Comments on: Choosing between God and Satan http://www.thoughtcounts.net/2009/03/choosing-between-god-and-satan/ critical analysis and interesting ideas Tue, 10 Jan 2012 11:49:13 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 By: <img class="identicon" src="http://www.gravatar.com/avatar.php?gravatar_id=61e942f17fb25697c1f8e4d73882433b&size=48&default=http://www.thoughtcounts.net/wp-content/plugins/wp-identicon/identicon/28aa581372da32e.png" alt="badrescher Identicon Icon" height="48" width="48" /> badrescher http://www.thoughtcounts.net/2009/03/choosing-between-god-and-satan/comment-page-1/#comment-2634 badrescher Identicon Icon badrescher Mon, 09 Mar 2009 00:03:16 +0000 http://www.thoughtcounts.net/?p=454#comment-2634 What a horrible thought - to discover that an omnipotent, egomaniacal, blood-thirsty, emotionally immature tyrant is real. But isn't the question of whether I would worship him moot? If he's all-powerful, it's his choice, not mine. He could make me worship him. Hell, he could make me believe in him. A more interesting question is "What would it be like to be omnipotent?" My guess: BORING. I would be like playing tic tac toe with a 5-year-old. What a horrible thought – to discover that an omnipotent, egomaniacal, blood-thirsty, emotionally immature tyrant is real.

But isn’t the question of whether I would worship him moot? If he’s all-powerful, it’s his choice, not mine. He could make me worship him. Hell, he could make me believe in him.

A more interesting question is “What would it be like to be omnipotent?” My guess: BORING. I would be like playing tic tac toe with a 5-year-old.

]]> By: Carnival of the Godless #112 - Daylight Saving Time Edition - State of Protest http://www.thoughtcounts.net/2009/03/choosing-between-god-and-satan/comment-page-1/#comment-2630 Carnival of the Godless #112 - Daylight Saving Time Edition - State of Protest Sun, 08 Mar 2009 19:43:56 +0000 http://www.thoughtcounts.net/?p=454#comment-2630 [...] principles regardless of your belief in God, or in the absence of a god’s commandments, in Choosing between God and Satan. So let’s imagine that two beings manifest themselves to you, both claiming to be God, and both [...] [...] principles regardless of your belief in God, or in the absence of a god’s commandments, in Choosing between God and Satan. So let’s imagine that two beings manifest themselves to you, both claiming to be God, and both [...]

]]> By: <img class="identicon" src="http://www.gravatar.com/avatar.php?gravatar_id=bee7b90d0983f0aebd3c84fd24766c36&size=48&default=http://www.thoughtcounts.net/wp-content/plugins/wp-identicon/identicon/433491369dbe7fd.png" alt="Scepticon Identicon Icon" height="48" width="48" /> Scepticon http://www.thoughtcounts.net/2009/03/choosing-between-god-and-satan/comment-page-1/#comment-2569 Scepticon Identicon Icon Scepticon Fri, 06 Mar 2009 00:51:23 +0000 http://www.thoughtcounts.net/?p=454#comment-2569 That's a pretty good summation of the atheist perspective I think. Theists tend to forget that for us each alleged God is equally valid/invalid and must be evaluated if we are (forced?) to choose one to follow. I'm familiar with a substantially similar argument framed like this: "Say you know that God wrote the bible, but also know that Satan got to it and inserted passages before you could read it. How would you tell which was written by God and which by Satan?" Followed by much the same reasoning as you just outlined. A very useful technique. That’s a pretty good summation of the atheist perspective I think. Theists tend to forget that for us each alleged God is equally valid/invalid and must be evaluated if we are (forced?) to choose one to follow.

I’m familiar with a substantially similar argument framed like this:

“Say you know that God wrote the bible, but also know that Satan got to it and inserted passages before you could read it. How would you tell which was written by God and which by Satan?”

Followed by much the same reasoning as you just outlined. A very useful technique.

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