I you asked all the people in world how many Gods they believe in, more than half of them would answer zero or one. That would be the Muslims, the Christians, the Jews and the atheists.
Zero or one is not the only option. There are lots of gods around. Just pick your favorite. Hinduism counts 33 gods, and the ancient Greek, Roman and Norse mythologies offer another 100 or more. My favorite among them is Ullr, the Norse god of skiing.
There are more than 100 gods that non of us believe in. The atheists believe in only one god less than the Christians and Muslims. That's great. Then we have a lot in common.
Some statistics indicate that today atheism is the third biggest "religion", after the Christians and Muslims. The number of atheists is not precisely known, because it depends on how you count and what you include (atheists, ir-religious, non-religious, agnostics). Also, many atheists, including me, count as Christians because we never bothered to formally cancel our membership in the church.
Zero or one is not the only option. There are lots of gods around. Just pick your favorite. Hinduism counts 33 gods, and the ancient Greek, Roman and Norse mythologies offer another 100 or more. My favorite among them is Ullr, the Norse god of skiing.
There are more than 100 gods that non of us believe in. The atheists believe in only one god less than the Christians and Muslims. That's great. Then we have a lot in common.
By the way, guess how many blogposts I'm gonna write tomorrow; zero or one?
Appendix:
In a previous blogpost, written some days ago, I tried to answer the question: Why do people believe in God? A natural follow-up question is: Why do some people not believe in God? My simple answer is this:
Because some don't see the need for a god.
But there's more to be said, to elaborate on this:
Some people have grown up with religion being around, in school or at home. They find religious scriptures and doctrines unlogical and irrational, and in conflict with science and modern understanding of the world. Some find a solution in a more abstract concept of God. Others don't need any replacement.
Some people, or at least one, rejects god on scientific grounds. There's no need for a supernatural creator. This is what he said, the one, Stephen Hawking:
In a previous blogpost, written some days ago, I tried to answer the question: Why do people believe in God? A natural follow-up question is: Why do some people not believe in God? My simple answer is this:
Because some don't see the need for a god.
But there's more to be said, to elaborate on this:
Some people have grown up with religion being around, in school or at home. They find religious scriptures and doctrines unlogical and irrational, and in conflict with science and modern understanding of the world. Some find a solution in a more abstract concept of God. Others don't need any replacement.
Some people, or at least one, rejects god on scientific grounds. There's no need for a supernatural creator. This is what he said, the one, Stephen Hawking:
"When people ask me if god created the universe, I tell them that the question makes no sense. Time didn't exist before the big bang, so there is no time to make the universe in"Science cannot explain every detail of this yet, but we will eventually get there. That's what some believe, and it's as true as the belief in the one and only God; a subjective truth that exists in humans minds >:)
Zero, one or hundreds God(s)? - we might find out one day; based on science or perhaps after we die. Zero or one blog-post from you tomorrow? - we will find out tomorrow. :-) PS: S. Hawking is a great scientist for sure, but his research is more related to the creation of the universe rather than the creator, right? (-> i.e. he might not have all the answers either).
ReplyDeleteSo then if we say that God is the Universe that created Itself (and God is now genderless) at the beginning of time, we can make a unified scientific and theological theory >:)
DeleteI don't think we will ever completely know or understand the universe because I don't think we have the ability to see or know everything. we are limited by the sensory organs of this physical body. there is light that we cannot see, colors that we cannot see, detail that we cannot see, sounds that we cannot hear, things we cannot feel, etc. sure we have developed instruments that can see and measure but it's a little arrogant to think that we can know it all.
ReplyDeleteI think no scientist believes that we will get to now it all, but all the time science increase our understanding of the universe.
DeleteI'm one of the people who believe that all the Gods in all the religions are actually the same God or higher power in a different form, and that not one is the right or wrong one to put your faith into.
ReplyDeleteIf i believed in God, that's the kind of god I would pick too
DeleteSince religious beliefs are so precious to so many and religions have persisted for ages, I'd love to hear a sociologist's take on why that may be--aside the question of whether or not God exists (if that's possible).
ReplyDeleteThere are probably studies on this published already.
DeleteThe importance of religion varies around the world. It's not a big deal where I live. My friends are mostly somewhere on the scale from agnostic to atheist. But I also have friends who are religious and some who hate religion.
I think you've found the god for you, Ullr. Enjoy the slopes and the rest. I'm thinking you'll be posting zero for a while. Me, too, zzzzz.
ReplyDeletePlay off the Page
Just finished the last skiing weekend this season, so now both Ullr and I can take a break >:)
DeleteI believe because it faith in Christ makes sense to me. It works for me. That's all. Very happy to have met in the Challenge. CA. Appreciate all your visits and comments. I'm following you now so I expect we'll have more interactions. Looking forward to it.
ReplyDeleteIf it works for you, that's fine. Then you have found what you need.
DeleteAnd thanks, the same to you.
I'm a Buddhist so it is zero for me. The US senate has just decided that humans aren't responsible for climate change which I find both hilarious and deeply disturbing. I am sick of people asking me why I don't believe in their god -it's humans I'm having a hard time believing in.
ReplyDeleteSounds weird that Senate make such a decision. In the end it will be science which proved what causes our climate.
DeleteI believe in, or trust, some humans but it is usually a good habit to be sceptical to people with power
I'm a Buddhist so it is zero for me. The US senate has just decided that humans aren't responsible for climate change which I find both hilarious and deeply disturbing. I am sick of people asking me why I don't believe in their god -it's humans I'm having a hard time believing in.
ReplyDelete