What if we are wrong?

A long time ago I was a born-again christian....hush...one of the phrases used to promote evangelicalism was the idea that if there were no God but you acted as though there were, what would you lose? What if there was a God but you acted as though there was not? The point was you had nothing to lose in believing, but potentially everything to lose if you didn't.

There is no logic to a belief in a God. Episcopalians base their religion on three foundations: Scripture, tradition and reason. I dispute that. Scripture can be shown to be in error. Tradition is easy to dismiss (slavery anyone?). And reason...well, if you can not rely on the information that forms the basis of your religion, what reasoning is there to use?

A friend suggested that I might be a closet Buddhist. I don't think so, but I have not spent any time considering its "foundation". Why is it necessary to have a belief in the Divine?

In my other blog, moderate mainstream, I posted a piece on Pacificism. Victoria has taken issue with it directly and through a posted comment. But it did lead me to some other material online regarding pacificism and one comment is relevant here:

The gentleman suggested that violence should be met with pacificism as the only workable solution. Violence against violence is promoted as justice in some circles, but he felt that justice was God's to mete out. And while he felt bad about the people being slaughtered in Rwanda, Bosnia or Iraq, he felt they would get their justice in God's time and we should not 'interfere'.

What if he is wrong? What if there is no God to impose justice in some afterlife? Then the murder of millions will have been justified...how? Of course his position is comforting to him...but if he stands in front of God and holds that position and God says part of His will was the prevention of murder....what then?

I acknowledge that I do not KNOW if God exists in any of the forms proclaimed by the religions of the world...but then...neither do they.

Intelligent Design - Post 3

Post 3 of 3:

I am unwilling to concede any component of intelligent design. Until we have visited...let us say....10,000 other worlds and at least 500 planets with life, we have no idea if this planet we live on is either unique, or commonplace. Further, until we see at least a percentage of the universe (I am speaking in whole numbers here...starting with 1%) we can not KNOW virtually anything.

At this point, intelligent design is pagan worship with a new name...nothing more.

Intelligent Design - Post 2

Post 2 of 3:

The primary area that those that support intelligent design use is evolution. That there are in fact gaps in our understanding or in the theory that only intelligent design can fill.

What about quantum mechanics? Does intelligent design also deal with the gaps in our knowledge in physics? Does intelligent design fulfill the missing pieces?

The second question I have (the first being in post 1) is what is the goal of intelligent design?

Intelligent Design - Post 1

Post 1 of 3

Intelligent Design. If there is in fact intelligent design involved in the universe, I ask the following question: WHAT IS THE PURPOSE OF THE UNIVERSE?

After all, if there is intelligent design, there must be purpose....