I bet the kids in your life really enjoy Christmas.

Science does not disprove God. Go and read the space thread and the stuff I put there about elements heavier than nitrogen coming (only) from supernovae and then tell me there is no God. Well, Creator, if you prefer.

"The belief in a an omnipresent being with supernatural powers and a big white beard, who keeps a note of all the good and bad things that you have done, rewards you for good behaviour and never ever answers your communication, is believed by children but not adults....."

That's not God; that's Santa Claus. And you don't tell children that any of the following don't exist (decreasing order of likelihood):

- God
- Santa Claus
- Conor Wickham

Edited by chateauferret (07 Dec 2017 11.09pm)

Thanks. I feel this approach would require me to believe myself, which I don't. I look into my heart (actually i dont think we have those metaphorical hearts containing mystic answers but you get the idea) and find no deep-down belief there. I'd like to truly believe. It would be a comfort and a guiding hand in difficult times when my flesh and bone lacks answers to life's toils. Maybe I'd be a better person.

I've tried to believe in god. I envy those who do. But my deep, deep down belief is that we randomly got here. Once we evolved to have a consciousness, it was inevitable that some would wonder about a higher being and religion/faith would be the result.

So while I want to perpetuate the myth of Father Christmas and his helpers (for his mum as much as anything else) for a few years, I would have deep reservations about using that loving deception to trick him into believing in god.

I suppose I want him to get his own beliefs. He wants to be christened. I've said I'll take him to church 5 times and if he still wants to be christened (or do I mean baptised?)...all good.

The other week he wanted to go up to London to see if we could find god.

So The Elves have a big responsibility.

why did water coalesce here...random I guess.

but beyond that, why did it contain life? where did that very first life/organism come from? what caused it to be in the rest of the matter?

things like that do make me question my beliefs. but not to the extent I would believe in any conventional religion and I still instinctively think: nah.

so far, we are insisting little wig writes to Elfin, Dave or Mariella. he's yet to do so.

Edited by Ginger Pubic Wig (07 Dec 2017 6.48am)

You do mean baptised. Are you now an Elf denyier then.

Regardless of your beliefs going to Church is unlikely to do anything but good. You meet nice people, have a good old sing song and get to learn some decent philosophy.

What I'm clumsily trying to say is that, in practice, non-believers quite often find god-disproving or god-averse certainties through what they perceive to be science. Whether that's faithful to scientific method is moot. They do and that's all I'm really saying.

But I'll be honest here and admit that I do a bit. So I'm no better.

Specifically, evolution (the theory of which I regard as scientific). I don't know where that very first life form on Earth came from but from what little I know, I'm pretty comfortable that it likely ultimately led to mankind.

I guess all belief is blind to what it doesn't know, to go a bit Rumsfeldian.

Edited by Ginger Pubic Wig (08 Dec 2017 4.28pm)