Questions of Truth and Quantum Theory (Religion)

by Mark , Saturday, March 14, 2009, 19:34 (5528 days ago) @ George Jelliss

George: The concept of a God who belongs to one tribe or people has been one of the most ghastly developments ever... - dhw: And in what way does monotheism make creation ordered and comprehensible?

If you believe in a God who made wind, fire, water etc. then you no longer can believe that such elements are controlled by competing deities. Similarly, if you believe that your God is also the creator of your neighbouring, rival tribe, then you can begin to believe that it is not essential to be at war. I would be the first to admit that the Old Testament does not always live up to this standard, but at its highest points the blessings known by Israel are seen to be ultimately intended for the whole earth; the foreigner is to be treated with great respect etc. It is simply not true that monotheism necessarily "sets one group against another" as dhw suggests. - If I started to describe the dismal record of atheistic regimes, the response would come quickly along the lines "these regimes were not founded on atheism". It would be argued that it was not the atheism that caused the evil. I might agree with that. But the lack of monotheism didn't prevent evil, therefore the presence of evil in monotheistic cultures cannot be wholly ascribed to the monotheism.