Hello Steemians,
Getting back to what I really care about, are debates and or opinions. Whenever we write, we do it subjectively. We can try to stay observant but we will always have overt or hidden bias.
However that's not to hide from the fact that Hollywood is somewhat biased towards religion. Take for instance this character from the movie "Road Trip". He was the creepy stalker who wore an even more "lame" and creepy shirt. So we definitely have propoganda from both sides.
So believing in a higher power is not "cool" these days. In any case I am not ashamed to say I am a person who believes in a higher power. It is not necessarily derived from religious doctrine that I read; but more a deep belief that there is a higher intelligence in control. So I am already stating that I am biased, but I definitely take a more pragmatic approach to the subject. In other words no bible thumping to prove a point.
image source: worldsciencefestival.com
When I look around the world; although completely dysfunctional on the human level, I see complete harmony in nature. I believe in science, and I also have faith that there is something "above".
Atheism to me is a very interesting concept. In my subjective belief, I feel that being an atheist requires more faith than believing in a higher power - Most people will say it's probably the other way around.
Human beings certainly need spirituality. Being sentient or self aware can make us feel lonely in the universe. It is true there is more solace on the level of believing in a higher power. To me it is observable. You don't have to be a die hard bible thumper either.
For instance, many scientists say that something cannot be created out of nothing. This is the LAW of the conservation of energy. This law states that the total energy of an isolated system cannot change. So that brings into Ex Nihilo factor.
To counter this argument I have heard that the state of nothingness has never been observed so we cannot know. Some modern physicists try to explain how nothing can be created out of nothing. This can be true as there are many invisible realities that we cannot see; but are present. For instance if I had told you 200 years ago about radiowaves you would think I was crazy because it was not observable. Who is to say that the quantum reality; which exists can be where the state of "nothing" comes from.
However that is my point in a nutshell. The debate is not "is there a higher power", rather the debate is that atheism requires FAITH. So how is that any better than a simple bible thumper.
For instance, science is constantly evolving. To have faith in something that can be true one day, and false the next due to a new discovery creates shaky ground. A position of having faith in "nothing" seems more of a leap.
What was a law last year can change due to hidden layers. So science is constantly evolving. To have faith in something that has no "firm" nature, yet to take a hard position requires a level of blind faith. The more complex something becomes, the harder it gets to prove that the "code" is random. That's also to assume "nothing" coded itself. We certainly live in a binary world. The complexity of DNA for instance shows something created; and so complex in the coding level that it boggles the mind to think it came from billions of years of evolution.
I remember attending a lecture by Dr. Gerald Schroeder. He said something along the lines of this: Imagine an airplane. An airplane is billions of times less complex than a biological specimen. If we took that airplane and cut it into hundreds of pieces and shook it up for billions of years; would it eventually assemble back into place?
Here's a simple example of what a man made turbine looks like.
The simple answer is no it would not. In fact it would be metallic dust. So that's my point. Believing something can be shaken for billions of years makes even bacteria a miracle. Bacteria have DNA like anything else. It has billions of codes DNA. It would seem my faith requires a little less than nothing coming out of nothing.
Enjoy the weekend,
Scientists says that a group of nothing accumulated and made this thing that exploded and then made the universe. The big Bang theory.
There is a designer, a higher being if we just observe like you did.
I am Groot! :D
The only thing we can know for sure is I exist and I experience. We truly do not know what the "I" is or what experience is. Its all made of conciousness, id say maybe check out advaita. Cool post
Having faith in what you believe in is all that matters. Your post reminded me of the question asked by an instructor in my school: "Did God created us or did we created God to live?". Basically the bible implies the first but psychologically speaking, the latter does have a point.
I share your idea on the possibility that there may be something we don't know about existence; but, you are simply wrong in asserting that atheism requires faith! Atheism is the non-belief in gods. Nothing more, nothing less.
well I guess that is sort of my point. Having a belief in something NOT existing requires a level of faith. Faith is not strictly under the guise of believing in a Gd or supernatural power. You can have faith in money; faith that there is no supernatural power.
Okay, so you don't like to concede being completely wrong on this one! lol
I'm not an atheist but I'm honest in judgment enough to define terms correctly.
Lets agree to disagree