Tuesday, December 23, 2008

Evolution is Not a Philosophy, Not a Belief System, nor a Moral Code: Evolution is Just a Natural Process



Evolution is just a process by which change occurs in nature. The process of evolution was deduced by interpretation of evidence that holds up to empirical scrutiny. Evolution is like many other natural processes which are deduced by interpretation of evidence. A couple of other processes we have deduced from evidence found in the natural world are erosion and eutrophication.

Evolution has no moral bias, any more than erosion or eutrophication do. Evolution is an explanation of a process which takes nothing into account but the physical evidence and only that evidence which holds up to careful scrutiny. The process by which scientific theories are arrived at and supported has much in common with crime scene investigation. Data surrounding the thing being investigated is collected and examined as scientists compare it to other known quantities and try to puzzle out how the event happened. Any evidence which doesn't hold up to rigorous empirical investigation is discarded.
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Tuesday, December 9, 2008

Sometimes God Is Just A Literary Device



On several sites I am well known as an atheist writer though I write stories and articles about a wide variety of topics. I write how-to articles about fish care, floral design, cooking, and sex. I write editorials and memoirs. I also write fiction, poetry, and erotica.

You'll see where this becomes relevant soon, I promise.

I have been repeatedly messaged and occasionally emailed by readers for (what seems to me) a very odd reason.

In my fiction, poetry, and erotica I sometimes use the words God, Jesus, demon, devil, Jihad, soul, spirit, ghost or other words which refer to supernatural concepts either as literary devices or in dialog. I have been told by a number of readers that the use of such words means that I can't possibly be an atheist, that it means I must believe in God.
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Tuesday, December 2, 2008

Does Life Have Meaning Without God?


...and then he said to me "If there is no afterlife, then our life on earth is meaningless. Without God our life on earth has no purpose...." At the time I was thunderstruck and had no idea how to respond. After thinking a bit I came up with this.

Wow, I'm very sorry for you. All the beauty, wonder, love, and experience to be found on earth are meaningless to you?

Finding life without an afterlife pointless or depressing is as silly as going to an amusement park and becoming so depressed that your visit will end that you sit down just inside the entrance and cry your eyes out.
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Monday, December 1, 2008

Automatic God Belief and the Almighty Milky Teat



Is belief in God automatic? Or is it something you achieve once you've discovered it and examined and decided that you want it? It seems some people believe that everyone is born believing in God, in particular, the Christian God.
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