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The Answers

Entry 961, on 2009-03-09 at 21:03:52 (Rating 5, Religion)

Today my teenage daughter said something I found amusing. She said: "Some people look to god for the answers, I look to Google." I guess that's what humanism is all about: god doesn't exist, he's an illusion, and we only have ourselves to rely on. But does Google really have the answers which god doesn't?

Well it depends on what the question actually is, I guess. That's an annoying aspect of the way some religious people act. They tell me I will never find the answers unless I seek god, but they never tell me what the question is that I am supposed to be finding the answer to!

If its something like: "what is the capital of Bulgaria" (its Sofia) then I suspect I could beat any member of the "god squad" to the answer using Google. At the same time I could regale them with many interesting factoids about the city, for example its the second oldest city in Europe. Although there are numerous sites of Neolithic villages, the first recorded name of the city was given to it by the Thracian tribe Serdi, who settled here in the 7th century B.C.

But seriously, what about the big questions? You know, those questions about life, the Universe, and everything? There's plenty on the Internet about that as well, from both philosophical and scientific perspectives. There's plenty on the 'net for those who prefer a spiritual interpretation as well, but I never find that much of a source of elucidation.

So you could ask god but you are really just getting an opinion from a single source. If you do your asking via the Bible for example you are getting the opinion of a primitive tribe of desert nomads. If you ask your minister, priest, preacher, etc then you are getting his opinion, which might be or might not be worthwhile. If you ask god via prayer then you are really just asking yourself. The prayer might help you focus on the question at hand, but that's about all.

Wading through piles of information on the Internet might be a bit more difficult than just pulling a trite answer from the Bible but its so much more worthwhile. Some religious people I know believe their old stories just because they are lazy. Believing the childish myths in the Bible is so much easier than understanding the deeper truths of philosophy and science. Why would you do all that work when you can have the easy answer to every question?

Because its so much more rewarding, that's why. Humanism really is far more rewarding than religion. If you want the answers that's the way to get them!

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