Re: GOD:True or false
All living organisms constantly compete for limited resources. Organisms that are better equipped then others in coping with their environment, have a better chance of surviving and thus replicating themselves and their genes. This mechanism is the essence of evolution. Evolution, in turn, is one of the three essential ingredients of life itself. Life on earth began with the process of evolution. Without evolution, there can be no life.
The evolution of man conveyed to him advanced traits that positioned him above other animals on the ladder of evolution. His primary battle for survival, comfort and prosperity involved constant competition and conflict with his untamed environment, with nature. He perpetually faced danger, not only by competing human beings, but also by adverse natural events such as floods, hurricanes, droughts, thunderstorms and many other perils of nature.
Man was able to cope successfully with some adversities, but he felt powerless to deal with many other events in nature that filled him with fear and awe. A thunderstorm often turned out to be the precursor of more serious events such as rains, floods or hail. Thunder and lightning made primitive man wonder if superior beings inhabited an invisible world in the sky and invoked various cataclysmic events.
It would be natural for humanoids to appeal to such superior beings in the sky in order to solicit their help. It seemed reasonable to assume that these powerful, superior beings, these gods, were punishing humans for unknown reasons or merely for their pleasure. From this viewpoint, it required little imagination to try to appease these gods by appealing to them by means of prayers or by sacrifices of men or beasts.
Sometimes these prayers and sacrifices seemed to bear fruit and sometimes they did not show any results whatsoever. Due to his lack of knowledge, it was difficult for primitive man to distinguish between miracles and cause/effect relationships. He merely presumed that prayers were sometimes effective in appealing to the gods. When a violent storm eased, he attributed the event more to the effect of his prayers, than to the fact that dry air had just replaced a cold front. Man had no insight in the processes of nature. He lacked knowledge, science and rationality.
Since prayers and sacrifices seemed to be effective at times, man ascribed their lack of effectiveness at other times to improper or insufficient prayers or sacrifices. Unpredictable responses to his prayers generated feelings of fear and awe and strengthened his submission to his newly created gods.
We can trace the origins of religion to the prehistoric development of man between 500,000 and 100,000 years B.C. It was during this long period of human evolution that religious emotions and motivations became hard-wired into the human brain and genes.
During subsequent periods of human evolution, from hominoids to Neanderthal man to Cro-Magnon man, these primitive forms of religion imbedded themselves ever more firmly into the genes of human beings. These genes for susceptibility to religion and superstition remain among of the most pervasive and powerful motivators of man.
By means of prayers and alleged miracles, religion provides the illusion of security and comfort in this life and the promise of a splendiferous life after death, What more could man ask for?
After witch doctors and shamans had established the illusion that gods had control over life and death, it required only a brief leap of the imagination to extend their power to the ability to grant a life beyond physical death. An afterlife seemed plausible and appeared highly desirable. After all, nobody wants to face death; nobody likes to face a state of nonexistence after his physical death. It is much more palatable to think of death as the beginning of a new life in which the essential part of our organism will continue on to a new and improved phase of existence.
Since there is no evidence whatsoever that anyone has ever returned from an existence after death, it was easy and natural to construct the belief of a more pleasant life after the short and miserable existence that humans had to endure. The concept of a wondrous life after death, a heaven, became very popular.
It hard-wired itself into human emotional behavior patterns because it actually entailed hidden benefits for physical survival. Religion became synonymous with a sense of awe and fear of the gods. Gods had become omnipotent, not only with regard to normal human existence, but also with regard to a continued existence after death.
Whereas prehistoric human societies benefited from the belief in the supernatural, the opposite situation prevails in our modern world, a world dominated by a thin veneer of rationality covering the emotion-based motivations of our ancient reptilian brain.
Man?s environmental conditions have changed drastically during the last 100,000 years. Science has transformed nature from a force that man feared and held in awe, to a force that is subservient to him. Untamed nature was, and still is, man?s greatest enemy. However, man no longer fears nature. Man has tamed nature and he now dominates nature to a very high degree.
The persistent presence of religious belief systems within modern society restrains rational thought processes. Religion is the essence of irrationality and is a poor substitute for factual, scientific knowledge. Religion, magic and superstition do not provide any results because they rely on inherently faulty premises.
Science and rationality, based on knowledge and logic, has evolved as the only reliable method for achieving desired results. Scientists do not pray when a rocket takes off for outer space, they utilize technology and rely on science.
Only during the last one hundred thousand years did evolutionary pressures bring about a new and extremely powerful tool, the rational mind. Rationality relies on reason and logic, instead of superstition, to achieve desired results. Rationality coincided with the development of science.
The cerebral cortex of our brain, our convoluted gray matter, our complex thinking apparatus, our central processing unit, is a relatively recent addition to our brain. Our cerebrum enhanced the more primitive underlying limbic system, the seat of our ancient emotions and our innate temperament. The limbic system is like an old-fashioned hammer, simple, sturdy and rugged.
On the other hand, our cerebral cortex is like a computer: Complex, maintenance intensive, fragile, but capable of speeds and functions unheard of in the days when man had no tools other than a hammer.
We are still using the hammer, just as we are still using our limbic system. However, we have improved the quality of our lives immensely by using our new computer tool, by using our cerebral cortex. Other animals still operate essentially with their limbic system. Modern man has achieved complete superiority over other animals by developing his rational mind.
As we enter the third millennium, the scientific approach to human affairs is beginning to supersede the obsolete, ineffective reliance on a god or gods. Religion is still powerful, but it has lost the all-pervasive stranglehold on human affairs that it held a mere five hundred years ago
As recent as the Middle Ages, clerics and churches dominated the worldly affairs of humanity. Since the end of the eighteenth century, since the Age of Enlightenment, religion has taken a backseat in managing the affairs of state. Man has become tired of exploitation by kings and bishops.
Many people may still pray for intervention by the gods. Prayers are requests by confessedly unworthy persons to have the laws of the universe repealed in their favor.
However, it is obvious to any rational, intelligent observer that prayer is not as efficacious in solving problems as the rational mind, just as medical quackery and herbal extracts are no substitute for heart surgery and penicillin. The difference between herbal remedies and penicillin reflects the difference between the primitive limbic system and the highly advanced cerebral cortex.
Discussions regarding religion often revolve around the question: Does god exist? What do we mean when we say that something exists? As far as human beings are concerned, nothing exists unless it manifests itself in some form, shape or manner to man or to his extended sensory perceptions.
If something is claimed to exist but does not impinge on man in any way whatsoever, we can safely say that it does not exist as far as human existence is concerned. This undefined mirage may still exist somewhere in the universe or another universe. However, since this alleged object or event does not manifest itself to us, it does not affect us in any way whatsoever and we must simply state that it does not exist.
Religious people argue that, although they cannot positively prove that god exists, the atheists cannot prove that god does not exist. This argument embodies several fallacies.
It is logically impossible to prove that an object or event does not exist. However, it is not only possible but is exceedingly common to prove that something does exist. If something exists, it manifests itself to us by objective evidence. It is also axiomatic in the affairs of man, and steeped in common sense that, whoever makes a claim, has to prove its validity. Extraordinary claims require extraordinary proof.
Whoever might claim that the moon is made of green cheese has to prove that the moon actually consists of green cheese, instead of rock, as established by previous, hard, factual, objective evidence. It is logically impossible and nonsensical to demand that, whoever does not accept the claim that the moon is made of green cheese, should disprove it.
Only persons, who do not utilize logic, will accept as true statements that are completely unsupported by factual evidence. Yet, this form of irrationality and lack of fundamental logic is the foundation of all religions. Since approximately 80 % of the world population accepts the completely unsubstantiated statements of various religions, 80 % of the world population suffers from a severely distorted and ineffective worldview
Christian dogma expects people to believe the fairy tale of Noah?s ark, although it is patently impossible to squeeze even samples of all the world?s animals into one small ark. Rational persons consider such stories as ludicrous and yet, such is the power of religion, that the majority of the people on earth accept such fairytales as facts.
The bible account of the creation of man and the universe, as outlined in the Book of Genesis, is so much in contradiction with irrefutable facts that a rational person cannot help but laugh about such fantasies. It may be all right for children to believe in Santa Claus and the Tooth Fairy, but adults are supposed to outgrow such fairytales
Where was the Jewish God Jehovah, when Hitler incinerated five million of his chosen people; where was the Buddha when Truman vaporized 250,000 Japanese women and children; where was the Christian God when Stalin killed thirty million human beings?
It defies rationality when religious persons pray to these same gods for individualized help and salvation.
Pascal's Wager
Another favorite statement by religious philosophers refers to Pascal?s Wager. Pascal was an eminent seventeenth century mathematician who struggled with the contradictions presented by Christian theology.
His wager consists of the statement: It is advantageous to believe in god because the worst thing that can happen is that you have spent your life believing in something that is untrue and you will end up just as dead as everyone else will. However, if you do not believe in god and if god actually exists, then god?s actual existence will matter in the extreme because you will be in big trouble with Him.
The problem with Pascal?s wager lies in the reality hat a person cannot pretend to believe in God just for the sake of a wager. The obvious insincerity in pretending a belief in God for the purpose of a wager makes an actual belief in God impossible.
Theologians have used Pascal?s wager to admonish people to believe in God, just in case. This situation justifies the old definition of theologians as persons who are looking in a coal-bin on a dark night for a black cat that is not there.
The Epicurean Postulate
It is pointless to get involved in endless discussions regarding the existence or non-existence of god and his moral qualities. Such nonsensical and unproductive discussions have raged for the last three thousand years.
One of the problems in theism, the belief system involving a personal god, revolves around the existence of evil and the resulting inconsistency in the concept of an omnipotent god.
The mere existence of evil in this world makes the existence of a benign god impossible: If god were omnipotent, he could eliminate evil and if he were benign, he would want to do so. Furthermore, if god were all-good, as he is supposed to be, he could not sin. However, if he were all-powerful, he could sin.
The Greek philosopher Epicurus illuminated this dilemma in 300 BC:
If God is willing to prevent evil but is not able to prevent evil, then he is not omnipotent.
If God is able to prevent evil but is not willing to prevent evil, then he is not benevolent.
Evil is either in accordance with God?s intention or contrary to it.
Thus, either God cannot prevent evil or he does not want to prevent evil.
Therefore, it follows that God is either not omnipotent or he is not benevolent. He cannot be both omnipotent and benevolent.
The Existence of God
Religious people pursue their religion because they have blocked their rationality in all matters pertaining to religion. They are impervious to the contradictions, logical inconsistencies and other obstacles to the existence of a personal, omnipotent god. They need an omnipotent, omniscient god to lean on. They prefer to walk through life with blinders so that the harsh facts of Objective Reality will not frighten them.
There is no need to prove or disprove the existence of god or gods. The mere fact that no god has ever manifested himself in any form, shape or manner, eliminates any reliance we can place on him or any attention we need to pay to him.
As far as modern man is concerned, gods or other supposedly omnipotent beings never have and do not now interact with man. As far as we, as human beings, are concerned, gods do not exist because they do not manifest themselves to us or interact with us.
For the sake of argument, some people suggest that gods may exist in some other universe or plane of existence where we cannot be aware of them. However, as long as these nebulous, hidden gods do not interact with human beings in our universe, we need not concern ourselves with such extra-celestial god or gods.
In order to prove the existence of gods and other super-natural beings, adherents of religions have often been suggested that some people hear voices or see visions involving ethereal superior beings, gods, angels, virgins, the dear departed and other ephemeral appearances.
Photography has been available for the last 150 years. However, nobody has ever captured an image of God or of any other supernatural mirages. If these phantoms cannot even re-arrange a few electrons by leaving an impression on photographic film, how are they going to interact with us or help us?
The Origins of God and the Universe
Another dilemma that frequently arises in discussions of religion revolves around the origin of God and the universe. If God made the universe, as he is claimed to have done, who or what created God? Did God create himself? Religious persons find it exceedingly difficult to answer this question.
Lacking a rational response, they phrase their reply in the simplistic question, "God must have made the universe. If God did not make the universe, who or what created it?" Thus, they evade the issue and place the burden of proof on the person who asked the question.
Only one answer is possible in response to this question: Nobody knows who made this alleged god, but it certainly could not have been another god. Otherwise, the god-creating god would be the real god, instead of the god whom he created.
Another favorite response to the question of who made god tries to stipulate that God has always existed. Therefore, there was no need to create god. This argument is somewhat circular. Nobody has ever proven that god exists, much less that he has always existed. We will concern ourselves with the creation of god after somebody has factually established that god even exists.
Maybe man will never know the conundrum of the creation of the universe. Maybe he will at some distant time in the future. However, ordinary human beings do not need an answer to this question because any answer would be irrelevant to human existence and happiness. Whatever we may find, it is extremely unlikely that the ultimate answer to the secrets of the universe will reveal a God with a flowing white beard who answers human prayers.
We can find an interesting insight in the scientific aspect of this question in the inflation theory. This theory tries to explain the cause of the Big Bang in terms of the destruction of the total symmetry of the original vacuum by a quantum fluctuation. Well, maybe. This answer is just as incomprehensible as the creation of a non-existent god.
Understanding the creation of the universe and knowing what lies on the other side of the Big Bang does not have the slightest effect on our happiness. We enhance our happiness, our emotional state of well being, by minimizing pain and by maximizing our alignment with Reality, by understanding how life really works...
Does God exist, or was he merely an Astronaut?
Do you really care either way?
All living organisms constantly compete for limited resources. Organisms that are better equipped then others in coping with their environment, have a better chance of surviving and thus replicating themselves and their genes. This mechanism is the essence of evolution. Evolution, in turn, is one of the three essential ingredients of life itself. Life on earth began with the process of evolution. Without evolution, there can be no life.
The evolution of man conveyed to him advanced traits that positioned him above other animals on the ladder of evolution. His primary battle for survival, comfort and prosperity involved constant competition and conflict with his untamed environment, with nature. He perpetually faced danger, not only by competing human beings, but also by adverse natural events such as floods, hurricanes, droughts, thunderstorms and many other perils of nature.
Man was able to cope successfully with some adversities, but he felt powerless to deal with many other events in nature that filled him with fear and awe. A thunderstorm often turned out to be the precursor of more serious events such as rains, floods or hail. Thunder and lightning made primitive man wonder if superior beings inhabited an invisible world in the sky and invoked various cataclysmic events.
It would be natural for humanoids to appeal to such superior beings in the sky in order to solicit their help. It seemed reasonable to assume that these powerful, superior beings, these gods, were punishing humans for unknown reasons or merely for their pleasure. From this viewpoint, it required little imagination to try to appease these gods by appealing to them by means of prayers or by sacrifices of men or beasts.
Sometimes these prayers and sacrifices seemed to bear fruit and sometimes they did not show any results whatsoever. Due to his lack of knowledge, it was difficult for primitive man to distinguish between miracles and cause/effect relationships. He merely presumed that prayers were sometimes effective in appealing to the gods. When a violent storm eased, he attributed the event more to the effect of his prayers, than to the fact that dry air had just replaced a cold front. Man had no insight in the processes of nature. He lacked knowledge, science and rationality.
Since prayers and sacrifices seemed to be effective at times, man ascribed their lack of effectiveness at other times to improper or insufficient prayers or sacrifices. Unpredictable responses to his prayers generated feelings of fear and awe and strengthened his submission to his newly created gods.
We can trace the origins of religion to the prehistoric development of man between 500,000 and 100,000 years B.C. It was during this long period of human evolution that religious emotions and motivations became hard-wired into the human brain and genes.
During subsequent periods of human evolution, from hominoids to Neanderthal man to Cro-Magnon man, these primitive forms of religion imbedded themselves ever more firmly into the genes of human beings. These genes for susceptibility to religion and superstition remain among of the most pervasive and powerful motivators of man.
By means of prayers and alleged miracles, religion provides the illusion of security and comfort in this life and the promise of a splendiferous life after death, What more could man ask for?
After witch doctors and shamans had established the illusion that gods had control over life and death, it required only a brief leap of the imagination to extend their power to the ability to grant a life beyond physical death. An afterlife seemed plausible and appeared highly desirable. After all, nobody wants to face death; nobody likes to face a state of nonexistence after his physical death. It is much more palatable to think of death as the beginning of a new life in which the essential part of our organism will continue on to a new and improved phase of existence.
Since there is no evidence whatsoever that anyone has ever returned from an existence after death, it was easy and natural to construct the belief of a more pleasant life after the short and miserable existence that humans had to endure. The concept of a wondrous life after death, a heaven, became very popular.
It hard-wired itself into human emotional behavior patterns because it actually entailed hidden benefits for physical survival. Religion became synonymous with a sense of awe and fear of the gods. Gods had become omnipotent, not only with regard to normal human existence, but also with regard to a continued existence after death.
Whereas prehistoric human societies benefited from the belief in the supernatural, the opposite situation prevails in our modern world, a world dominated by a thin veneer of rationality covering the emotion-based motivations of our ancient reptilian brain.
Man?s environmental conditions have changed drastically during the last 100,000 years. Science has transformed nature from a force that man feared and held in awe, to a force that is subservient to him. Untamed nature was, and still is, man?s greatest enemy. However, man no longer fears nature. Man has tamed nature and he now dominates nature to a very high degree.
The persistent presence of religious belief systems within modern society restrains rational thought processes. Religion is the essence of irrationality and is a poor substitute for factual, scientific knowledge. Religion, magic and superstition do not provide any results because they rely on inherently faulty premises.
Science and rationality, based on knowledge and logic, has evolved as the only reliable method for achieving desired results. Scientists do not pray when a rocket takes off for outer space, they utilize technology and rely on science.
Only during the last one hundred thousand years did evolutionary pressures bring about a new and extremely powerful tool, the rational mind. Rationality relies on reason and logic, instead of superstition, to achieve desired results. Rationality coincided with the development of science.
The cerebral cortex of our brain, our convoluted gray matter, our complex thinking apparatus, our central processing unit, is a relatively recent addition to our brain. Our cerebrum enhanced the more primitive underlying limbic system, the seat of our ancient emotions and our innate temperament. The limbic system is like an old-fashioned hammer, simple, sturdy and rugged.
On the other hand, our cerebral cortex is like a computer: Complex, maintenance intensive, fragile, but capable of speeds and functions unheard of in the days when man had no tools other than a hammer.
We are still using the hammer, just as we are still using our limbic system. However, we have improved the quality of our lives immensely by using our new computer tool, by using our cerebral cortex. Other animals still operate essentially with their limbic system. Modern man has achieved complete superiority over other animals by developing his rational mind.
As we enter the third millennium, the scientific approach to human affairs is beginning to supersede the obsolete, ineffective reliance on a god or gods. Religion is still powerful, but it has lost the all-pervasive stranglehold on human affairs that it held a mere five hundred years ago
As recent as the Middle Ages, clerics and churches dominated the worldly affairs of humanity. Since the end of the eighteenth century, since the Age of Enlightenment, religion has taken a backseat in managing the affairs of state. Man has become tired of exploitation by kings and bishops.
Many people may still pray for intervention by the gods. Prayers are requests by confessedly unworthy persons to have the laws of the universe repealed in their favor.
However, it is obvious to any rational, intelligent observer that prayer is not as efficacious in solving problems as the rational mind, just as medical quackery and herbal extracts are no substitute for heart surgery and penicillin. The difference between herbal remedies and penicillin reflects the difference between the primitive limbic system and the highly advanced cerebral cortex.
Discussions regarding religion often revolve around the question: Does god exist? What do we mean when we say that something exists? As far as human beings are concerned, nothing exists unless it manifests itself in some form, shape or manner to man or to his extended sensory perceptions.
If something is claimed to exist but does not impinge on man in any way whatsoever, we can safely say that it does not exist as far as human existence is concerned. This undefined mirage may still exist somewhere in the universe or another universe. However, since this alleged object or event does not manifest itself to us, it does not affect us in any way whatsoever and we must simply state that it does not exist.
Religious people argue that, although they cannot positively prove that god exists, the atheists cannot prove that god does not exist. This argument embodies several fallacies.
It is logically impossible to prove that an object or event does not exist. However, it is not only possible but is exceedingly common to prove that something does exist. If something exists, it manifests itself to us by objective evidence. It is also axiomatic in the affairs of man, and steeped in common sense that, whoever makes a claim, has to prove its validity. Extraordinary claims require extraordinary proof.
Whoever might claim that the moon is made of green cheese has to prove that the moon actually consists of green cheese, instead of rock, as established by previous, hard, factual, objective evidence. It is logically impossible and nonsensical to demand that, whoever does not accept the claim that the moon is made of green cheese, should disprove it.
Only persons, who do not utilize logic, will accept as true statements that are completely unsupported by factual evidence. Yet, this form of irrationality and lack of fundamental logic is the foundation of all religions. Since approximately 80 % of the world population accepts the completely unsubstantiated statements of various religions, 80 % of the world population suffers from a severely distorted and ineffective worldview
Christian dogma expects people to believe the fairy tale of Noah?s ark, although it is patently impossible to squeeze even samples of all the world?s animals into one small ark. Rational persons consider such stories as ludicrous and yet, such is the power of religion, that the majority of the people on earth accept such fairytales as facts.
The bible account of the creation of man and the universe, as outlined in the Book of Genesis, is so much in contradiction with irrefutable facts that a rational person cannot help but laugh about such fantasies. It may be all right for children to believe in Santa Claus and the Tooth Fairy, but adults are supposed to outgrow such fairytales
Where was the Jewish God Jehovah, when Hitler incinerated five million of his chosen people; where was the Buddha when Truman vaporized 250,000 Japanese women and children; where was the Christian God when Stalin killed thirty million human beings?
It defies rationality when religious persons pray to these same gods for individualized help and salvation.
Pascal's Wager
Another favorite statement by religious philosophers refers to Pascal?s Wager. Pascal was an eminent seventeenth century mathematician who struggled with the contradictions presented by Christian theology.
His wager consists of the statement: It is advantageous to believe in god because the worst thing that can happen is that you have spent your life believing in something that is untrue and you will end up just as dead as everyone else will. However, if you do not believe in god and if god actually exists, then god?s actual existence will matter in the extreme because you will be in big trouble with Him.
The problem with Pascal?s wager lies in the reality hat a person cannot pretend to believe in God just for the sake of a wager. The obvious insincerity in pretending a belief in God for the purpose of a wager makes an actual belief in God impossible.
Theologians have used Pascal?s wager to admonish people to believe in God, just in case. This situation justifies the old definition of theologians as persons who are looking in a coal-bin on a dark night for a black cat that is not there.
The Epicurean Postulate
It is pointless to get involved in endless discussions regarding the existence or non-existence of god and his moral qualities. Such nonsensical and unproductive discussions have raged for the last three thousand years.
One of the problems in theism, the belief system involving a personal god, revolves around the existence of evil and the resulting inconsistency in the concept of an omnipotent god.
The mere existence of evil in this world makes the existence of a benign god impossible: If god were omnipotent, he could eliminate evil and if he were benign, he would want to do so. Furthermore, if god were all-good, as he is supposed to be, he could not sin. However, if he were all-powerful, he could sin.
The Greek philosopher Epicurus illuminated this dilemma in 300 BC:
If God is willing to prevent evil but is not able to prevent evil, then he is not omnipotent.
If God is able to prevent evil but is not willing to prevent evil, then he is not benevolent.
Evil is either in accordance with God?s intention or contrary to it.
Thus, either God cannot prevent evil or he does not want to prevent evil.
Therefore, it follows that God is either not omnipotent or he is not benevolent. He cannot be both omnipotent and benevolent.
The Existence of God
Religious people pursue their religion because they have blocked their rationality in all matters pertaining to religion. They are impervious to the contradictions, logical inconsistencies and other obstacles to the existence of a personal, omnipotent god. They need an omnipotent, omniscient god to lean on. They prefer to walk through life with blinders so that the harsh facts of Objective Reality will not frighten them.
There is no need to prove or disprove the existence of god or gods. The mere fact that no god has ever manifested himself in any form, shape or manner, eliminates any reliance we can place on him or any attention we need to pay to him.
As far as modern man is concerned, gods or other supposedly omnipotent beings never have and do not now interact with man. As far as we, as human beings, are concerned, gods do not exist because they do not manifest themselves to us or interact with us.
For the sake of argument, some people suggest that gods may exist in some other universe or plane of existence where we cannot be aware of them. However, as long as these nebulous, hidden gods do not interact with human beings in our universe, we need not concern ourselves with such extra-celestial god or gods.
In order to prove the existence of gods and other super-natural beings, adherents of religions have often been suggested that some people hear voices or see visions involving ethereal superior beings, gods, angels, virgins, the dear departed and other ephemeral appearances.
Photography has been available for the last 150 years. However, nobody has ever captured an image of God or of any other supernatural mirages. If these phantoms cannot even re-arrange a few electrons by leaving an impression on photographic film, how are they going to interact with us or help us?
The Origins of God and the Universe
Another dilemma that frequently arises in discussions of religion revolves around the origin of God and the universe. If God made the universe, as he is claimed to have done, who or what created God? Did God create himself? Religious persons find it exceedingly difficult to answer this question.
Lacking a rational response, they phrase their reply in the simplistic question, "God must have made the universe. If God did not make the universe, who or what created it?" Thus, they evade the issue and place the burden of proof on the person who asked the question.
Only one answer is possible in response to this question: Nobody knows who made this alleged god, but it certainly could not have been another god. Otherwise, the god-creating god would be the real god, instead of the god whom he created.
Another favorite response to the question of who made god tries to stipulate that God has always existed. Therefore, there was no need to create god. This argument is somewhat circular. Nobody has ever proven that god exists, much less that he has always existed. We will concern ourselves with the creation of god after somebody has factually established that god even exists.
Maybe man will never know the conundrum of the creation of the universe. Maybe he will at some distant time in the future. However, ordinary human beings do not need an answer to this question because any answer would be irrelevant to human existence and happiness. Whatever we may find, it is extremely unlikely that the ultimate answer to the secrets of the universe will reveal a God with a flowing white beard who answers human prayers.
We can find an interesting insight in the scientific aspect of this question in the inflation theory. This theory tries to explain the cause of the Big Bang in terms of the destruction of the total symmetry of the original vacuum by a quantum fluctuation. Well, maybe. This answer is just as incomprehensible as the creation of a non-existent god.
Understanding the creation of the universe and knowing what lies on the other side of the Big Bang does not have the slightest effect on our happiness. We enhance our happiness, our emotional state of well being, by minimizing pain and by maximizing our alignment with Reality, by understanding how life really works...
Does God exist, or was he merely an Astronaut?
Do you really care either way?
) gives us the strength to handle each day. He/she makes us stronger with each bad thing that happens. Therefore we are made stronger.
