My Higher Power

I do believe in a higher power, but it is not an invisible entity, rather it is the sum total of the experiences of all people, which are entities that can be easily and obviously shown to exist.

It is worthless to submit to ideologies and systems of thought that do not increase the net benefit (in quantifiable and concrete ways)to yourself, and those around you. A theist believes in god, and reward for obedience as motivation. I believe in the maximization of life and happiness for people, as a logical necessity.

According to my own personal ideals, other people share consciousness that is congruous to one's own, and therefore, deserving of equal consideration. Not all people share a similar level of ability or talent, however, and those that do are obligated to help those that do not.

This is not to say that freeloaders should be rewarded, (obviously others are responsible for their own well being to the best of their abilities) nor am I advocating selflessness to a self destructive level, but voracious amassing of ludicrous amounts of wealth for personal use, to the exclusion of others, who may be in more dire need, is inexcusable and immoral to the extreme. I would go so far as to call it a "sin" against my higher power (overall quality of life of all people).

Not all people have consistent or realistic world view, and this leads to problems as well, as I alluded to in my first post. Often, this leads to behavior which is violent, discriminatory, oppressive and destructive to familial cohesion (as I myself experienced with my family). Only by being truly rational and having a realistic and quantifiable definition of good, can people live in harmony.

I personally posit that "good" in terms of an objective term, would be applicable to anything that increases health, longevity and comfort. "Evil" would be anything that decreases these or removes choice from people (choice obviously being limited to that which does not cause harm to others).

A huge problem with religion is that people separate one another into tribes and segments, with one, (generally the tribe a person is a member of) being the best, and the only one truly deserving of fair treatment and equal status. A good example of this is Jews and their laws against intermarriage (the fact that the word intermarriage even exists is saddening, and indicative of inherent bias).

Another good example is Islam's Sharia law and it's oppressive laws against women and it's violent views toward rectification of the world towards its ideals. Clearly, in Islam, man is less important than the will of allah. This, in my view, is immoral, even discounting the inherent fantasy involved in any theistic system. It is, however, morally consistent for them, starting from their faulty premise. To them, a suicide bomber is literally a martyr. (May not apply to more peaceful flavors of Islam, but such extremist segments do exist.)

People often say, in discussion on the nature of faith, "Well, you have to believe in something."

Why not believe in something that is real, and can actually motivate you to make positive changes in the world, without the promise of some stupid banal afterlife?

Introduction (with assorted musings)

My name is unimportant, but I would like to give some background information about myself so as to allow a more intimate transfer of information.

I was born in summer of 1986 to my father, Bob, and mother, Jennifer (not real names). Needless to say, they were overjoyed with the newest and first addition to their family. Let's just go with the name Raphael, which was bestowed upon their screaming and slimy child, shortly after birth.

The joy of my parents was mitigated over time by exasperation interspersed with periods of anger and helplessness as they realized they had a difficult child on their hands. In the Israeli nursery school that I was entrusted to, it was necessary to lock me in a separate room during naptime, as I had the unfortunate habit of jumping from mat to mat, and consequently the sleeping children on those mats, and biting or kicking them. This rambunctious behavior continued throughout my childhood.

I was kicked out of many schools (interestingly only the religious schools that I was put in), and I attribute this to my constant clowning and defiant behavior. I recieved diagnoses of ADHD (attention deficit hyperactivity disorder) and ODD (oppositional defiant disorder). Ritalin was administered, and this helped to calm me significantly, if at the expense of some of my natural personality. I cannot blame my parents or the professionals involved, considering my behavior.

When I was around the age of 8, my parents, always having been somewhat traditional Jews, decided to continue down the path of supposed self awakening and soulseeking, known in Jewish circles as "Teshuva" (translates roughly to repentance). In fact, I played a role in this, as my best friend at the time was attending the Orthodox synagogue on Saturdays, and I wanted to play with him, rather than sit at the Conservative Temple with no playmates.

Thus started a period of time that I do not remember fondly. One reason was that I was not allowed to watch Saturday morning cartoons (opening and closing electric circuits is forbidden during Sabbath), and being woken at extremely early hours to pray with my father before school.

I was a child and I trusted my parents, and believed in the things that they did. I was placed in Orthodox Jewish schools, where the curriculum consists halfway of (poorly taught) secular subjects, and mind numbingly boring Talmudic study.

For instance, one topic of interest in the Talmud is the laws governing the treatment of an animal that attacks someone's neighbor, all variables are considered, from placement of the fence, to strength of the gate, and past history of the animal, everything is agonized over, and obscure references are made from the Old Testament to reach conclusions. For some reason, these laws are considered holy, and worthy of study, regardless of practical relevance to modern day life (good logic exercises though, regardless of faulty premise). In fact, the reverence for learning these laws is practically orgiastic.

I was a troublesome child in the classroom, often asking questions, such as, "If god loves the Jews so much, then why did he allow the Holocaust?" With the intuitively unsatisfying response sure to follow, "His ways are mysterious.", or "Testing the Jews.", and other such rationalization for a being that is supposedly benevolent AND all powerful.

I was taught that something does not need to be detectable in any way, to be real. I rebelled against this on a very instinctual level. Additionally, the artificial restraints placed on me by the strict laws of Judaism did not exactly help me to want to continue in my practice of Orthodox Jewry (by no means was this my driving rationale behind my lack of faith).

It is interesting to note, that in religious circles, faith is considered a virtue. While anywhere else, it is seen as gullibility and stupidity. For instance, if I told you to turn a nob, for hours and hours everyday, without telling you what it does, or why you are turning it, would you do it? What if I offered you $1,000,000? A tempting proposition is it not? But wouldn't you want to at least see the money?!

Anyways, back on topic. By the age of 13, I was agnostic, yet still in Orthodox Jewish schools, due to my parents' fervent religiosity. There were often heated discussions at the Sabbath table, consisting of my point, lack of evidence for creationism, and my parents' (and their guests') response that you need faith. Faith is not something that I ever held in esteem (at least not from an age where I could think).

Tension between me and my father escalated in a very bad way, and while distance allows us to remain fond of one another now (and my ability to behave respectfully towards his views), I'm sure that he will never have the same feelings for me as he does of his other children. It is difficult to be the black sheep, but I feel like I have reintegrated with the family, and that they have come to terms with my dissenting worldview.

I bear no ill will to religious people, but I do have a certain level of disrespect for faith, and other non logic mediated internal processes. I am averse to it in much the same way as I am averse to any other form of dishonesty.

I look forward to posting again in the future. Take care.

Delusion.

Delusion is a word that describes a fallacious internal model. Fallacious internal models are the cause of inequity and other problems in the world such as: racism, class inequality and religiously motivated acts of violence.

What makes an internal model fallacious?

1) Deviation from empirical analyses and evidence. (Reality)

2) Conclusions made before evidence is examined.

3) Subsequent bastardization of evidence and false theorizing to fit fallacious conclusions.

One may have emotional attachment to a false internal model, a good example of this is a belief in god, or gods, or other things that are learned from one's parents or cultural history.

Another is an inherent trust in institutions, be they banking, corporate, or governmental.

The two party system in America clearly does not benefit the majority of people (the working class), yet people continue to vote for established and familiar governmental establishments. 3rd parties are not stressed in the classroom or given media attention, and therefore are marginalized to the point of nonexistence.

It is easy for those currently in power to keep this position due to the weakness and ineffectuality of people in casting off faulty belief systems. Discrimination against freethinkers and rational people is encouraged. Many people will be shocked and angered to find out that their colleague/friend/acquaintance is an atheist/agnostic/naturalist, and in America, it is practically impossible to attain government office without professing a belief in god.

You want a better life for yourself and others? Be a better you, be brave, and go where your mammalian brain leads you, NOT your lizard brain.