Weekends!
This is what Finns say to each other when leaving work on a Friday afternoon. Not "have a good weekend" or "enjoy the weekend - just, Weekends. I don't know why it is a plural, but maybe it is because the weekend is made of two days. When greeting in the morning, they will also just say "Day" - not good day. I think it is so they don't have to commit to anything, or set any kind of expectations at all. More of just a recognition that yes, it is day. This often goes to the weather also, where if you ask "how is the weather?", the response will likely avoid making any kind of opinionated judgement, and just say "it is raining" or "it is below zero".
Factual.
In many ways, this is a good thing, because sticking to this kind of communication means there can be more trust in what is communicated, as it is somewhat verifiable. That has value in a world where people talk about alternative facts and "fake news" whenever what is said goas against their own belief systems. With the US elections coming up in a couple days - there has been a lot of fake news.
From all sides.
While I don't believe in a god, I was wondering what might happen if there was a being that was all-knowing, and had a perfect judgement on whatever it was judging at the time, and be able to make it apparent to everyone. No opinion, just fact. It would be a bit like the mythical dye in a public swimming pool, that would go purple if someone peed.
Just imagine.
If for instance it was something like "everyone who has broken a law would turn purple" - it would pretty much mean that everyone on earth, save young children would turn purple, as we unknowingly break multiple laws per day. But, what if it was other things like "every pedophile dropped dead with PEDO tattooed on the forehead", or every male rapist had their penis spontaneously fall off, leaving them as Ken dolls.
How many celebrities who attended a Diddy party would be untouched?
What if the god was on the side of the government and took all wealth from anyone who hadn't paid all of their taxes. How many from within the government would keep their wealth? What if it went the other way and all the politicians who aren't making a country better, just disappeared. What if the same rule was applied to the entire global population - who would be left?
What if the god could immediately set global conditions to a perfect baseline start, where we had the right technology, the right number of population, the right skillsets within the group, and nature was balanced. Firstly, what might that look like - how many of us would be on earth? Secondly, how many of us alive right now would make the cut because of the type of person we are?
It has always been one of the sticking points I have had in discussions with people who believe in a heaven, that they assume they are going to get into. What makes them think that they are the kind of person who would be wanted in heaven? No one I met is anywhere near perfect, so if heaven is some kind of perfect utopia, if a person did get there, they would have to change in order to maintain the perfect balance. Essentially, the land of afterlife freedom, would demand that they change to fit in.
If a person don't want to change on earth, what makes them think they would want to change in heaven?
Remember, this isn't a vengeful god, it is a factual god. if it makes a decision to kill a billion people because their intelligence level is too low to add enough value compared to the cost of resources, it is doing it without judgement or opinion, and on perfect information. It is also doing it in the best interest of the majority, and with perfect logic.
Would that be acceptable?
We all have opinions about all kinds of things that we find important, and that we don't. We also have opinions about things that we have no direct experience, or very little knowledge about at all too. However, even though we might express or suppress our opinions case by case, as a whole, we aren't very good at making decisions on complex issues that have many, many facets that we don't even understand.
Considering what kinds of outcomes might happen with a god like above, most of us probably wouldn't want some being with that kind of power, even though it is making decisions perfectly. Yet, many of us would still argue about who would be a better president in the US, without recognizing that it is not only a false dichotomy, but it is also fundamentally flawed that there is a choice at all. There might be a "best choice" out of any two, but that doesn't mean either choice is good, nor does it mean that we should have a system where there is a single leader at all.
The fact is, the belief systems we use to govern ourselves, are terrible.
That is just my opinion though.
Luckily Unfortunately, I am not all-powerful...
Taraz
[ Gen1: Hive ]
I get that a lot of people don't believe in God. I think for me, I often think of it this way whether it is right or wrong. If I am wrong about religion (I've got a one in a hundred or so chance), then not much is really going to change. If I am right though, it's less about whether I make it to heaven and more about an eternity in hell is very unattractive. Again though, the more I read, the more I feel like I would fit in well in Finland :)
I think you would. I think a lot of Finns are hedging their bets too :)
As far as I can tell people just assume that afterlife is a place where they're not going to ever have to worry about anything at all (or alternatively where you're going to suffer for the rest of eternity because of that one time you were rude to someone because apparently gods are extremely small-minded and petty like that) and not a reflection of life where you have to have some function/use in society.
Also your factual god sounds like the ruling/overarching AIs in dystopian scifi novels that most people would consider "evil" (and is usually set up as some kind of antagonist) even though if you lookk at things logically what you described was probably all it was doing half the time.
that's actually moderately amusing to me
I would most definitely turn purple and stop existing I think XD
Exactly! This is the "all-powerful" mind at work?
That AI is already deployed - it is just learning about the children in its playground at the moment.
A merciful end.
Definitely better than some of the other options!
How about you, safe or purple and/or non-existent? :D
AI will become God for humanity. But I will not be happy with such a God. The real God does not interfere in people's affairs, but gives them the laws of the Universe and the right to choose their own path.
How much choice, I am not sure. But I am sure for myself that self-choice as far as we have it, is bett4er than man-made rule to follow blindly.
While we are all entitled to our opinions it can get in the way of facts that's why the Finnish way of communication you just described might be a good one. We should learn to separate our opinions from facts and face the truths. Though when it comes to the issue of an all-powerful being I believe He does exist. Anyone who's witnessed supernatural phenomena done by him would believe, just like we believe the wind exist because we witness its effects.
It is a good way to communicate in some respects - in others, it fails. However, I think it is good to be able to learn where and when certain methods should and could be applied.
What constitutes a supernatural event?
Well, the way of Finnish expressions you mentioned above sounds odd me, doesn't it? It would be nonsense if I said only weekends or day in Turkish. What weekends? What day? Need an adjective 😄
Exactly! It is weird! :)
They also need to be apathetic knowing that people going to hell will suffer eternal anguish. If that's the case, I'd rather spent my time in hell where I can be me. I don't believe in god though and when I die, I will just cease to exist.
God is bitter, spiteful and vengeful. Not the kind of system I want to be involved with. Hell accepts all.
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Throughout my life, I have taken a clear and firm stance that I am not a believer in gods, fairies or supernatural beings. My approach to existence is based on tangible reality and personal responsibility. My life motto is ‘live and let live’, a philosophy that guides my actions and my interaction with the world. I treat others and my environment with the respect and consideration I expect to receive in return, trusting in the human capacity to find meaning and purpose in our own experiences and relationships, without recourse to the supernatural.
Ha that’s funny . Day. Not committing to anything. I like it . 😂. I lived in Bavaria for a few months and they used to say Moin Moin which is sort of hello hello or morning morning . I quite liked it .
One of the most abhorrent legacies from the 2016 election. There are still plenty of new laws and propositions outside of a single presidential race that make it of paramount importance to vote during election cycles that aren't just an illusion of choice.