Thought experiment: The Random God Creating Machine.

[More Than A Feeling]

Suppose that, in fact, no gods exist. Someone has invented a Random gods Creating Machine. When activated, it will bring one, and only one deity into existence. There is no way to get rid of the deity once it is created. However, there is no way to tell in advance what kind of deity will be brought into existence, except that it will be a deity that has been believed in by humankind at any point in past. There is no guarantee with regard to the morality of said god, or the level of interest it takes in humankind.

Would you push the button?

[ret5hd]

1. HELLA NO!

on edit:

[Thor_MN]

2. Out of curiosity, why do you limit it to Monotheism?

and IMO, the button has been pushed many, many times over the years. In fact, on Sundays, your TV remote doubles as the button.

[MnFats]

3. this sounds a little like Vonnegut. after all, he created...

..."The Church of God the Utterly Indifferent."
.....Vonnegut was the best Christian who was an atheist, ever.

[More Than A Feeling]

6. What is a "Christian who was an atheist"?

That seems contradictory to me. Vonnegut was actually a Humanist. In fact, he was the honorary president of the American Humanist Association for several years.

[MnFats]

7. just goofin.' my point is that his outlook was better than the vast majority of so-called Christians

...and the way he lived his life was 'more christian' than most Christians.

[moggie]

15. Damn, we can never escape, can we?

What, in your opinion, were the uniquely Christian precepts Vonnegut lived by?

To me, describing someone as "the best Christian who was an atheist" is rather similar to using the phrase "that's mighty white of you": it may be well-intentioned, it may be "just goofin'", but underlying it is a troubling attitude which should not be allowed to pass without challenge. Does Christianity have a monopoly on goodness?

[MnFats]

20. of course not. excuse me but JESUS CHRIST

i had no intention of tangling so late at night.
i was just talking about his humanity i was not talking about anything uniquely christian
please forgive me. i take it all back. consider me suitably chastened.

[ret5hd]

4. So, in your thought experiment, you have THIS world...

(actually THIS universe)...
this universe that is so wonderful that it has fooled generation after generation into believing that the only way this universe is possible is that there is in fact a god...a creator...because that is the ONLY POSSIBLE way it could POSSIBLY exist...

but in fact, there is no god, but your machine could create one.

what would be the point? under your scenario, we have already proven we don't need a god, so what do we have to gain by creating one? a life of servitude to an uncaring ungrateful god?

sorry, no thanks. i've got enough problems with all the imaginary gods we already have.

[OlderButWiser]

14. I have to agree with you...

if we got this far with out a god why bother now?

[lapfog_1]

5. Don't you pretty much ALWAYS get the giant

Stay-Puff Marshmellow Man???

[Evoman]

8. The possibility that it would create the Ass-Pimple god is probably

pretty damn miniscule. Maybe 1 in a 50 million.....

I like those odds *pushes button*.

[ayeshahaqqiqa]

9. I'd say that since a Random Creating Machine

was invented by God, yes. Because that which is created is not the Creator (yam ulid wa yam ulad--"He neither begets or is begotten"--Unity Sura)

[Liberal Veteran]

10. I'd hope for one of those obscure Greek dieties like....

Chlorinia, Goddess of the Municipal Water Supply

or

Navelus, God of belly button lint.

[DKRC]

11. Ooo don't forget

Asphaltus, God of parking spaces

(Many won't admit prayin to him, but they chant entreaties to him under their breath the day after Thanksgiving!)


:evilgrin:

[Meshuga]

12. No way...

since there is a chance this god may turn out to be a dick. There is no way to get rid of him so why would anybody take a chance?

[kiahzero]

13. We'd get Loki and be screwed (n/t)

[Meshuga]

19. No kidding!

Besides being "the god of mischief" Loki is freaky...



But he invented the fishing net! :-)

[Random_Australian]

16. Well, there are two ways to take this.

One, that the risk is to great. Don't press the button.

Two, if this wasn't such a restricted hypothetical, I would tamper with the machine, make myself God, give people food and water, and then kill myself.

[Orrex]

21. Oh come on--you're *always* doing that

Honestly, it gets old after two or three millennia.

[moggie]

17. Personally, no, as an atheist

Some gods might be good news, some would be bad news, and without knowing in advance what we'd get, we're better off without any of them.

A monotheist presumably wouldn't push the button. They believe the one true god already exists, and wouldn't want competition.

A polytheist might push the button. They're used to a soap opera of gods, and a new cast member might spice up the show.

A deist would worship the button.

An agnostic would dither until someone else pushed the button, and then give them a hard time about it.

[trotsky]

18. Absolutely not.

Because it might just end up being this guy:

[zonmoy]

23. I figure any guy we would get would make him

seem like a much better choice.

[SidDithers]

22. I'd push the button...

confident in my opinion that nothing would happen.

Sid