# What if God is a big, fat meany? **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [September 21, 2004, 2:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-if-god-is-a-big-fat-meany/265241 "2004-09-21T02:48:06Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 10\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![SentientMeat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/43a26b/32.png) [@SentientMeat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SentientMeat)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2004, 9:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-if-god-is-a-big-fat-meany/265241/41 "2004-09-23T09:04:54Z")
> [@](#): > > **SentientMeat** just converted me to his religion. You might be surpised to find that this particular atheist doesn’t mind his worldview being referred to as a “religion” overmuch. Of course, there is no _worship_ element and consciousness is solely correlated with physical offal so there’s no “Big Personality” or afterlife (or _before_life, for that matter), but there is every bit as much uplifting joy and awesome wonder to be experienced, and science perhaps provides a (falisifiable and flexible) “text” we can all agree on. We wake up in this prison (albeit a _beautiful planet_ of a prison) and must choose an explanation for our situation: that is all any religion _is_, at heart. I have never found any attempt to paint atheism or physicalism as some kind of “default” belief at all convincing since they appear to drown in the quicksand of metaphysics (which physicalism _denies_!). The explanation which my offal outputs as its “decision” is that dualisms are, ultimately, arbitrary absurdities: either _everything_ is physical or everything is _metaphysical_ - believing in _both_ receives a serious mauling from Ocham’s Razor. And so I believe in the physical. I believe that I am the most incredible thing in an incredible universe. I am a pattern of ever-changing atoms which somehow has the ability to think. Nothing like me existed for 12 billion years. I am borne of supernovae, I am Made of Stars. Every piece of sensory input I receive has an inexplicable quantum effect on the universe - I am the universe’s way of observing itself. I am vastly more wealthy than almost anyone who has ever lived, or is alive now. I need not fear the diseases, famines or wars which have killed and still kill billions of people. Refreshing potable water is, literally, _on tap_, and via this very device I am using to communicate with you, halfway around the planet whose most beautiful sights I could visit within hours, I have access to all the knowledge, art and thoughts of the finest minds and most creative geniuses in history. My life is a wonder; I will live my life _in_ wonder, and wish every bit of that wonder upon others who hold different beliefs. > [@](#): > > Thanks, comrade! Heh heh, alas! Another word which has been cruelly misappropriated by history. No Marxist I (actually a Popperian-utilitarian social democrat with anarchist ideals), but what term better expresses that we _are all in this together_? Thanks in return, comrade and friend. ---
**Author:** ![FriendRob](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/ecc23a/32.png) [@FriendRob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FriendRob)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2004, 6:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-if-god-is-a-big-fat-meany/265241/42 "2004-09-23T18:04:31Z")
I haven’t read the thread, but I had to say this: For the answer to the question “what if there is a God… and He’s _evil_?” you have to read the story “God of our Fathers” by Phillip K. Dick in Harlan Ellison’s collection _Dangerous Visions_. It’s the weirdest, creepiest story in a collection of exceptionally weird, creepy stories. ---
**Author:** ![Dog80](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/6bbea6/32.png) [@Dog80](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dog80)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2004, 8:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-if-god-is-a-big-fat-meany/265241/43 "2004-09-23T20:25:12Z")
> [@Doctor Jackson](#): > > By the way, humans are the only beings on this palnet that have the capacity for morals. No, that’s not true. ---
**Author:** ![Dog80](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/6bbea6/32.png) [@Dog80](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dog80)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2004, 8:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-if-god-is-a-big-fat-meany/265241/44 "2004-09-23T20:29:24Z")
> [@FriendRob](#): > > I haven’t read the thread, but I had to say this: > > For the answer to the question “what if there is a God… and He’s _evil_?” you have to read the story “God of our Fathers” by Phillip K. Dick in Harlan Ellison’s collection _Dangerous Visions_. It’s the weirdest, creepiest story in a collection of exceptionally weird, creepy stories. It’s **Faith** of our Fathers ---
**Author:** ![Loopydude](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e56c9b/32.png) [@Loopydude](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loopydude)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2004, 8:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-if-god-is-a-big-fat-meany/265241/45 "2004-09-23T20:36:56Z")
My take on how to deal with God (should God exist at all, which is not a given) is this: They say God is just. They also say that, depending on right or wrong actions or beliefs, you will spend an eternity in paradise or perdition. You have a finite life. Any finite number divided by an infinite number is zero. Any finite lifespan is literally nothing compared to infinite punishment or reward. Deciding reward or punishment based on nothing is arbitrary. One cannot be simultaneously just and arbitrary. So either God is just, and Heaven and Hell are a crock, or God is arbitrary, and you have no control over what happens to you. Either way, there’s no point in worrying about it. You either get what you deserve, which you probably don’t need to be afraid of if you’re being a good doobee, or the afterlife is God’s whim, and your behavior is irrelevant. ---
**Author:** ![Frankenstein\_Monster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/ccd318/32.png) [@Frankenstein\_Monster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frankenstein_Monster)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2004, 9:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-if-god-is-a-big-fat-meany/265241/46 "2004-09-24T09:15:44Z")
> [@SentientMeat](#): > > You might be surpised to find that this particular atheist doesn’t mind his worldview being referred to as a “religion” overmuch. Not surprised at all, since I agree. However, I was vaguely worried afterward that you might object to that formulation for the reason you state. Or that you would assume that was my intention. Both of which couldn’t have been further from the truth. Anyway, I couldn’t agree more with your post and couldn’t have put it nearly so beautifully myself. Thanks again! ---
**Author:** ![Wesley\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wesley_clark/32/20581_2.png) [@Wesley\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wesley_Clark)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2004, 9:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-if-god-is-a-big-fat-meany/265241/47 "2004-09-25T21:29:13Z")
> [@Loopydude](#): > > My take on how to deal with God (should God exist at all, which is not a given) is this: > > They say God is just. > They also say that, depending on right or wrong actions or beliefs, you will spend an eternity in paradise or perdition. > You have a finite life. > Any finite number divided by an infinite number is zero. Any finite lifespan is literally nothing compared to infinite punishment or reward. > Deciding reward or punishment based on nothing is arbitrary. > One cannot be simultaneously just and arbitrary. > > So either God is just, and Heaven and Hell are a crock, or God is arbitrary, and you have no control over what happens to you. > > Either way, there’s no point in worrying about it. You either get what you deserve, which you probably don’t need to be afraid of if you’re being a good doobee, or the afterlife is God’s whim, and your behavior is irrelevant. Thats assuming the god your culture believes in has a permanent heaven and hell. Hindu culture doesn’t have heaven or hell. I’m pretty sure Zorastarian hell only lasts for 3 days instead of eternity. ---
**Author:** ![PussyCow](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/22d042/32.png) [@PussyCow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PussyCow)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2004, 11:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-if-god-is-a-big-fat-meany/265241/48 "2004-09-25T23:45:50Z")
> [@Dog80](#): > > No, that’s not true. Would you care to elaborate? Perhaps a cite? ---
**Author:** ![Loopydude](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e56c9b/32.png) [@Loopydude](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loopydude)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2004, 12:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-if-god-is-a-big-fat-meany/265241/49 "2004-09-26T00:54:41Z")
> [@Wesley Clark](#): > > Thats assuming the god your culture believes in has a permanent heaven and hell. Hindu culture doesn’t have heaven or hell. I’m pretty sure Zorastarian hell only lasts for 3 days instead of eternity. Very true, and still more reason to not get too worked up about it. ---
**Author:** ![Dog80](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/6bbea6/32.png) [@Dog80](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dog80)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2004, 1:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-if-god-is-a-big-fat-meany/265241/50 "2004-09-26T01:47:54Z")
> [@PussyCow](#): > > Would you care to elaborate? Perhaps a cite? This one: [Animals make moral decisions](http://ar.vegnews.org/macaques.html) The author of that page concludes that since animals can make moral decisions, it is not appropriate to eat them, but his opinions do not change the fact. This link has been posted before in one of Lekkat’s NDE threads. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-if-god-is-a-big-fat-meany/265241.md?page=2)