No he isn’t. Any garden variety theoretical physicist and mathematician will know that he isn’t, because there is a vast coherence in the universe that can be described consistently by science and mathematics. Every field of science is expected to reduce to this unified framework and scientists are working towards zeroing in on its elegant simplicity. So elegant is this universe that it can be said that a god need not be tending it hands-on for it to work. Like a well-engineered machine or structure, the universe is finely-tuned and low-maintenance. It does not have secrets, only truths waiting to be discovered by people who are smart enough and curious enough.
God, in fact, is so smart that he engineered the universe to work without his direct intervention — just like a fine Swiss watch could keep going and going long after its maker had sealed it. This wondrous mechanism is revealed to us mere mortals through science and mathematics. Science and mathematics are the windows into the mind of God himself.
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This means only one thing. The Roman Catholic Church is not what links human beings to God. What the Catholic Church had done was turn God into the grotesque caricature that Filipinos worship today. Rather than create a framework of thinking that allows people to discover the Almighty systematically using modern thinking, the Catholic Church shoves a convoluted body of dogma down its faithful’s throats. This dogma is so convoluted that it requires an authoritarian and hierarchical organisation to “interpret” it. This “interpretation” is often peppered with illogical leaps and arbitrary pronouncements that are neither forward- nor backward-traceable and are not subject to logical evaluation. As such, such a scam is perfectly fit for the administration of people who cannot be bothered to think and would much prefer to believe and be told what to believe.
Science and math is an open field for anyone who bothers to study its rules and play by them to dabble in. No scientist or scientific theory nor mathematical theorem is exempt from challenge from anyone who can table an alternative theory or theorem and prove its validity using a generally-agreed method of proof and through peer-reviewed experimentation and observation. In science, anyone can prove anyone wrong or right. The rules that govern that access is open to all who bother to learn its ins and outs.
Religion, on the other hand, relies on top-down hierarchical rituals to determine how much or how little one can participate in its practice. We can see this in how the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines behaves. It makes pronouncements, assertions, conclusions about ideas and people without showing the process with which such judgements and conclusions are arrived at. In short, the CBCP’s men-in-robes don’t see themselves as accountable for the information they feed to Filipinos. They also lack a mechanism to correct their errors. This is why religious misinformation and prejudice persist for centuries before they are rectified. In religion, if you are not wearing certain robes or a pointy hat, walk around with a big stick on one hand and live in a huge palace, your opinion does not matter. A “God” created within such an environment cannot be a smart God. It’s an impossibility.
So the fact is, God is not stupid. Scientists have shown us that he isn’t. But the “God” fashioned by the Roman Catholic Church is. And, unfortunately for the rest of humanity, this latter “God” is the one Filipinos choose to worship.
benign0 is the Webmaster of GetRealPhilippines.com.
God cannot be stupid, it just does not exist
God exists but he is not the personal God that religious leaders want their flock to worship.
Our Planet Earth is just one of the billions of planets in our Galaxy, Milky Way, which can sustain life similar to our Planet Earth with humans in one of these planets with probability very close to certainty.
The concept of eternal absolute truth peddled by all religions is simply an instrument used to subjugate the flock for the benefit and power of their religious leaders.
“Scientists have shown us that he isn’t”: untrue, no science has ever prove that God exist…
“unfortunately for the rest of humanity, this latter “God” is the one Filipinos choose to worship”: who could you be to think any one in the “humanity” cares about what Pinoys are worshiping???
Nothing is more beautiful than freedom, and nothing more grotesque than its molestation.
“…the CBCP’s men-in-robes don’t see themselves as accountable for the information they feed to Filipinos. ” Because Filipino Catholics are faithful sheep. They fall for the CBCP hook,line and sinker.
I don’t think that God is stupid. His creations are all fined tuned and working well. Solar system are placed in proper order. The Human body itself, is a very wonderful machine. Every part support to give us life; to make us move and accomplish things, here on Planet Earth.
The Human Brain is still an unknown frontier. Some parts produce chemicals, on the right amount. Too much of it, may make you a mental patient. Too little of it may have you commit suicide. The Human Brain is a ” Work of Art” computer. Some of us are geniuses; some of us are mentally retarded.
I believe that there is a God, who created everything. He or She is not the “man or woman on the sky”, who watches everybody, who is naughty or nice. The problem of organized religions is : they humanize God. And they claim to be the “spokesperson of God”.
Whatever your religion or belief is; I believe in keeping your belief, and the practice of your religion or belief to yourself.
The Age of spreading religious belief is out of date. The Age of religions, usurping the authorities of the government is now ridiculous and out of date. We are already in the Age of Information Technology, where people are easily informed and are smarter.
Hi Hyden,
I dont know if the following happens in the Philippines (or even in USA) but it does happen in my country.
Every now and then 2 people (it are always 2 people; never just one) call at my frontdoor. Who are they? They are either Jehova’s Witness or people of the LDS church (also known as Mormons; sometimes also called Morons; just leave out the middle m). They both (Jehova & LDS try to persuade me to convert to their religion.
I always wonder what will happen when we/I – atheist – will call at their doorstep and try to persuade them to to join the atheist ‘army”? Thank god, we (atheists) dont do that in my country.
@Robert Haighton:
Try also to proselytize your Atheist belief. You can knock on people’s door and convert people to Atheism. I bet there will be some people, who will be interested in your brand of Atheism.
I respect all kinds of religions and beliefs. If you believe in Mother Goose, U.F.O. , witches, etc. I will respect you.
Sorry Hyden but thats not my way of living. I have much better things to do with my precious time. Every individual must sort out what suits him/her best.
I always like what you respect. But pls be a bit more judgemental. That wont hurt anyone. I believe in bricks. Its called brick religion. Quite stupid if you ask me.
I have been told that my late father scared off Evangelists not by shooing them away, but by actually inviting them in and have a debate with them about their faith. Suffice to say, none of them came back to our doorsteps after, and my father misses them when he was bored. At least, according to my mother’s stories (I was attending school at the time so I wouldn’t really know first hand).
My dad seems to have been a Catholic through and through, as he had invited a priest to bless him on his deathbed, but he has been very critical about the holy books of the Christians and Muslims. He urged us to have the same critical thinking not just the bible but for everything else.
Random Citizen,
As I said, they dont knock on my door that often but when they do and me telling them that I am an atheist, they leave pretty fast. As if they know they cant convert me. “A hopeless case”, they will probably think.
To start a discussion or a debate about religion is stupid (no pun intended), but a conversation might and may help.
And to be critical is always good. Especially to one’s self and also towards others.
Personally, I find the bible (and the quran) very one/single-minded and based on fear. And the fact that an individual can sin and then be forgiven for that sin, sounds very stupid to me. Then dont do that sin OR stop forgiving that person who sins.
How can we learn from our mistakes when we are constantly forgiven? It actually allows me to continue to sin knowing that I will be forgiven. For me, it doesnt make sense.
When I did something stupid as child, my parents punished me for that. Why? So that I will not make that (stupid) mistake again. And they also explained me what the mistake was and where it could lead to. So because of getting an explanation (from all possible angles), I understand it.
Random Citizen,
The country I live in (Netherlands) once was, what the Philippines is today: an overwhelming religious country. Today it is becoming more and more secular or irreligious. However, even today, you can still see signs that Christianity is still there. How?
Every god forsaken village, town and city has at least one church. A (roman) catholic church and/or a prostestant church. On sundays, still a lot of shops, stores and businesses are closed (the 7th day is a rest day). City buses start their daily routes not before 8AM or 9AM on sundays while during weekdays they start at 6AM. Also, the frequency is far less on sundays (sundays maybe 2 per hour versus 4 per hour during week days). The same applies for train (above ground) and metro/subway (below/under ground) schedules.
And finally, also the Netherlands has its own ‘bible belt’.
(For some reason I can’t reply to your comment anymore, probably due to this thread being “too long”? Maybe I could raise this to the webmaster, or they might already know about this issue)
Robert,
It is quite interesting to hear that your evangelists seem to give up “too easily” once they heard you’re an atheist. They really didn’t try to persist to “guide or enlighten” you. It’s like they’re looking for theists of another sect (or Catholics) to get an easy pick. As if their evangelism revolves around you already accepting God, but would want to tell you some alternative teaching unique to their sect.
I didn’t read the entire bible, but I do occasionally read excerpts when it pique my attention. Like the story of Samson, portrayed as a hero for the Israelites, but observing it as a story like any other work of fiction then he is a madman with god-given powers to commit mass murder. For a religion that is supposedly about forgiveness and love, the bible has too many murders and rapes, mixed with propaganda favoring Israel.
I was similarly raised from a relatively strict and harsh parenting method. Probably not the belt, but the Tsinelas (rubber slipper) is a common punishment. With that I am “encouraged” to behave well, which I eventually developed into a respectable person, and to perfect my exams, which I consistently did throughout high school (middle school for everyone else) and beyond. That kind of strict parenting may not be perfect (not to be confused with domestic abuse, obviously), but it does get the job done into shaping kids to be proper adults. Modern children as portrayed in American media seem to be too rebellious and their parents can’t handle them properly without getting jailed for hurting their kids.
As for the Sunday breaks, I think it’s okay even for non-Christians to practice it. If the populace is dominantly Christian, then they would tend to stay at home or maybe go to church and not elsewhere, so some businesses may not gain a lot of profit. Also, even Atheists would want to take a day-off, so why not pick one day of the two weekends?
That said, as you know the Philippines is dominantly Christian, but our businesses or transports don’t really slow down here. Saturdays and Sundays tend to be a lot more crowded as people go out to malls and parks, spend a day out with the family and go have fun.
How can a god be stupid when it does not even exist? The stupid ones are those coffee dazed goat herders that invented him claiming to have been inspired by a supernatural being who created man but failed miserably in quality control.
Christian: “God loves you.”
Atheist: “You know it’s [the Christmas story of the birth of Jesus Christ] a myth.”
And atheist wonder why a lot of people do not like them. Tsk tsk tsk..
And atheists would tell you that the Holy Bible is the world’s 1st Fake News.
Not only athiests but also the more than 2’000 different kinds of religion that thought of it as fake news as well.
Well those haters of non-believers are just too proud to admit that they’ve been screwed all the time and gets mad at the bearer who said so.
the ancient Incas knows that God exist the one who created all living things and earth …. the ‘Sun’ is not stupid. the roman catholic’s creation is stupid.
And for those people who believe that Earth is a flat planet like this basketball guy who believe on it is also stupid. ????
I will not try to debate about the existence of God, as that’s a whole other can of worms. But I will try to “interpret” God based on his portrayal in the holy bible.
The church has been praising Him again and again as All-Knowing, All-Good and Ever Present, but His biblical portrayal seems to have a lot of contradictions with that, especially the “All-Good” part. Free Will is sinful, as with the case of Adam and Eve. Idolatry is punishable by death, as in the story of Moses. He favored the actions of the madman Samson, who ruined the lives of thousands of Philistines. God shows no love for those who do not worship him and is very eager to commit mass genocide, one with “global” flooding and another with Fire and Brimstone. The Ten Commandments consists of mostly DON’T rules, with three dedicated to Him, six related to the livelihood of others, and one of familial respect.
The bible has portrayed God as a tyrannical entity, a being who rules with fear rather than love and kindness as the Catholic church is preaching. But that’s my “interpretation”, and it’s rather very different from the one the Catholic church seems to have.
Do I think God is stupid? No. Do I think God is evil? Well, depends on how you see tyranny. That is, of course, besides the question of whether God exists or not.
Just the very notion of a “god” having and expressing emotions is, by itself, nonsensical. Emotions are just a way the human mind interprets physiological reactions. The mind of a god that is infinitely superior to humans will not be framed by any sort of physiology.
If you are referring to the biblical god, then it is far from nonsensical. “Made in THEIR IMAGE”, therefore there are features based on the source of the design.
These emotions came from the creators/designers/makers. And since the creators stated that the creation is based on their image, then one can logically conclude that the emotions feature is also a feature of the creators.
I … don’t exactly know how to answer this, so pardon me if I get things wrong.
From a secular perspective, god does not exist, so you can’t really argue about a “mind” being “infinitely superior” for something that is not really there. They will answer phenomenons through scientific reasoning, like natural calamities being the result of shifts in climate and the earth.
From a religious perspective, a lot of followers are told to accept God with or without full comprehension. Thus, “God moves in mysterious ways” and “All part of God’s plan” springs out a lot. The Christian faith revolves around belief without question, a “blind” trust.
Those who first wrote the bible have portrayed God as a megalomaniac entity designed to instill fear onto the would-be followers of the religion they are going to establish. You may argue that the biblical God may not be an accurate representation of what the One True God may be if He actually exists out there, but right now and throughout history religions are weaponized as tools of propaganda and control over the populace, using God’s name to justify or condemn certain actions.
Such an infinite being would probably know the limitations of its creation, wouldn’t it? So there’s just natural consequence and not punishment (as they teach people). And doesn’t a being derived from its creator also require a certain freedom to wonder and seek?
This problem stems primarily from the doctrine of Calvinism, which almost all christian denominations adhere to.
If you studied all the dominant doctrines and theology further you will realize who false Calvinism is.
Why on earth do you always criticize the CBCP members when they are only relying their faith and religious belief on their interpretations of the Bible where their followers can easily see and check upon whether to believe the CBCP’s teachings or not? You always think that CBCP is at fault when the Roman Catholics are already old enough who are entitled to decide on their own without depending on the dictates of the Church and are free to leave anytime they want to. The CBCP is just like any other institutions whose members are just doing their job based on their religion. These people are sinners and are not far-fetched to commit errors just like any other human beings. The CBCP is not a perfect institution just like any other institutions in this world because it is run by human beings. In history, it has committed errors and alleged crimes. The only holy and most believe is the teachings of Jesus Christ where the Christian people are looking up to and hope for to emulate.
Science is a different kind of work. It is not fixed and always discovering and proving something, while, religion like Roman Catholic is fixed on moral issues, values and beliefs that are found in the teachings of Christ. Both are important as a way of knowing, seeking, discovering and emulating the Mighty God.
God in the Bible is not stupid as protrayed by Duterte. It takes a lot of time to understand the contexts of it rather than reading and interpreting only one verse or two. God’s mystery is infinite that I myself or anyone else in this world cannot fully understand. That’s the beauty of it because we are always seeking the truth thru our whole lives.
Indeed, the CBCP is not perfect — which is why it should more actively subject itself to critical scrutiny and be open to people challenging its edicts. But, instead, it upholds an opaque demeanour and hides behind the pomp and pageantry of its hierarchical top-down governance structure.
What makes you think the CBCP is not open to critical scrutiny and rely only on its heirarchy? The Church is always open to a lot of questions and scrutiny ever since. It has open its doors to investigations of the wrongful acts of its members. It has answered questions from thousands of people about its interpretations of the Bible. Even posting it online. The Church is always open to a dialogue? It does not close its doors to criticisms. The Church has always answer to questions of their interpretations of the Bible. If only you and Duterte will ask their side, you wouldn’t say all those unfortunate things.
I smell a boxing match between Pres Duterte vs CBCP. Round 1 FIGHT!!!
The point for me here is that concepts of God are really open to individual interpretation. I attend an evangelical Christian church, we have our concept of God as a being that does everything he can to reconnect to himself his creation that wandered off. So that’s my concept, Benign0 has his own, a Catholic has his own, another has another view, etc. OK, so think of how we live in a world where pluralism is supposed to be the norm, so let’s leave each other alone on having one’s own view of God (or atheism), right? The Catholic Church though doesn’t seem to see things that way, and it’s history is full of instances where it’s sought to impose its own brand of righteousness on the world on the world by force. That’s perhaps what Duterte has been hitting, and presidential spokespeople have clarified that Duterte was attacking the Catholic clergy’s concept of God, not God in general. So that’s what Benign0 is also saying in a way, so the Catholic church shouldn’t claim to be the only authority on God. Well, we can argue all we want, but we keep our beliefs or unbeliefs from before the argument even after the argument ends.
Thanks Chino. That was spot on!
@ChinoF, @benign0
“The point for me here is that concepts of God are really open to individual interpretation.
“… so let’s leave each other alone on having one’s own view of God (or atheism), right?”
If it is indeed really spot on and both of you really agreed on that point above, why should you then limit your lens only to the Catholic Church and find nothing wrong with Duterte’s praise of his imaginary God of perfection and common sense while declaring another’s God as stupid?
(I suppose it becomes imaginary if it’s not based from the Bible or from anywhere. He isn’t saying where!)
Anyway, Isn’t your judgement being selective, even short of being hypocritical?
Isn’t the old-fashioned saying supposed to apply?
“What is sauce for the goose is also sauce for the gander.”
Indeed, such criticism could apply to other religions. Except in this case, the context is the CBCP is politically active and has supported opposition that seeks to unseat Duterte through illegal means. That’s something particular to the Catholic Church that merits some specific attention.
ChinoF,
Even if Duterte does not agree with what’s written in the Bible, he has no right to insult or disrespect others’ belief specially in the public. This is in line with the provision of the Constitution to respect the different views of religions which Duterte has sworn to protect. He must consider the sensitive feelings of his audience who are mostly Catholics. An insult of Duterte to their God is an insult to their own faith and belief. For one thing he is the President. The president’s prime duty is for unity and healing. In this case, he is causing further divisiveness on this vulnerable country. He must always consider that every thing he will say in front of the camera the public will listen. It might be acceptable if he insulted or cursed the CBCP only because the CBCP is composed of mortal beings who are imperfect but insulting God which the Catholics look up to is immoral to say the least.
That may be true about Duterte. But that blusterous anger method of his and sharp tongue has its supporters, and based on the electoral mandate that got him up there, that’s a lot of support.
But it’s also true that even Lucifer, Satan or the Devil has supporters so it’s not a valid argument, don’t you think?
Duterte has the numbers compared to the guy you mentioned, Anke, and he’s a real guy (if you will consider the devil a fiction), so that matters under this case.
God is not stupid… the science in the Bible isn’t fake news… therefore, it must be, that, some people are only idiots!
“Scientists who used to scoff at the Bible’s account of creation, are now admitting that the biblical account of creation from nothing has been right all along.”
“Scientists who believe in God may have expected such fine-tuning, but atheists and agnostics were unable to explain the remarkable “coincidences”.”
“And that is what scientists are concluding- Someone behind the scenes designed and created the universe.”
The Roman Catholic Church had its history of Inquisition. They tortured and burned people on stake, who were against their religious doctrines. Galileo, who told that the world was round. And he backed the Theory of Copernicus; that the Planet Earth, revolved around the sun, was subjected to Inquisition. He was nearly burned on the stake.
There was a Pope; whose family name was Borgia (Pope Alexander VI), who had several wives and mistresses. This Pope was a criminal. There was a scandal several years ago, on the Vatican Bank. The bank owned by the Roman Catholic Church; where your tax free contributions are deposited.
Pedophilia, or the sexual abuse of children is still prevalent; and the cases are covered by some Bishops.
Randon citizen,
whenever they (Jehova’s or Mormons) come, I will stay polite. And when I tell them that I am an atheist, they will just go away. Yes, they dont even try. Probably because we ask too critical questions which they are not used to (I think).
Its funny (or strange) that no Catholic or Protestant send out “missionaries” to try to do some ‘converting’ to atheists in my country.
Sunday breaks
Many dutch people can be found at a sports club on sundays. Actively participating in a sport. Or just reading a book and listening to music.
I still find it ‘strange’ that we can still see signs of Christianity on sundays, while many laws are very liberal (divorce, abortion, euthanasia, same-sex marriage). And at the same time, churches are refurbished/rebuilt for other purposes because no one attends a church service anymore.
Family members do not always live around the corner. My 2 sisters live a 100km away from me. But they are a phone call or a Skype away.
In the Islamic Religion. Anybody who is not a Muslim is called : Infidel/non believer. They are treated as, sub human. Muhammad, their prophet was a pedophile; a caravan robber , a murderer, a rapist and a polygamist.
In Islam; the woman is a second class citizen. If they marry; they are properties of their husbands. The inheritance of a daughter in a family, is 1/2 the inheritance of a son in a family. In Islamic courts; the testimony of a woman, is half truth, compared to the testimony of a man.
In the Islamic Koran; the camel’s urine is stated as a medicine. So, they drink camel’s urine. Men also were told in the Koran, to piss squatting. This is the reason, why Muslim men are wearing those woman like dresses. It is mandated in the Islamic Koran, that believers can marry a temporary wife, called: “Mutah”. You can divorce this Mutah, after your sexual intercourse.
It is holy to lie and deceive, non believers, as mandated in the Islamic Koran.
If you study the origin of the Islamic Koran. This supposed , Holy Book, was written after 200 years after Muhammad’s death.
Muslims are prostrating in prayers to the Kaaba in Mecca, Saudi Arabia. They are praying to a stone meteorite, that is in the Kaaba.
The god. Allah was a moon god. Allah had a wife named, Al Allat. The moon god , had two daughters, Al Usha, and Al Manat.
You have to read the Islamic Koran in Arabic. There are several versions of it in Arabic. From there, you can understand the Islamic doctrine and belief. The Virgin Mary, is stated in the Islamic Koran, 32 times. She is called , Meriam. Jesus is considered a prophet.
There are more, I can write, but you have to do the reading and research, yourself.
Random citizen,
(to add)
I dont know the bible from A to Z. I only know the usual suspects, like “go and multiply”. And my first response to that is : “well, I will decide about that myself”. And the same response applies for abortion, pre-marital sex and the works.
In other words: I will decide for myself what is good for me. OR we (my partner and I) will decide about that ourselves what is best for us.
I dont think the church will appreciate that tone and behavior.
And since I am not god-fearing, the bible nor god is my reference.
Lets go back to the original topic
I dont think Duterte needed/shouldnt have said what he said. He can do much more by telling the Philippine people that “procreating like rabbits will not make you rich, so stop doing that”
On the other hand, maybe Duterte can push the RH law so that it will be implemented now.
When he does the latter, he is far more practical then saying that god is stupid. But I think he lacks the gutz to do that.
Personally I dont think the RH law will lead to anything good. But maybe its a start.
Imagine being so delusional and living in your own fairy tale existence where you lie and lie and lie.