In the Peirs Anthony series of novels "Incarnations in immortality" the world (both humans and metaphysical deities) came to the conclusion that God was no longer serving his purpose and ultimately voted him out of office. They came to this decision due to the outdated rules about bastards and unbaptised babies suffering eternity in hell even though they themselves had done nothing to deserve it. I'd personally vote him out of office for his complete apathy towoards what's happening on this planet, considering he's supposedly wiped out the entire human race three times as punishment for bad behavior. Do you think God is still doing his job (or anything for that matter)and if we were to impeach him, what qualities would you look for in his successor?
P.S> if philosophers can ponder time travel and whether superman can breed, they can ponder this one as well--putting it in the religion section wouldn't get me answers, it would get me rebuked,chastised and prayers for my ruination.
2006-09-28 15:12:06 · 12 answers · asked by Anonymous in Arts & Humanities ➔ Philosophy
oddly enough Kimberli, Peirs anthony agreed with you--that's how the story ended
2006-09-28 15:36:37 · update #1
Well said Chris P!
2006-09-28 15:37:11 · update #2
Let me begin by saying that I am a 100% pure athiest, and actually proud of it, only because I can think for myself and make decisions based upon my feelings, not based on what would god think... it's true freedom.
With that said...
If you ask any religious person, they will more than likely tell you that god gave man free will. He set a course of actions that we are supposed to follow, and if we do not, that is our decision and we must live with the consequences, unless of course your religion offer absolution (How convenient, eh? Do whatever you want, and in the end ask for forgiveness and all your sins are forgiven... gotta love that little loophole in their philosophy). So, God is technically not supposed to do anything to change how the world is today, instead, we are.
On the other hand, if there was an all powerful, all knowing spirit up there, one would tend to think he'd step in now and then to fix things or make things better at least, yet he doesn't. Millions upon millions of religious people are still waiting for the 2nd coming, believing that he will indeed come back to this planet and deal death and chaos to non-believers while bringing the righteous (man I hate that word) up into heaven. Whatever.
If we were to find a replacement for "God", I would have to look for the following qualities:
Trustworthy
Loving
Strict
Attentive
Public (As in, he shows himself all the time)
What good is a god that never proves his existance? Sure, you have a bunch of nut cases and phoney priests who claim they speak with god in order to get money from all the suckers, err, religious people out there, but do you really believe anyone has ever made contact with god? I don't, but then again, I don't believe in him anyhow, so it doesn't matter to me.
Now consider if you had a god that boomed his voice down to the entire planet once a day to remind people that he is there, and that he is watching. Sure, it might be a bit like "Big Brother", but don't you think that would make people think twice about committing bad deeds? If there's a god now, why doesn't he announce himself, instead of having all these crackpots coming to our door every week trying to sell Jesus?
I enjoyed the question, but I am afraid once I hit submit, I am going to see 10+ answers rebuking you and quoting the bible again, because that's what religious people are like... robots, who can do nothing but defend their faith and assume that they're the only ones who are right and everyone else is going to hell.
Must be hard to think so highly of ones self every day, wouldn't you think?
***Edit***
Wow, it's amazing how quickly negative votes come up... 3 in less than 10 seconds after I posted this :P Man, I wish some of these people would teach me to speedread like they can!
2006-09-28 15:23:22 · answer #1 · answered by iswd1 5 · 2⤊ 3⤋
I can't participate very well in this one b/c I am thoroughly athiest, and to answer the question of whether God should be replaced, you have to first accept the reality that there is a God at all in the sense of there being a conscious being capable of apathy to begin with.
Honestly, though, the book is excellent. The entire series is excellent. The highlight for me was the athiest in "On a Pale Horse" just dissolving into nothing. It was wonderful.
2006-09-28 22:26:07 · answer #2 · answered by MotherFirefly 4 · 1⤊ 0⤋
What is God?
If God were to be that highly personal, very intensely involved, highly potent entity that we are commonly made aware of, then replacing God is not difficult at all. A change in your own perceptions, values and beliefs can effect that change very easily.
In fact you can create / "impeach" God over a million times and you will still have space for more.
If God is impersonal, unbiased,utterly ruthless in meting out the cards of fate that you are dealt with and is almost never swayed by any form of endearment, then replacement is difficult.
A popular God who would lay end to miseries (by whose perception?) and fill the world with sensible people (relative to whose values?) and mend rules so that they are not outdated (again - who is dictating these rules?) is a concept that is so vulnerable to all corruption and then God will not be God but just Man.
God in my opinion is still doing a good job of what he has...a race of humans deeply mired in utter self promotion, intolerant, insensitive and devoid of a constant value base.
2006-09-28 16:28:22 · answer #3 · answered by M_Ri 1 · 1⤊ 0⤋
I think it's time to put a woman in office.I wouldn't be so good at it myself because I procrastinate too much,and that's the problem most people have with God as it is.We need someone that will punish according to crime and not circumstance,reward the just,and forgive only those that are truly sorry and not just looking to placate.Oh,and someone that doesn't care to see people wasting time in church when they could be out cleaning up the world.Yup,need a woman.
2006-09-28 15:24:52 · answer #4 · answered by kimberli 4 · 2⤊ 0⤋
We don't need the idea of God to survive in this world, but then it's only the materialistic world, and that may be it or not.
If there is a God you misunderstand Him completely.
He is at your center ... the source of your own conscienceless ... Not a stupid puppet master in the sky controlling and manipulating every little detail. What??? Stupid human idea huh?
I would impeach that god too!
Jonnie
PS Thought provoking question ... thanks.
2006-09-28 16:22:51 · answer #5 · answered by Jonnie 4 · 1⤊ 0⤋
How may you live without a God. I did not state it is not possible, I am putting the demand to you to think of other possibilities of a life not with God but with other humans, beings who likewise choose to say the truth of their own knowledge of God 'I do not know', secure in the reciprocal reality of their advanced intelligence and common education.
What is is. We know the possibility of a God, the question of our existence a certs itself with every newborn. An absolute position for a postulated unreality is a waste of time and life.
2006-09-28 16:13:18 · answer #6 · answered by Psyengine 7 · 0⤊ 1⤋
a couple of points....
first...Peirs Anthony is a noted Sci-Fi author....and therefore is free from the constraints of philosophical, theological, rational/logical/reasonable constructs..such as pondering god's replacement....
and as such, he can create any universe that he chooses
secondly...your assumptions about god's efficiency at his job or his apparent apathy about the human condition begs the question...why do you posit an interpersonal, interactive, immanent god?
If there is a "godhead" of any sort, it is quite another leap of human hubris to assume that it is a up close and personal god that "cares" about humanity....
if there is a "godhead" at all, it might be that as an infinite being, we humans could never be able to understand, approach, recognize such an existence...truly ineffable
however, if what we have on earth is a lesser god, a deep discount/limited services god...a 2.47 GPA god, a Wal-Mart god.....then....we're screwed....just relax....he/she/it will allow us to blow ourselves to hell and back...
successor? as in going from Wal-Mart to K-mart????
no thanks.
a hell that we know is preferable to a hell we don't know
2006-09-28 15:41:04 · answer #7 · answered by Gemelli2 5 · 1⤊ 0⤋
As he doesn't exist... we don't need a successor...but if he did we should put him on trial for allowing so much suffering in the world.
I think we can do without a God - in particular to put an end to religious conflict.
2006-09-28 15:24:29 · answer #8 · answered by Mr Crusty 5 · 3⤊ 1⤋
24-hour Consumer Support Hotline..
:-)
2006-09-28 15:24:55 · answer #9 · answered by Andreba 4 · 2⤊ 0⤋
personaly an apathetic god is one with no hope
cheer that god up say hi on a good day too
also with Odin other gods exist and can be there for you too
2006-09-28 15:53:55 · answer #10 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 1⤋