I’m not really, just for the purposes of the Blog. It’s been mainly political lately, but I think it’s about time I had a nice little anti-theistic rant. I’m in the mood for it. I came up with this one while reading a bit about Satre’s secularisation of Leibniz’s theories. It has nothing to do with the passage I read, but when you’re in a thinking mood, it all comes to you at once.
The problem I was thinking about is the status of “infinity” that religious folks give to their gods. It’s even implied when they say it more simply as “God is everywhere” (then what’s the point of a church?). But there’s an implication in that. If God is infinite, God is by definition everything. He can’t not be me, because that would then give a limit to the scope of what God is – that would make God finite.
So what does this mean for the religious? That means we are all God and God is all us. That’s a pleasant thought, you would think. But then God commits suicide. God not only performs, but is abortions. God masturbates. God is Satan. God is Hell. God is everything.
I’m not sure about everyone else, but I don’t think this is what Judeo-Christian’s want to believe. But it’s what they’ve set themselves up for. I really don’t think St Augustine thought this one out at all.
If you have thoughts on this one, let me know what you think.
A mathematical nitpick: infinite and all-encompassing are very different! God can be infinite and you can be not-God at the same time, in just the same way that the set of even numbers can be infinite and 3 can still exist.
ReplyDeleteOf course, I think it is enough of a problem that God sees everything, and still allows so much of it.
Interesting points, both of you. I would just like to raise the observation that Christians don't associate themselves or their God with animistic beliefs, as it seems to be slanted in that direction when applied in your blog. However, I like the way you think things through, it makes people reason through their assumed convictions rather than accepting "pat answers."
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