Nonetheless, I can't help but point out this line from a survivor of the Harrisburg, Ill., tornado, in light of the possibility that a new round of severe weather could bring more twisters to the area:
"You just keep thinking, 'God, please don't let there be another tornado.'"Sorry, Ms. Wise, but the god you believe in, under your belief system, already let one happen there. Why not another?
UPDATE: Apparently no God, or karma-reliever, for this 14-month-old tornado victim, either.
IF religious people were willing to drop either omnipotence or omnibenevolence from belief systems, then non-Gnu Atheists like me would dialogue more on more issues. And, this is primarily an issue of western monotheisms.
But ...
Or course,. as I've said before, karma is in some ways worse than hell, so I'm not letting Buddhism or Hinduism off the hook.
In eitherr caser, at some point, when the emotoinal and psychological burdens get to be enough, don't the shells crumble? Now, for non-Gnu Atheist, I recognize that until those shells DO crumble, the psychological value they offer isn't to be sniffed at. But, large swaths of the ancient west knew better, that religions less overarching, with fewer, less absolute emotional shells, often were better in the long run.
It's called "acceptance," without invoking an omnipotent-and-omnibenevolent deity who, as "a lover of life but player of pawns," will ultimately tie you in emotional, not just intellectual, knots.
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