I do not have faith in my religious opinions; what I have is doubt, and lots of it. Doubt in the claims of religions, doubt in their explanations (and my own) of religious evidence, doubt in my conclusions. One of the reasons I follow the creationism debate is to see the quality of the conflicting arguments (and those who claim I'm deliberately looking at a weak religious argument there should reflect on the numbers of followers who believe in it).
But having said that, I do retain a little faith. Possibly drummed into me in my youth, by the example of my fallible but eminently fair-minded parents.
I believe (without a scrap of evidence) that if there is a creator of some kind, it is at worst indifferent to humans and possibly benevolent. That is, that such a creator is not malicious. The creator may not even be aware we exist; we may be just one more variation on the strange chemical chain reactions that sometimes occur on rocky inner-system planets. We may be the equivalent of an ant farm. We might be individually loved for who we are; but we are not under the thumb of Ctulhu.
There's no real reason to think this, although I can offer some weak arguments that boil down to "why would an omnipotent being bother?". You don't get a choice of what universe you live in. But it is what I instinctively believe - although on evidence I default back to "no creator", or "completely indifferent".
But this scrap of faith, I recently realized, is why I don't take the Bible as evidence for God. The God described therein is a capricious, bloodthirsty tyrant. There's no reason such a being should not exist, and claim to be wonderful and loving - and the world is full of humans to serve as examples. But I do not believe that an all-powerful creator would be like that.
Why "capricious, bloodthirsty tyrant"? This passage will suffice:
2Sam 24:1-15
1: And again the anger of the LORD was kindled against Israel, and he
moved David against them to say, Go, number Israel and Judah.
2: For the king said to Joab the captain of the host, which was with
him, Go now through all the tribes of Israel, from Dan even to
Beer-sheba, and number ye the people, that I may know the number of
the people.
3: And Joab said unto the king, Now the LORD thy God add unto the
people, how many soever they be, an hundredfold, and that the eyes of
my lord the king may see it: but why doth my lord the king delight in
this thing?
4: Notwithstanding the king's word prevailed against Joab, and against
the captains of the host. And Joab and the captains of the host went
out from the presence of the king, to number the people of Israel.
(Skip verses 5-9)
10: And David's heart smote him after that he had numbered the people.
And David said unto the LORD, I have sinned greatly in that I have
done: and now, I beseech thee, O LORD, take away the iniquity of thy
servant; for I have done very foolishly.
11: For when David was up in the morning, the word of the LORD came unto
the prophet Gad, David's seer, saying,
12: Go and say unto David, Thus saith the LORD, I offer thee three
things; choose thee one of them, that I may do it unto thee.
13: So Gad came to David, and told him, and said unto him, Shall seven
years of famine come unto thee in thy land? or wilt thou flee three
months before thine enemies, while they pursue thee? or that there be
three days' pestilence in thy land? now advise, and see what answer I
shall return to him that sent me.
14: And David said unto Gad, I am in a great strait: let us fall now into
the hand of the LORD; for his mercies are great: and let me not fall
into the hand of man.
15: So the LORD sent a pestilence upon Israel from the morning even to
the time appointed: and there died of the people from Dan even to
Beer-sheba seventy thousand men.
Questions:
- What's wrong with a census? Where can I see that written?
- Who ordered the census? Was that person punished?
- How much of a crime is a census? How many people died for this one?
- His mercies are great? Really?
- What would you trust this LORD person to be in charge of?
I hope that my little scrap of faith is not misplaced.
