rainbow walking

Consider the quest...

To do so one must consider the question...

1. Does, or does not a creative godlike being EXIST?

Consider the ramifications to the human condition were the answer ever rescued conclusively from the shadows of doubt...

2. What is the advancement of the human condition predicated upon?

Having the correct answers.

3. What are correct answers predicated upon?

Asking the right questions.

4. What determines a "right" question from a wrong one?

The answer.

5. What differentiates a conclusive answer from an assumptive one?

The evidence.

6. How is evidence obtained?

By observation.

7. Is there any other way to obtain evidence?

?

8. How much evidence is required to arrive at a conclusive answer?

Enough to make an accurate prediction.

9. What determines the accuracy of the prediction?

The ultimate effect it has on the advancement of the human condition.

10. Would a conclusive answer to the EoG question represent an advancement to the human condition?

Depends on the answer.

These ten questions and their respective answers (or non-answers) represent what are, in my opinion, the fundamentals in their simplest form in relation to the human condition. From them flow the basis of all arguments both for and against the question of a god's existence.

[ September 08, 2002: Message edited by: rainbow walking ]</p>

rainbow walking

Part II:


This statement is based on the observation that:

1. the human condition exists everywhere and at all times in a state of conflict and change.

2. that this "state" is inescapable and inextricably tied to human existence.

3. that advancement is preferrable to redundancy or retrogression.

4. that any advancement will represent a change in a previous condition such that change is the one un-avoidable consequence of advancement.

Therefore...

5. the ideal advancement facilitates the necessary changes while minimizing the conflict.

However...

6. the diversity of the human condition makes the ideal advancement unattainable except under the most tedious circumstances in such minute increments as to be almost indetectable.

Thus...

7. Any major advancement to the human condition will be less than ideal making it necessary to weigh the consequences of the conflict with the benefits of the changes to determine if the END will ultimately justify the MEANS.

Accordingly...

8. Since the current human condition is teetering on a delicate balance maintained by the inconclusiveness of the primary question of a god's existence and

9. Since the walls of separation between church and state in the most powerful and influential nations are precariously balanced on this inconclusiveness...

10. Any responsive advancement of the human condition from this point forward will produce conflict with far reaching repercussions just as all past major advancements have done.

Jayhawker Soule

Huh? (and, for that matter, why?)

rainbow walking

Part III:

This set of Q & A's are based on the observation that:

1. Human REASON has proven to be the most effective means of achieving advancement of the human condition.

Thus...

2. All imaginable questions must be asked and answers sought in order to isolate those that are "right" from those that are "wrong".

3. All imaginable answers must be considered in the determination of relevancy to advancement.

Therefore...

4. All submissable answers must be further classified and catagorized in order of importance as either:

(a.) Verifiably correct

(b.) Verifiably false

(c.) Speculatively probable

(d.) Speculatively possible

(e.) Speculatively improbable

(f.) Speculatively impossible

(g.} Un-verifiable

rainbow walking

Part IV:


The above Q & A's are based on the observation:

1. That the maximum advancement of the human condition will ultimately accrue when the conditions making it necessary to maintain a WALL between church and state no longer exist.

Thus...

2. Assigning the proper classification to the question can expedite the process of rendering this WALL obsolete.

Again, the classifications, in order of importance are:

(a.) Verifiably correct

(b.) Verifiably false

(c.) Speculatively probable

(d.) Speculatively possible

(e.) Speculatively improbable

(f.) Speculatively impossible

(g.} Un-verifiable

rainbow walking

rw: Uh huh and why not?

ManM

rainbow walking,
Advancing where? Advancing to what?

rainbow walking

rw: Out into the universe; to longer, healthier guilt free lives; towards peaceful co-existence, towards freedom from religious turmoil instigated by fanatical intolerance; towards individual expression of ones own existence based on reality in lieu of fantasy. Away from expansive, intrusive government fueled by fear of religious fanaticism from abroad and equally religious fervor and pressure from within.

Non-praying Mantis

I am behind you 100%!

And, we also have a deadline:

In approximately 5 billion years, our sun will expand to engulf the earth and probably destroy all life upon it. If we do nothing to prevent this calamity, all of our progress and history will be lost.

Of course, an earlier deadline we have hanging over our heads is the coming of the next big meteor/comet, similar to the one that finished out the dinosaurs. If we do not establish a lasting presence beyond this planet, in the solar system, our culture, and perhaps our species, will become extinct when it impacts the earth. We do not know exactly when this will occur, but we must do all that we can to stop it!

NPM

rainbow walking

And, let's not forget the depletion of natural resources but, even more imminent a threat than all of these, is the possibility of a nuclear winter brought on by religiously motivated war that could escalate into a nuclear holocaust. 100% of all battles being waged around the world today are religiously motivated to the core.

Thus, it becomes crucial to break this deadlock over the question of a god's existence. We can ill afford anymore public cowtowing to religious sensibilities. The subtle, yet pervasive influence religion holds over people, especially Americans, must be broken with reason, syllogism, resistance and the law, where applicable. It has too long been used as a cloak to conceal the manipulative self aggrandizing whims of the self appointed "elect" who want the power to dictate the "aughts and aught nots" when many of them haven't demonstrated the temporance to live by those same dictates themselves.

It is not a class struggle but a species struggle for the liberation of the mind. The inherent weaknesses of religion have never been more evident and the "church/synangogue/temple" more exposed than it is now, so the opportunity to eviscerate and disparage its doctrines on the basis of what they have failed to achieve must not be allowed to pass.

It is also not a good idea for its enemies to converge into a single identifiable class. This battle must be waged in the template of a guerilla style ideological war: strike and move. Strike from many directions in swift succession
such that it appears the church has lost the incentive and the support of the majority. If its enemies coalesce into a single identifiable group they become an easy target and the church has always proven itself a worthy opponent once it sets its sights.

Religion, regardless of which deity it purports to serve, has failed to guide and guard the advancement of humanity. How can it when its primary foundation is created out of nothing but myth and magic and extolls death, (martyrdom), and selflessness as the greatest good to be achieved.

Humanities ability to reason has long surpassed the need of pacifiers and diaper pin fairie tales to supply meaning and purpose to our growth and maturity. Life and liberty are the true and genuine moral foundations consistant to human nature and our greatest moral expression is the pursuit of our own personal happiness within the community of like minded individuals. Heaven is our goal but not the one that requires our death and the arbitrary whims of an imaginary deity for permission to enter.

Life and Liberty are much better demagogues to sell and who doesn't want to be happy? Lets let the universe be our church, life and liberty our gods, reason our statement of faith, and the pursuit of happiness our denominational goals.

Let's eliminate hell, for the only true hell is a life without freedom or happiness, lop off original sin at the root and thus liberate ourselves of needless guilt for the audacity to want to live, exterminate all claims of some external source required for our moral comprehension of good and evil, since we're always the ones expected to observe and enforce these alleged claims anyway, let's take responsibility for our actions and use our reason to adjust our morals to fit our natures, stop damning our natures as evil and start focusing on our virtues and truly good qualities.

Additionally, lets bury this crap about being made in some indefinable deities image and accept who we are as who we are by natural design, fabricate our own identities and get on with the business of living. We do anyway, no matter how much you try to be like Jesus or this saint or that saint. If you really want to experience life, strive to be unique, create your own identity.