Why I don't believe in Zeus

Do you believe in Zeus? You know, the King of the Gods who hurls lightning bolts at people and at the gods he is mad at (that is, when he is not defiling human females because of his insatiable lust)?  No? Well, I don't either.

Why don't you?

What about Odin? Zoroaster? Vishnu?

Why not?

Perhaps your answer is that you believe in Jehovah (or Yahweh or Jesus, etc). Okay then, sorry, but that is a terrible answer. Why is it terrible? Because from my perspective, you have only stated that you deny an unprovable assertion because it contradicts another unprovable assertion that you happen to believe is true (and that is most likely because your parents told you that it is true and that you would be a wicked person if you didn't believe it). For example, I could say that I know that there cannot be an invisible pink unicorn because my religion "informs" me that invisible unicorns are always purple. It makes as much sense as most people who say "I know Islam is false because I know the Bible is true."  Does in not occur to you that the Muslim terrorists who will gladly kill you "know" that Christianity is false because the Koran is true?

Enough ranting. Let me give you the main themes that lead to my unbelief:

1)  Intellectual. There simply is not compelling evidence that there is a super being acting and changing our world according to Its plan. Nor that the Bible is even remotely true. And there are so many reasons here.  But I won't rehash them.  Let's just say that all of the arguments I have ever seen were not at all compelling.  Rather, they strike me as desperate attempts by believers to reassure themselves that they were not being irrational.

2) Moral. Let's face it, the God depicted in the Bible is a bastard. I mean, have you read the Old Testament? This guy is a total jerk. Why would you worship him? I think Anthony Flew aptly described him as a "Cosmic Saddam Hussein".  Though I am  not sure Saddam has committed anywhere near enough atrocities nor shown enough vanity to earn such accolades.

3) Intellectual. What does the evidence really suggest? Perhaps that there is an "Ultimate Unknowable" that is "Being Itself". But what does that mean? Well, nothing I have heard anyone coherently articulate. But, from my perspective, what does this "unknown" aspect of reality imply? I don't know - there is something about reality I don't understand?  That's it. But I would say this: I find that the hypothesis of a God who is totally indifferent to human happiness makes much more sense than the idea that there is a God who gives a shit.

4) Moral. And to that point, considering the awesome vastness of the Universe, I find it even more unlikely that this God not only gives a shit, but that "he" cares whether Earth males get their dick sucked by males or females. Or whether Earth women kiss women. Or whether Earth men wear a condoms during sex. Why would such an all-powerful being over such vastness give a crap about how we get our rocks off? Speaking of vanity.

5)  And let's talk about what I call the "God accountability flow chart". Here is my rendition:

       Did a bad thing happen? If No, Praise God.
 Else,

       Did you or your loved ones survive unscathed?, If yes, praise God.

Else,

      Did you or your loved ones survive, but now your quality of life now sucks? If yes, praise him.  He has has a plan.  Praise him!

Else,

If you don't praise Him, burn in hell, you ungrateful sinner.

End


6) Okay, consider this story. God makes humans whom He knows will disobey him. But, he gets pissed at them anyways (and kills a bunch of them in a tantrum). But wait!  He will forgive them if only 2 things happen: 1) They have to beg forgiveness, and 2) Someone has to get tortured and killed, anyone, even his Son will do. Sure, that makes sense.  I mean, he couldn't just forgive us.  No, someone has to suffer.

7) Oh, did I mention that the Bible is wrong about science on almost every turn? Oh, never mind...