Thursday, June 19, 2025

God does not exist!

I have personally come to the conclusion that there is absolutely no convincing evidence for the existence of an all knowing, all powerful, everywhere present god. Theists so called subjective evidence is not evidence at all. Mainly because if it was a personal experience you claim to have had on your own with no witnesses to support it then we are forced to take your word for it. 

Thomas Paine in his excellent book The Age of Reason explains this point incredibly well:

“Revelation when applied to religion, means something communicated
immediately from God to man. It is revelation to the first person
only, and hearsay to every other, and, consequently, they are not obliged
to believe it. It is a contradiction in terms and ideas to call anything a revelation
that comes to us at second hand, either verbally or in writing. Revelation
is necessarily limited to the first communication.”

From the perspective of a nonbeliever and reason; your personal experiences with the god of your choice are not evidence of anything. As a former Pentecostal evangelist I can attest to the power of personal experience and how it affects our beliefs. Coming from a Charismatic church, experience was everything. We all wanted to feel the presence of God or the power of the Holy Spirit coarsing  through our bodies. I practiced openly speaking in tongues and believed at one time that God used me as a vessel to bless and heal his people. To a charismatic believer subjective experience is the evidence of the existence of God. 

As stated in the quote above Paine has shown why those types of experiences are not evidence at all. That is why a reasonable person who utilizes logic prefers more emprical and objective evidence  to determine for themselves whether what they are being told can be taken seriously. Having said that it is my belief that there is no nor will there ever be empirical or objective evidence for the existence for God. 

Although believers start with the presupposition that their god exist, we are not obligated to start from that premise. All arguments for the biblical God start with the presupposition that he exists otherwise there would be no arguments to be had. The onus (burden)  of proof is entirely on you the believers to provide evidence that could be tried, tested, and verified to confirm what you claim to believe as truth. 

I live my life as if there is no god and I don't go around thinking that there is a possibility that there is a god. Honestly, I don't really care if there is one because if he exists he has no effect on my life whatsoever. And if he is anything like the deity described in the Bible then I have no desire to follow or worship a celestial tyrant such as him. 

 

Wednesday, February 26, 2025

                                                 Fear is the driving force of Christianity


4“I tell you, my friends, do not be afraid of those who kill the body and after that can do no more. 5But I will show you whom you should fear: Fear him who, after your body has been killed, has authority to throw you into hell. Yes, I tell you, fear him. Luke 12:5-6 (NIV)

As a former believer I have heard many theists try to rationalize fear as nothing more than respect as opposed to what we actually mean by the word fear. When I read the above cited text I don't see it as a the inspiring words of a loving and compassionate god. I see this verse as a direct threat to my supposed eternal state based on this nonsensical belief system. It clearly makes an analogy between actual physical death and so called spiritual death also defined as eternal separation from God. Further reading would lead you to believe that along with separation from God also includes some form of eternal torture. 

Fear of hell was the most difficult thing for me to overcome as a believer. Once I started having doubts about the veracity of the Bible and my faith system (Pentecostal), I began to search for truth with genuine fear in my heart. I constantly thought to myself "what would happen if I die right now without Jesus?" That idea horrified me at the time. 

Without exaggeration it took me literally about 6 years to completely overcome my fear of hell and my doubts regarding the veracity of the scriptures and the existence of God himself. It is ironic that the bible says that you shall know the truth and the truth shall set you free. Because it was the truth that set me free from the mental and emotional chains of religious beliefs.