

Ask HN: God? - BrianPetro

Like clock-work, dinner with my mother led to another discussion about God. Her main point is that I should believe in a 'Higher Power' or something 'Greater Than Myself'.<p>I spend a lot of time on Hacker News and am curious what everyone here thinks about this topic. Is it essential that I believe in 'something'?<p>Please avoid religion bashing :)<p>edit: something -&#62; a 'Higher Power' or something 'Greater Than Myself'.
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mindcrime
I don't believe in any sort of anthropomorphic "god", nor do I put any stock
in any particular religion or religious text. Beyond that, the phrase
"something higher than myself" is pretty vague and doesn't mean much to me.

I heard a saying once that went something like "the meaning of life, is a life
of meaning". My interpretation of that is that I get to _choose_ the meaning
of my own life, and that it's my responsibility to do so. Given that mindset,
and my very individualistic, libertarian, almost Randian[1] viewpoint, I don't
see any use for seeking any sort of "higher power" or "higher purpose". I am
my own purpose, my own end, and I am sufficient.

Aaah, I was also heavily influenced by reading a lot of Existentialist[2]
stuff a while back too, and I sort of see things in a "when I die, you all
cease to exist" world-view. Except not quite, which is why I do care about
things like helping the poor and leaving the world better off after I leave.
So, yes, I am very selfish in the Randian sense, but my selfishness leads me
to want a world that's more free, less conflicted, and more rewarding than the
present world, even for as-yet-unborn generations. It's hard to explain why,
but none of it - in my view - reduces to any sort of spiritual notion or need
for any external force / influence / god / whatever you want to call it.

As to the issue of "what about comfort in the face of tragedy" or whatever, I
have adopted a somewhat Stoic[3] (if not in the strictest classical sense)
viewpoint as well. That seems to play well with the individualistic,
existentialist mindset I have. As a wise man once said "Keep buggering on"[4].

Anyway, that's just me. YMMV. :-)

[1]: <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ayn_Rand#Philosophy>

[2]: <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Existentialism>

[3]: <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stoicism>

[4]:
[http://www.winstonchurchill.org/learn/biography/biography/ch...](http://www.winstonchurchill.org/learn/biography/biography/churchill-
leader-and-statesman)

------
ChuckMcM
Believe in grace. Be grateful for the things you have in your life, be
forgiving of those who wrong you.

By being grateful, and sometimes you have to really reach out to find
something to be grateful about, you appreciate the goodness in your life.

By being forgiving of the situations and people that wronged you, you let go
of the hurt. Sometimes forgiving can be really difficult to do, but if you
can, the hurt will fade.

Neither of those two things require that God exist, or even that life is
anything more than random chance. They are however thematic in a number of
theologies. In my experience though people who practice them are happier than
those who don't. Sometimes it is easier to practice those things if you
imagine there is a power greater than yourself. It gives you something, or
someone, to thank for the things you are grateful for. It gives you something,
or someone, to hand off your burden of hurt to when you are forgiving.

Sometimes it just gives you someone to talk to when you're not sure who you
can talk to.

~~~
catherinepetro
Hi ChuckMcM. I'm the "clock-work" mom.

What you are saying is very much what I am trying to get Brian to understand.
In addition, when you believe (even just a little), then if tragedy strikes
your life, there is somewhere to turn for strength and comfort.

I believe there are times in life when all the knowledge and intellect in the
world won't be enough, and no "person" will be able to bring comfort or
peace...At these times, I want my son to have somewhere to turn.

~~~
ChuckMcM
Focus on being grateful and being forgiving, don't worry about God, He can
take care of himself. Lead with that, let Brian find his own path.

~~~
catherinepetro
Thanks. I'll try that. :-)

------
dookiemcbride
On the topic of critically evaluating the evidence of God, I'm reading now:

[http://www.amazon.com/Case-Christ-Journalists-Personal-
Inves...](http://www.amazon.com/Case-Christ-Journalists-Personal-
Investigation/dp/0310209307)

Am genuinely enjoying it.

Amazon's summary:

"Retracing his own spiritual journey from atheism to faith, Lee Strobel,
former legal editor of the Chicago Tribune, cross-examines a dozen experts
with doctorates from schools like Cambridge, Princeton, and Brandeis who are
recognized authorities in their own fields. Strobel challenges them with
questions like: How reliable is the New Testament? Does evidence for Jesus
exist outside the Bible? Is there any reason to believe the resurrection was
an actual event?"

~~~
catherinepetro
I'll have to check that one out. Several years ago I read two great books on
the subject:

"The Science of God" and "The Hidden Face of God" by Gerald L. Schroeder...

[http://www.amazon.com/Gerald-L.-Schroeder/e/B000APV1XA/ref=s...](http://www.amazon.com/Gerald-L.-Schroeder/e/B000APV1XA/ref=sr_ntt_srch_lnk_1?qid=1354946681&sr=8-1)

About the Author from Amazon:

Gerald Lawrence Schroeder is an Orthodox Jewish physicist, author, lecturer
and teacher at College of Jewish Studies Aish HaTorah's Discovery Seminar,
Essentials and Fellowships programs and Executive Learning Center, who focuses
on what he perceives to be an inherent relationship between science and
spirituality.

------
lutusp
For those with a scientific outlook, there's no need for the God hypothesis,
and lacking evidence, the null hypothesis stands in its place:

<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Null_hypothesis>

Science is not about what we would like to believe, but what the evidence
supports. The scientific outlook is so successful that it defines the modern
world.

None of this can be used to argue that there's no God, only that there's no
evidence.

~~~
catherinepetro
Interesting.

------
redspark
Wouldn't believing nothing is out there, be believing in "something"?

I for one don't believe that this creation came to be as a matter of random
chance. I have friends who absolutely believe that and they seem to be just as
happy and fulfilled as I am.

~~~
BrianPetro
"In case of tragedy, what would you do?" is the response I hear most often. Do
you feel better equipped to handle those moments than your agnostic
counterparts?

------
mtgx
Believing in a "higher power" makes it easy for people to accept certain
things happening in their lives that they may not like, and it also makes it
easier to have hope, when all odds are against you and it's very hard to trust
_yourself_ to come out of it.

Personally, I don't think believing in a higher power is needed, especially
since I don't believe there's a superior intelligence watching over us and
influencing us in any way. But I think those are the reasons why many people
find it so easy to believe in a higher power. They would like the
responsibility to belong to someone much more powerful than they are.

------
Mz
I don't think it is necessary. I believe there is some kind of intelligence
behind the workings of the universe (aka "god") but I am not religious. My
oldest son is a nihilist. He often doesn't mention that to people because it
causes people to jump to all kinds of negative conclusions that don't fit him.
He believes there is no point. He doesn't find that depressing. He is much
happier than I am. I am sometimes jealous. I wish I had his life. I see his
happiness and my less happy disposition as reflective of our experiences in
life rather than our beliefs about "the meaning of life" or whatever.

tldr: different strokes for different folks.

