One of several of Epicurus' compelling logical arguments:
Is God willing to prevent evil, but not able?
Then He is not omnipotent.
Is He able, but not willing?
Then He is malevolent.
Is He both able, and willing?
Then whence cometh evil?
Is He neither able nor willing?
Then why call Him God?
-Epicurus
I don't believe in God. I haven't since I was a child, and I probably never will. God (of any type) has not stood up to rigorous logical and/or scientific study--at least not to me; even if I did believe, it would not be in a male personification. There is NO way I trust men enough to ever put my soul (if I were to have one) in the hands of a man.
Furthermore, I think it's strange to tether a supposedly supreme being to the same ideology and imagination of his lesser creations. I do not believe Human was created in the image of God, but that, in our somewhat limited imagination, Human created God in OUR image.
There are many logical fallacies in the arguments for God. Every time I have been presented an argument for God, I have presented logical counterargument. This, I should point out, is my own personal experience, and not necessarily the experience of all other people.
Speaking of personal experiences, I dislike even hearing the word God, and dislike even less being asked to believe in one. The last person who asked me to believe in a God was Ian. Specifically, he told me (rather, beat into me) that he WAS God, my Lord and Master. That was how I was to address him and know him within my heart and mind. So I'm not a big fan, anymore, of even the word (although I still love debating religious concepts--I am a personified dichotomy).
If I believe in any representation of God, it is that God exists--so far as any other philosophical belief exists. Some humans believe in a God, and live their life according to that God. Each thing these humans do is based upon the belief that this is what God wants. In that sense, God does exist, as a concept only, that then, as a concept, influences a person's thoughts. Those thoughts, in turn, influence actions. This is the only concept of God that makes sense to me--the conceptual concept only. The closest I ever got to a more-than-conceptual or theoretical idea of God was while reading Richard Preston's essay "The Mountains of Pi" while high (it's available in his book "Panic in Level 4," which is an amazing book. I highly suggest it).
I'm okay with being an atheist. It's worked for me so far. I've had several friends try to "save" me, or otherwise convince me that God (of some form or another) exists. It has not worked. I do not believe it ever will.
I am not saying that God unequivocally does NOT exist. Simply that I don't believe.
I am not saying that I find other people's belief to be wrong ( at least, not for them). I am a big fan of live and let live, and believe and let believe. Whatever works for you WORKS, and I'm not closed-minded or mean enough to try and change what has gotten you through.
These are simply MY beliefs, and I'm fine with them. Just as I'm fine with the beliefs of others, it'd be swell if others were fine with my beliefs.
El Finito.
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