Vier (Backdated to shortly after Church yesterday)

[ubermensching]

I will admit that it has been a long time since I bothered to set foot in an actual church, let alone needed to. I suppose I only did so today out of curiosity to see what something as willless as the drones would preach on. I was unsurprised to see the focus was on the book of the law, where God is proclaimed to be jealous in one verse and then loving a few verses later.

Tell me. What is your opinion on God? Not merely if you believe in him, but do you consider his existence something to care about? And if I were to give evidence to you that it did, indeed, exist, would that change your opinion at all?

Comments

[deaths-heritor.livejournal.com]

Why do you speak in the singular? Of course the gods exist.

[repeatsalvation.livejournal.com]

In my dimension, there is only one. And He has not directly made his presence known to man.

[deaths-heritor.livejournal.com]

Ah, yes. That type. There are a few of those in my world, as well. The ones who insist on speaking through half-baked oracles and leaving vague texts that might be interpreted in any number of ways. Always a bit fussier to manage.

[repeatsalvation.livejournal.com]

And yet, all the oracles around Him, He never spoke.

Man did well enough to concoct them on their own.

[Or, furthering that, Wilhelm also made sure to obscure the few words that actually were spoken so man wouldn't be able to understand it.]

[deaths-heritor.livejournal.com]

Half the prophecies of Om were completely fabricated, as I recall. Man is happy as long as he can use the excuse of religion to carry out whatever atrocities he desires.

[repeatsalvation.livejournal.com]

And yet religion can be used for noble goals, as any tool. It's merely how you aim it.

[deaths-heritor.livejournal.com]

Certainly. It's simply that man has a tendency to use most tools for less than noble goals.

[repeatsalvation.livejournal.com]

Perhaps.

Though the nobility of goals and their means are quite dependent on several factors. One man's nobility is another's monstrosity.

[deaths-heritor.livejournal.com]

The world is not entirely a palette of grays. There are some things that are clearly black and clearly white, no matter how muddle-headed and existential people like to be about it.

[repeatsalvation.livejournal.com]

To a point. What would you say is clearly black and white, Ms...?

[deaths-heritor.livejournal.com]

As an obvious example, nobody could consider our current situation to be a case of gray. Even if they're benefited in some manner by the changes made, even if there are ulterior motivations for these actions of which we are unaware, even if this can be considered paradise for some of those kidnapped, it's fundamentally wrong.

[repeatsalvation.livejournal.com]

[He smiles a little over the phone. Not giving your name to someone without gauging them more. Smart girl.]

Perhaps.

And yet what if the ulterior motive was something that could benefit a greater whole then all of those gathered here. Do you assert that even if the few who are here somehow help millions for some reason that is inexplicable to us, that Kantian moral imperative is wrong and that the needs of the many do not supersede the wants and desires of the individual?

[deaths-heritor.livejournal.com]

[Actually, she'd missed that he'd wanted her name entirely. Not that she would've given it, either way. This man was one of those religious fanatics, no doubt.]

Fundamentally wrong. Where is the line drawn? Kill one to save ten? Perhaps. Ten to save one hundred? Less likely. How about a million to save a hundred million?

[repeatsalvation.livejournal.com]

[If by "religious fanatic" you mean humanist who knows god exist since's he's a near-god like being himself, you'd be right.]

Well put.

It should be up to the individual to decide how their life is lived.

[deaths-heritor.livejournal.com]

Precisely. With the exception, of course, of when they decide to live their life in a way that grossly violates the same principle for others

[repeatsalvation.livejournal.com]

Mmmm.

And yet, in order to grow as a species, it is quite common, and acceptable, I should think, for the strong to have power over the weak.

The problem comes when the strong refuse to find a way to teach the weak to be stronger.

[deaths-heritor.livejournal.com]

I find the weak usually agree to allow the strong to have power over them for the general good. There's quite a few of the former and not so many of the latter -- . . . Unless you're speaking of whom can bash whom harder with a stick? If that's so, I'd like to think that we've progressed a bit beyond that.

[repeatsalvation.livejournal.com]

And yet, in reality, the weak tend to fear the strong more then thank them for the aid provided, or even try to become strong themselves. They don't view the aid given to them by the strong as "good", but a "necessary evil".

And no. Physical power, while respectable, should be handled with care and caution.

[deaths-heritor.livejournal.com]

That's largely because while there may be a larger number of the former than the latter, everyone likes to believe that they, personally, happen to be in the latter.

What exactly are you driving at, now?

[repeatsalvation.livejournal.com]

Merely that people tend to fear and hate what they themselves set up to protect themselves, whether it be physical protection such as a government or police force, or emotional such as religion.

I simply find it an interesting contradiction.