Where is God when bad things happen?

[tonisz]

Maybe you've heard about this one: Where Is Atheism When Bad Things Happen?, but I've found it just a couple of days ago. I've posted an answer (sort of) on my blog, you can read it here. Comments, opinions are welcomed!

[Will]

Atheism is simply a lack of psychosis. It can't be anywhere when an occurrence happens.

God, of course, is in a book when bad things happen. Because it's a fictional character. I'd just as soon ask where Neo is when bad things happen to good nerds. Not only is it nonsensical, but it's deeply disrespectful to the dead to assign their deaths meaning by using the kaleidoscope-for-crazy-people that is god.

[jcm]

“The main characteristic of the universe is pitiless indifference.” Wow that sounds like god when bad things happen. Why is the same characteristic not applied when good things happen? Seems god has a perfect game for making good stuff happen.

[rlrose328]

The answer is:  "God is a bastard."  Why did he shoot up the school?  God is a bastard.  Why did my cat die?  God is a bastard.  Why did the bridge collapse?  God is a bastard.

Try it... it works every time.

Seriously, this guy has nothing better to blog than the atheists didn't make a stink when it happened?  Yeah, right... that's because we were DOING things, not praying or having news conferences.  We were comforting victims, sending money to memorial funds and such.  Just like Katrina.

[tigerlily46514]

geez, i tried to post a comment on that article's website, but i have had one rum too many to navigate joining,  signing in, etc...
I like what Kerry says there!!  How does this author even know if the do-gooders tending to the victims were atheists or not?  What a strange viewpoint he had....I'll hafta read this one again tomorrow..........bah ha ha!!!

[Ninja Donkey]

Great quote from End of Days:
Satan: "Something good happens, 'It's His will.' Something bad happens, 'He moves in mysterious ways.'"

[shoruke]

Where is god when bad stuff happens? (Presuming he exists at all, of course) he sits up there in heaven, and when he hears someone think "where is god?" He says "Oh DAMN they're onto me"

[SteveS]

Good quote Ninja Donkey.  I like the old "God hates me", "So - hate him back, it works for me".  I think this was from one of the Lethal Weapon movies?

Seriously, I think its undeserved to credit god with good, and its a bum rap to stick him with the bad.  Good and bad are human judgments of events - and god is neither behind the good nor the bad - because, of course, there is no god :wink: .

I try not to be openly insulting, so let me just say that I am "not impressed with the cognitive capabilities" of the author of this article.  I will also suggest that his apparent ignorance is the only valid excuse for his shamelessly baited words.  (okay, maybe that was a tad insulting...)

Felt I should stick up a little for R. Dawkins here, so:

The atheist writer Richard Dawkins has observed that according to the findings of modern science, the universe has all the properties of a system that is utterly devoid of meaning. The main characteristic of the universe is pitiless indifference.

Well, the universe it not human, and "pitilessness", as well as "indifference", are personality traits or action judgments.  How can the universe be pitiless?  How can the universe be indifferent?  These words describe a personality (or at the very least, they describe an directed action, an action by intent).  The universe, as a non-thinking entity, can't possibly have a personality, and can hardly be said to direct it's actions through intent.  Anyone who actually believes these statements literally is guilty of projecting human personality onto a non-living non-thinking entity.

Which is why I think that if Dawkins said this, then the only way this is valid is to say that the universe will appear pitiless and indifferent to human beings - especially those that are trying to understand all events in terms of directed choices - which is hardly a rational thing to do.

[Steve Reason]

What a dumbass. Why would a scientist be invited to speak? Despite what this idiot thinks, the universe is devoid of ultimate meaning. It only means what it means to each person. And all the blathering and wish-thinking to the contrary ain't gonna make it so.

People kill because they kill. And anyone can be a victim. There's no mystical reason why it was one and not the other. With better security this wouldn't have happened. And to say god this, and god that, is just a religious person's way of covering his ass for his nonsensical beliefs.

What else could we expect from a believer? When they buy into the lie, they have to follow it all the way through, or the whole thing falls apart. Trust me, I used to be there.

[SteveS]

Despite what this idiot thinks, the universe is devoid of ultimate meaning. It only means what it means to each person. And all the blathering and wish-thinking to the contrary ain't gonna make it so.

I could not agree more strongly!