Alex Peak
Religion and Philosophy
Proof
Let me begin by saying I’m not positive about anything. I believe that computers exist, but I can’t prove to myself that they do. I believe pencils, and people, exist, yet I have no empirical evidence to support this claim. The evidence I have is purely subjective. I can’t prove that the universe exists, essentially, because there is no such thing as proof.
Sure, there exists proof within certain contexts. For example, “proof beyond a reasonable doubt” exists; however, any proof that does not take into account reasonable doubt is not an existing proof,
since a reasonable doubt can be held regarding all things.
Mathematical proofs are only proof insofar as you admit to yourself that it’s based on the unproven assumption that mathematics even exist.
Descartes famously claimed that he knew that something existed because he was thinking, and that therefore there must be something to generate the thought. His flaw was that his “proof” was based on the assumption that there is a reality. If there is a reality, then yes, I can verify from the fact that I think that I exist. However, if reality does not exist, then all rules of logic are thrown out of the window, and my supposition that I exist, even as a thinking creature, may be incorrect.
Belief
“You actually believe you don’t exist!?” I seem to get this question a lot.
No, I do believe I exist. I likewise believe that the computer on which I’m currently typing exists, and that puppies exist, and strawberry sundaes, too! Just because I can’t prove the existence of something does not mean I won’t believe in it—but that doesn’t mean I’ll believe in just anything, either.
I base my beliefs, in part, on my senses, and in part on my capacity to reason. If I can smell lasagna, and taste lasagna, and see lasagna, I will most likely believe lasagna exists. Senses are flawed in that they’re a subjective means of interpreting objective reality (assuming objective reality exists, of course). Since we have no objective means of interpreting reality, we must satisfy ourselves with basing beliefs on subjective sources such as our senses, or logic.
God
I do not assume myself to be wise.
I used to believe in God. I am now agnostic, that is I now admit to myself that I do not know either way as to whether or not God, or gods, exists. This is my personal approach, and I make absolutely no expectation for others to concur with it. There are certain things that can lead a reasonable person to believing in God, such as the mystery of what ignited the Big Bang if not God or a god. There are also certain things that can lead a reasonable person to doubt the existence of God or gods, such as Occam’s Razor.
Because I am not wise enough to know one way or the other, I respect the spiritual beliefs of others, so long as they arrive at them through fairly reasonable means, and are likewise respectful of the spiritual beliefs of others who likewise arrive at them through fairly reasonable means.
My View of God
When I believed in God, I considered myself a Christian, although my view of God differed greatly from the classical Christian perception thereof. I’d chosen to believe that the Universe, the Metaverse, the whole Existence of Being, Everything, Everythingness,…was God. After an infinity or so, this Empty Void of Everything became self-aware, I had suspected, and It chose to manipulate Itself to create everything we know today through initiating the Big Bang and, then, allowing planetary evolution and biological evolution to handle the rest. Hence, I was a Christian pantheist.
I also gained some appreciation for Spiritual Mobilisation. It did not seem unreasonable to me to believe that, if God could be Love, God could also be Liberty. Would God actually want us to be un-free? It seems highly unlikely.
On Church and State
To learn about my view on the church and state in modern America, I recommend reading this dialogue.
Christianity v. Homosexuality
All my life, as long as I can remember, I’d been a Christian—until 2007. Indeed, the teachings of Christ made a lot of sense.
Do unto others as you would have them do to you.
Love thy neighbour as thyself.
Wise words, if you ask me. I’ve resolved in my life to try never to hate anyone. Not even President George W. Bush, a man who is clearly hurting this country. Not even Adolph Hitler. Not even Osama bin Laden. I “hate” no one.
So, naturally, I’m quite disgusted when I see groups like the “God Hates Fags” people at the
Westboro Baptist Church
spreading their vile message. Do I hate them? No. Do I support censoring them? No! But I fully believe they are off base and serving only to make their fellow Christians look bad.
Is it the Christian thing to do to hate homosexuals? Absolutely not. All of my life I’d been told that God “loves all of His children.” The notion that homosexuals do not apply was—and remains—simply unacceptable.
Homosexuals are people like you and me: human beings, just like you and me. All humans innately possess the same natural rights, that among these include life, Liberty, and justly-acquired property. Homosexuals are no different, and it is their natural right to pursue their existence however they see fit, so long as they do not infringe upon the natural rights of others.
No where in the Bible was Jesus recorded as saying homosexuality is a sin. Personally, I’ve never believed it was. I see no reason to believe that God would throw someone into a fiery pit for an act that hurts no one. It seems simply illogical. Thus, it is my personal belief that the Christian thing to do is to defend homosexuals from oppression, whether this oppression comes from a single person, a minority faction, or a majority faction.
However, not all share my belief. Some believe that homosexuality is a sin. And, they have a right to their belief, however much I may disagree with it. But even if homosexuality is a sin, as some claim, that’s no justification to hate
that person. Did Jesus hate sinners? Not at all.
Nor does your belief grant you the authority to force homosexuals to become heterosexuals. Did Jesus force sinners to stop sinning? Not at all. Jesus, like Ayn Rand, opposed the initiation of force. Even if homosexuality is a sin, people have a right to be sinners (so long as they do not infringe upon the natural rights of others). If I am wrong, and homosexuality is a sin, then God will deal with them. But if I am correct, and homosexuality is not a sin, then what the Westboro Baptist Church is doing is oppressing innocent people.
Jesus said, “Judge not, lest ye be judged.”
Natural Rights
To be updated…
Suicide v. Piracy
We all have a natural right to commit suicide if we wish. It is the natural result of owning one’s life that one get to choose what he or she does with it.
However, suicide, in my oh-so-humble opinion, is moronic. Why kill yourself when you can
become a pirate instead?
Or a bank-robber?
Or just a “tramp” that wonders around checking out the different land-marks across America?
Let it be noted that I’m not advocating crime, here. Obviously, one does not have a right to steal—under any circumstances. The point I’m driving at is: If you’ve so thoroughly given up on your life that you’re ready to throw it away, why not consider running away, and choosing a new life instead? What have you got to lose?
Sure, being a pirate is a dangerous job, and you may be killed, but hey, you were about to kill yourself anyway. Why not get some adventure before leaving this world?
Related Materials
Articles, Essays, and Thought Pieces
