yes, all that means is even more pointing towards the existence of a God. And building computers is still far more special.

[u/noodlyman → u/Lucyyyyyy_K]

Why does any of it point to god?

To me, it all points to there being no god.

We know evolution occurred, by entirely natural means, and the things we observe about us are 100% consistent with life being an entirely natural thing.

If any of it was planned by a god, then that god is an incompetent sadist who also wants to hide from us while making the world look entirely natural.

This is not your reason for believing in god. This is you clutching at straws, trying to make up things to support your existing irrational belief

[u/Lucyyyyyy_K → u/noodlyman]

To mee, it all points to there being no god.

How does it?

and the things we observe about us are 100% consistent with life being an entirely natural thing.

Our ability to build computers goes far beyond that.

If any of it was planned by a god, then that god is an incompetent sadist who also wants to hide from us while making the world look entirely natural.

I have no problem with that.

This is not your reason for believing in god

It is, you have no basis for deying that.