Subject:
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Re: Atheism (was: Santorum Fails In His Effort To Pervert The Constitution)
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Newsgroups:
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lugnet.off-topic.debate
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Date:
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Fri, 20 Aug 2004 17:22:43 GMT
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Viewed:
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2838 times
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In lugnet.off-topic.debate, Johannes Koehler wrote:
> If there was no God that gave Life™ this life wouldn't have any value at all.
> In that case life was just matter that accidentally interachts in a way
> predetermined by laws of nature. The value that we, Humans, accredit to all
> living creatures is not inherent in the molecules and atoms that perform
> "life". We, Humans, save life because _we_ want to survive, not because
> nature wants to. Nature doesn't "want" anything, nature didn't even "create"
> anything. It just happened. And tomorow there may happen something that turns
> everything that lives to an end. If there is no divine plan behind all that.
> So why do we bother at all to protect life? It's only matter, nothing
> special. Whether something lives or not lives doesn't change anything. So
> let's have a great time as long as we live and don't bother if we destroy
> this planet.....
I think the common misconception is that most normal people can't understand why
they care about things. IE "Why do I care if spotted owls become extinct? Why do
I care if someone I don't know gets tortured?" Notice, it's not "Why *should* I
care?" but "Why *do* I care?". In other words, most humans really do care about
these things, and really don't want pain and suffering in the world.
But, why do we care? Most people can't see a direct reason why they care about
these sorts of things, and therefore assume that this caring is generated by
some outside force like God.
Personally, I think we care because it's natural for us. It's inherent in humans
to care about the well being of things, even when they don't directly affect us.
To assume that it comes from outside source just doesn't sound right to me.
But that's what it often boils down to. Usually, religious people believe that
humans are inherentily evil, and atheists believe that people are inherently
good (or that we have an inherent *capacity* for good).
In the end, though, it doesn't matter. Life has value because I value it. Why I
value it isn't important, because I already know that I do. If God didn't create
the universe, then that value that I have for life comes from my own self, and
if God *did* create the universe, then maybe it comes from Him. But regardless,
life is valuable.
To put it another way, if tomorrow we found irrefutable proof that God didn't
exist, would you suddenly want a world full of anarchy, death, torture, and a
continual rape of nature for your own personal gain? Would you suddenly realize
that you were living in a world without consequence and try to take advantage of
it, without regard to your fellow beings? Would things like love and honor and
honesty become meaningless? Let's hope not!
DaveE
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