h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

I agree with you that there is no God, but I don't think you argue your case very well.

what do you think I should write else?

Well, there's a lot of stuff in there that distracts the reader from the fundamental argument.

Things like "I think that the fiction which is God was invented long before Christ". Well that's pretty obvious. If God is a fiction, then he was invented long ago. The first references to Gods in written form are from 3000 BC.

You say God should care about his people, but that is only the Christian view. If a God exists, there's no reason why he should care about us.

Denying the existence of God leaves us with some interesting questions which will trouble most people:

Why are we here?
What happens when we die?
How can you explain some apparent miracles?
Who created the universe?

The point you have to get across is that the existence of God is not a valid explanation or answer for any of these.

Well, there's a point why a "God" should care about us: if he doesn't give any sign of his existence, someday nobody wouldn't believe in him any more -> no more sacrifices, no more praying, no more expressions like "Oh my God!", etc.

I came here because toxxin asked me to on another board. I'm surprised not to find him here. Anyway, here goes with my input.

I support some of Gnomon's criticsm of the piece, but I criticise in turn Gnomon's reply.

"Why are we here?"
What do you mean by why ? Can you prove that there must be a reason ? (I don't think so).

"What happens when we die?"
Look at the body of someone who has died, or of an animal or plant that has died, and you will see the answer. Total decay. If you claim there is something more, you need a reason. You haven't got one, have you ?

"How can you explain some apparent miracles?"
An apparent miracle is a natural event of which the witness does not know the cause. What else could it be (without postulating absurd extensions of our experience) ?

"Who created the universe?"
You should say "who or what", but I'll assume that is what is meant. My answer is that you have to prove that it was created. Only then does the question becomes meaningful.

I have heard it postulated that anything that exists must have been created; therefore the universe must have been created; therefore God exists. This argument is wilful nonsense, because the arguer arbitrarily chooses to ignore the question of who or what created God. If God can be "self-existent", then equally so can the Universe.

PS. If there is a God, it doesn't follow that God created the Universe. We could define God to exist, by saying that it is the collective community of all living things, past and future. I include in my definition of "community" the physical and chemical interactions of living things.

This definition would make it (God) younger than the Universe. It may nevertheless be powerful in its influence on our behaviour.

Those are very good answers to the questions I posed, and very similar to the answers I would have provided myself.

AQ - if you're still around the the thread which toxx was pointing you to is in fact the similarly named God: Fact or Fiction thread, which can be found here F55607?thread=192835 Be warned - it's quite a long one

Noggin