What Use Is God?

[Bikewer]

Last week's New Scientist has this as the cover article:

http://www.newscientist.com/channel/being-human/mg19526190.400-what-good-is-god.html

Unfortunately, it's a subscription article, and I didn't care to spring $4.50 for same, or buy the rag.
A brief skim-through seems to indicate that it talks about the biological/evolutionary basis for ethics and morality, as well as some of the social pressures driving the popularity of religion.

If anyone is a subscriber.....

 

[Ben K]

What would you want to use God for?

 

[Miss Anthrope]

Excellent first post Ben. Welcome, you're going to fit right in!!!

 

[Elind]

Last week's New Scientist has this as the cover article:

http://www.newscientist.com/channel/being-human/mg19526190.400-what-good-is-god.html

Unfortunately, it's a subscription article, and I didn't care to spring $4.50 for same, or buy the rag.
A brief skim-through seems to indicate that it talks about the biological/evolutionary basis for ethics and morality, as well as some of the social pressures driving the popularity of religion.

If anyone is a subscriber.....

You can have whole chapter on the same from Dawkins. I suspect it's the same basics. You know, golden rule and all that. Some things work, some get you killed.

 

[Bob Klase]

What Use Is God?

She makes a good bookmark.

 

[triadboy]

What would you want to use God for?

Xians use Yahweh to feel guilty about living.

So he's got that going for Him. (Oh yeah, that's another thing - You have to capitalize personal pronouns that refer to Him. Can you imagine how sweet that would be?)

 

[g4macdad]

http://www.internationalskeptics.com/forums/showthread.php?postid=2938081#post2938081

Here is your answer.

 

[Tumblehome]

What would you want to use God for?

To make lots of money, of course.

Just ask Jim Bakker, Jimmy Swaggart, Benny Hinn...

 

[Oubliette]

Money and manipulation.

 

[Silly Green Monkey]

Interesting, it seems most televangelists are known by nicknames. Pat, Jimmy, Benny. Is no one formal anymore?

 

[g4macdad]

Interesting, it seems most televangelists are known by nicknames. Pat, Jimmy, Benny. Is no one formal anymore?

They are all very formal green monkeys?

 

[Hourglassmemory]

I've come to the conclusion that if god exists he is there only to exist.
Because we want him to.

 

[Beerina]

I don't want him to exist.

Do you seriously want a being to exist who will torture people for ever and ever for, say, taking a weiner up the butt, or even just refusing to acknowledge it exists? Does anyone actually want such a being to exist?

According to the Bible, the vast majority of people who ever lived will end up tortured for all eternity. Now contemplate that such a creature actually exists. Um, yay?

 

[c4ts]

Emotional crutches you can keep long after you heal, and a chance to socialize once a week in a controlled setting.