Wednesday, December 15, 2004
Following something I wrote about the other day, Professor Anthony Flew, still an atheist.
And something I wrote on Barbelith in answer to the question 'Do You Believe in God'?
To answer the original question, I'm, as ever, perched extremely stylishly on the fence, this time between agnosticism and atheism. When it comes to the various flavours of God a la organised religion I'm an atheist, I see organised religion as political tools for domination and subjegation. Of course, they could be these and one of them could still be right so my position here is one of faith and also a calculated two fingers to their God if It exists. After the Last Battle I'll be sitting with the dwarves in their hut neh?
When it comes to a non-religious type of God I'm more agnostic. It amused me that when I discovered gnosticism through The Invisibles and related discussion that this was similar to what I was thinking in my early teens, along the lines of if there was a God He neither had any hand in development on earth any more and was deaf to/didn't care about our prayers. He wasn't aware of our existence or was constrained from contact, he was a Doctor Who alien scientist or some MPD victim we dreamt into alwaysexistence. I felt that it was quite possible for something to come and start life off but had probably left before we were evolved enough to think up a name for Him.
I've found theism a very useful tool for writing. When I was planning my 100 book, 5 year epic storyline it started off with unnamed cosmic forces and I quickly realised it was a storyline about God and anti-God. The oldest story. With that realisation a lot fell in to place, including my dissatisfaction with organised religion and Christianity.
Then I gave up the writing.
And something I wrote on Barbelith in answer to the question 'Do You Believe in God'?
To answer the original question, I'm, as ever, perched extremely stylishly on the fence, this time between agnosticism and atheism. When it comes to the various flavours of God a la organised religion I'm an atheist, I see organised religion as political tools for domination and subjegation. Of course, they could be these and one of them could still be right so my position here is one of faith and also a calculated two fingers to their God if It exists. After the Last Battle I'll be sitting with the dwarves in their hut neh?
When it comes to a non-religious type of God I'm more agnostic. It amused me that when I discovered gnosticism through The Invisibles and related discussion that this was similar to what I was thinking in my early teens, along the lines of if there was a God He neither had any hand in development on earth any more and was deaf to/didn't care about our prayers. He wasn't aware of our existence or was constrained from contact, he was a Doctor Who alien scientist or some MPD victim we dreamt into alwaysexistence. I felt that it was quite possible for something to come and start life off but had probably left before we were evolved enough to think up a name for Him.
I've found theism a very useful tool for writing. When I was planning my 100 book, 5 year epic storyline it started off with unnamed cosmic forces and I quickly realised it was a storyline about God and anti-God. The oldest story. With that realisation a lot fell in to place, including my dissatisfaction with organised religion and Christianity.
Then I gave up the writing.
