Conversation with a Christian

I'm sure many of you have been down this road before. This was a conversation I had on my Stumble Upon account:

lobh70: It is worth it please check this out my friend you are going to like it and please send it to a friend you love, take care ok, your friend Hector GOD BLESS YOU hope and joy
http://christiananswers.net/hope/home.html

Me: My first response to this guy got deleted somehow. I basically stated very politely something to the likes of: "Please do not bother me with religious messages. The site you linked to is a total joke offering absolutely no explanations to the questions and answers that it provides. Try reading a few of these books (listed Dawkins, Harris, Dennett, etc) and message me with a specific question or discussion topic and I'll be more than happy to communicate with you."

lobh70: I never said any thing about a religion but a relation ship with you maker please let me wise as you are and tell me how or who made us, and so where are we going to when we die what is your hope.

Me: The site you linked me to was specifically focused on the Christian religion. If you are a Christian why would you not have specified a religion. According to Christianity, all other gods are false gods.

While I cannot refute that we were "made" by something, logic then dictates that that thing was made by something leading to an infinite digression. The universe does not start complex and create simpler things, in fact it is exactly the opposite.

Modern physics can explain the big bang to an amazing precision. At the current time, this is the most commonly accepted explanation for the birth of the universe and this is where science and religion are diametrically opposed. In 20 years, science will have progressed and either refined or completely changed the big bang theory. It will have gathered more evidence, made more observations, and adjusted its beliefs. Religion, however, will be right as it started, an elaborate fairytale of an explanation for the beginning of the universe from a time when no better explanation existed. It will see what science has stated and try and mold these views into a, by definition, unchangeable belief set.

My hope is for humanity to continue to evolve, to learn the absolute most it can about reality, and to take these learnings and apply them to our lives. We are on the verge of a technological and biological revolution. I, sir, do not plan to die. If I do before radical life extension is a reality, then so be it. I believe (but am willing to change said beliefs based on constantly studying, updating, and modifying my learnings) that I will become no more. This will not be too bad. I was nothing for the first 14 billion years of the universe and I didn't mind it then. I also believe that eventually an intelligence in this universe will gain such control of reality that every logical possibility will be simulated and exercised. Call this a "resurrection" if you must. Science may get us there, ignorant, hateful, stupid religions based on 2000 year old fairy tales telling us to have faith in a ghost in the sky will not.

lobh70: trying to be wiser than are God is like play with fire I think, what about hope, and where you want to live eternity in hell and heaven or tell me who is going to pay for are sins here in earth. so how do you guaranty that tomorrow you will be a live and when you die what happens what about you your soul.

Me: I cannot guarantee that I will be alive tomorrow. I take all the precautions I can to make it so and I take care of my body as it is my only one (for now). There is no such thing as a soul. I am not a Cartesian Dualist. You have a brain, you have consciousness. Consciousness is an emergent property of the "strange loop" of neural activity in our brains. When I die, I am dead unless a great intelligence evolved from us or an alien race cares to create another instance of my specific pattern of neural activity.

Please, sir, I have read the books you claim as truth and found them despicable. Have you read the books I have suggested? Have you studied physics and biology? Have you dared let yourself imagine other possibilities than the ones that were shoved down your throat as a child before you were able to form any thoughts of your own?

(At this point a few days went by before I received another message. I thought I had sent him packing or figured he had just said "Ah fuck it." Then I get what appears to be a mass messaged spam from him a few days later.)

lobh70: Have you hear of the Harvest Crusade this is a FREE concert that is taking place this 3 day weekend at Anaheim stadium at 6:30 PM but if you can come all the way out here,you can actually see it live on the web http://www.harvest.org/ so please try to check it out ok take care AND PLEASE TELL YOUR FRIENDS INVITE THEM, SEE YOU THERE AND GOD BLESS.

Me: The crusades were one of the most disgraceful events in all of human history. To think that a christian organization would actually name itself after them is horrifying. Stop spamming me with your religious bullshit please. Go read a real book and start thinking for yourself.

(I haven't heard from him in a few days now.)

Hell Has Frozen....Oh Wait, Nevermind

California Congressman Pete Stark declares himself a "non-theist" becoming the highest ranking politician to ever do so. Thank...umm.....not god.

Don't be scared of the "A" word Petey.

The God Delusion

I just finished reading The God Delusion by Richard Dawkins, and without question I would add this book to the list of books I feel all human beings should read ASAP. Richard puts all of his ideas into such an easy to understand context all while being extremely elegant. This book will make you laugh and then cry.

Richard was preaching to the choir while I was reading his book, but despite already being an atheist and having read a decent amount of material on the topic, I was able to learn a whole lot of new things. Hopefully, this book will find its way into the hands of people on the fringe. It might be asking too much for it to find its way into the hands of fundamentalists though. Personally, I try to read books that I know contradict explicitly with my current beliefs.

Luddites, Religious Fundamentalists, and the Singularity

In trying to play some small role in working towards a positive singularity I thought spreading the singularity meme would be a good, though possibly insignificant, start. Thinking about this a little more deeply, I'm not so sure. The bigger and more popular this idea gets, the more likely it is going to be heard by people who will vehemently oppose it without question. In the case of the singularity these people are the luddites and the religious fundamentalists. There is no doubt of the numbers and power/influence that these two groups yield. No light bulb will flash into existence shining bright over their heads when they hear of the singularity. These are the people in the top tiers of the American government who control policy, money, and sway. Embracing such an idea requires a critical, open mind, a trait sorely lacking in these types. They will either strike swiftly against it in fear of change or possibly ignore it through a lack of intelligence.

My question then becomes, is it best to keep this idea quiet fearing swift action against anything deemed singularity inducing? Should we go on about our business, seeing the big picture, constantly piecing the puzzle together towards this possibly fantastic future and merely smile to ourselves at other people's utter stupidity?

Or do we stand up and fight for what we believe in? Fight against supernaturalism and the all pervasive death meme. Fight against a life philosophy that detests questioning and criticism in hope that somehow it will get through.