robtex
Veteran Member
I was having tea last week with a friend of mine who is a Christian. She is the same age as I am. In Austin I can be really openly atheist due to the culture of the metro. Very few people around here that I am in contact with weekly are unaware of my atheism.
I am having tea and we are talking and out of the blue she tells me why she is a Christian. It was one of the most interesting arguements for theism that I heard and I wanted to share it with you.
Her arguement for the existance of God could be summed up as an arguement from need. She said in essence God exits to her because as a human she needs to be nutured and cared for by a "father figure" and therefore to her, God exists.
Furthermore, no intellectual or science based arguement could trump her belief because it was based on her emotional need not on evidencable observations. I appreciated her candor as she was the first person to openly come out and say "God exists because emotionally I need for him to."
And while I have not heard it stated that way before as I pondered it over the days I have come to think that while it was my first to hear the arguement overtly stated as such I think quite a few theists probably rest their arguement for the existance of God on the same notion. I base this on the following obeservations:
1) God is protrayed as a "father figure" in many religions or as a mother in some pagan ones.
2) In many religions one can petition God for divine intervention not unlike one can gain favors from a parent
3) People in many religions refer to their fellow worshipers as their family and the arch-type is the deity of their religious group.
4) God in many religions sets rules like a father does in a household. The rules like the stern father's are not open to debate or questioning.
5) The notion of an afterlife for many is the infinite post-life care guide where God is to take care of the believers though many do not know how. They just "trust in God" to take care of their afterlife needs in exchange for their love for or of him and acceptance of the deity followed.
6) The God in many religions makes makes sacrifices for his followers and the followers make sacrifices for their God and fellow believers. Much in the same way a family does.
7) God is a creator of the universe much in the same way parents are the creater of their children.
8) In many if not all theistic religions the followes look to God for protection and as a componet of such are asked to abide by the tenets of the religion not unlike the structure of many if not most families.
Having said that what do yall think of the arguement from need and if you believe in God is it one of the arguements you have for the existance of your diety?
I am having tea and we are talking and out of the blue she tells me why she is a Christian. It was one of the most interesting arguements for theism that I heard and I wanted to share it with you.
Her arguement for the existance of God could be summed up as an arguement from need. She said in essence God exits to her because as a human she needs to be nutured and cared for by a "father figure" and therefore to her, God exists.
Furthermore, no intellectual or science based arguement could trump her belief because it was based on her emotional need not on evidencable observations. I appreciated her candor as she was the first person to openly come out and say "God exists because emotionally I need for him to."
And while I have not heard it stated that way before as I pondered it over the days I have come to think that while it was my first to hear the arguement overtly stated as such I think quite a few theists probably rest their arguement for the existance of God on the same notion. I base this on the following obeservations:
1) God is protrayed as a "father figure" in many religions or as a mother in some pagan ones.
2) In many religions one can petition God for divine intervention not unlike one can gain favors from a parent
3) People in many religions refer to their fellow worshipers as their family and the arch-type is the deity of their religious group.
4) God in many religions sets rules like a father does in a household. The rules like the stern father's are not open to debate or questioning.
5) The notion of an afterlife for many is the infinite post-life care guide where God is to take care of the believers though many do not know how. They just "trust in God" to take care of their afterlife needs in exchange for their love for or of him and acceptance of the deity followed.
6) The God in many religions makes makes sacrifices for his followers and the followers make sacrifices for their God and fellow believers. Much in the same way a family does.
7) God is a creator of the universe much in the same way parents are the creater of their children.
8) In many if not all theistic religions the followes look to God for protection and as a componet of such are asked to abide by the tenets of the religion not unlike the structure of many if not most families.
Having said that what do yall think of the arguement from need and if you believe in God is it one of the arguements you have for the existance of your diety?