this post was submitted on 03 Oct 2024
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Anyone have any ideas on how to kill God? I was thinking a out it and I think for a lot of people "God" is just this undefined "thing" out there that they can attribute other things to.

Like imagine a caveman kid talking to their caveman parent and asking questions like "Why is there a day and a night? Why is sky blue? Why is dog died?"

And the caveman parent just makes something up.

When people don't know the cause of something, they can create a cause out of their imagination.

God will always be lurking in the imaginations of stupid people, and we will always have stupid people on this planet.

For a while this scared me because I'm a stupid person with an imagination, so I knew the idea of "God" will stay with me till I die (since I can't think about anything when I die).

So I think the only way to kill God is if everyone dies. But even then it's a gamble because there's a whole "if a tree falls in a forest?" aspect.

Anyone else have any ideas?

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[–] TheTechnician27@lemmy.world 15 points 1 month ago
[–] FlyingSquid@lemmy.world 6 points 1 month ago (1 children)

God will always be lurking in the imaginations of stupid people, and we will always have stupid people on this planet.

I'd be careful there. I'm guessing there are people who would call you stupid for the things you believe.

And there are plenty of very smart people who simply happen to be incorrect about their beliefs. Not even god belief things. Linus Pauling has insane beliefs about vitamin C being a panacea. Bobby Fischer believes antisemitic conspiracy theories.

Believing something silly doesn't make you stupid, just wrong.

[–] RadicalEagle@lemmy.world 1 points 1 month ago (1 children)

I called myself stupid in my own post, so I have no problem with other people reaching the same conclusion.

Believing something that is wrong can make people dangerous, and I think that’s cause for concern.

[–] FlyingSquid@lemmy.world 3 points 1 month ago (1 children)

True, but that still does not make them stupid. As I said, very smart people believe things that are simply wrong.

[–] RadicalEagle@lemmy.world 2 points 1 month ago

I probably should’ve used “ignorant” or “uneducated” instead of “stupid”.

What I was trying to say is that as long as people continue to have imperfect knowledge of the universe there will always be room for speculation/imagination.

[–] kat_angstrom@lemmy.world 5 points 1 month ago (1 children)

We need more science education, and basic epistemology taught at every level. Not What to believe, but How and Why; and the What's follow from there.

I have a dear friend who fell down the Flat Earth rabbit hole some years ago, and only upon discussing the topic with him did I learn just how bad his science education had been all his life; and trying to get him interested in actual science proved impossible because the conspiratorial mindset was already in place alongside the "you're being lied to" defense.

Like, yeah, I personally can't detect the Cosmic Microwave Background of the Big Bang with the Observatory that's not in my back yard. But that's not proof that the scientists are lying, making up stories. Reproducibility can be a problem in science; but not with basic physical facts of the universe that have been reproduced across the continents, multiple times.

Education may not be a magic bullet, but it's definitely a fantastic tool to begin the journey towards the more rational.

[–] RadicalEagle@lemmy.world 1 points 1 month ago

Yeah, I absolutely agree. I think encouraging a scientific perspective (forming conclusions based on testing, while being open to the idea that those conclusions might change with additional testing) is incredibly important because it fosters the attitude that there are a lot of things we can’t know “for sure”, but we can be confident enough in our knowledge to take action, and humble enough to admit when we’re wrong.

You can get pretty far in life just by applying the scientific method and the golden rule.

Sorry about your friend. I hope that despite their distorted world view they’re still able to maintain healthy relationships and find/provide love and happiness, because at a personal level I think that’s the most important thing someone can achieve.

[–] spaceghoti@lemmy.one 4 points 1 month ago (2 children)

When it comes to the Christian God, that's easy.

https://biblehub.com/judges/1-19.htm

The LORD was with the men of Judah. They took possession of the hill country, but they were unable to drive the people from the plains, because they had chariots fitted with iron.

https://biblehub.com/1_kings/6-7.htm

In building the temple, only blocks dressed at the quarry were used, and no hammer, chisel or any other iron tool was heard at the temple site while it was being built.

While the Bible never says what was used to fix Jesus to the cross, tradition says it was three iron nails. There are two reasons why the account of the crucifixion is atypical of normal Roman executions: first of all, they didn't usually waste good iron nailing victims to their crosses. They tied them to the posts. Secondly, crucifixion victims normally took days to die of dehydration and suffocation, which is why the Romans did it that way. But Jesus allegedly died in hours, not days.

So clearly, Yahweh has a weakness to iron. I fear no gods I know how to kill.

[–] f4f4f4f4f4f4f4f4@sopuli.xyz 2 points 1 month ago (1 children)

He could have died quickly if soldiers were piercing his heart with the spear of Longinus.

[–] spaceghoti@lemmy.one 1 points 1 month ago

Sure, but the text claims he was already dead by that point. So we're back to my original claim.

[–] Ookami38@sh.itjust.works 1 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago) (1 children)

Eeeeeh, depending on your interpretation, the physical body Jesus died from the iron spikes, the spirit Christ did not. The passage about the iron tools seems to be more symbolizing keeping as much of the labor away from the temple as possible.

It is a fun idea to think of the Christian God as a demon, weak to iron as some folk lore describe them. Kinda fits with the Gnostic demiurge too, but that's (the demiurge) distinctly not Christ.

[–] spaceghoti@lemmy.one 2 points 1 month ago (1 children)

That's pretty weak tea, especially considering how so many Christians (but not all, I know) insist that Jesus and Yahweh are the same person, just different aspects.

[–] Ookami38@sh.itjust.works 1 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago)

I'd say it's as fair as any other approach hahah. We're talking about fairy tales essentially, so I find it a pretty compelling argument to point out the wildly disparate beliefs of actual people throughout history. Just because they've homogenized largely to this point (there are still VAST differences in even just the abrahamic religions of today, but not as much as there were during its active spread and creation) doesn't really remove that history.

Either way, not trying to punch at your original comment, just love exploring and expanding on the different beliefs of the past, particularly apocryphal ones.

[–] Leate_Wonceslace@lemmy.dbzer0.com 4 points 1 month ago (1 children)

Stop believing in him. End of procedure.

[–] RadicalEagle@lemmy.world 2 points 1 month ago

If I can’t seem him he can’t see me! Perfect!

[–] Gutek8134@lemmy.world 3 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago) (1 children)

Tale Foundry has a whole episode dedicated to this topic in fiction, and the conclusion is

conclusionyou kill a god by turning them into a joke

[–] RadicalEagle@lemmy.world 1 points 1 month ago

Interesting idea, we’ll have to see how it plays out.

[–] FuglyDuck@lemmy.world 3 points 1 month ago (1 children)

I think you may have had too much fundie with your shrooms.

Anyhow, god doesn’t exist. So while god can’t be killed, there is no need to either.

[–] RadicalEagle@lemmy.world 2 points 1 month ago

Atheists are more fun to talk to because they're more concerned about having facts and truth to backup their beliefs. Whereas if I get high and troll religious people they'd just think I'm another normal Christian, lol

[–] ivanafterall@lemmy.world 3 points 1 month ago (1 children)
[–] RadicalEagle@lemmy.world 2 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago)

They've tried that already and the results were "inconclusive" 🙄

[–] darth_tiktaalik@lemmy.ml 2 points 1 month ago

Arceus used judgement!

Meowth fainted!

[–] sp3tr4l@lemmy.zip 2 points 1 month ago (1 children)

The individual desires judgment. Without that desire, the cohesion of groups is impossible, and so is civilization.

The human being created civilization not because of a willingness but because of a need to be assimilated into higher orders of structure and meaning.

The need to be observed and understood was once satisfied by God. Now we can implement the same functionality with data-mining algorithms.

The human organism always worships. First it was the gods, then it was fame (the observation and judgment of others), next it will be the self-aware systems you have built to realize truly omnipresent observation and judgment.

God was a dream of good government.

You will soon have your God, and you will make it with your own hands.

... prophetic words, one might say.

Anyway... in the sense you are speaking of, the only way to totally kill God would be the erasure of massive amounts of human history, combined with either killing or 'reducating' billions of people, and then the institution of some kind of Orwellian totalitarianism, which must basically persist in perpetuity.

Other than something like that... its not possible to totally exorcize the idea of God or Gods from humans... we are pattern seekers, we love simple explanations, and we love stories, narratives.

[–] RadicalEagle@lemmy.world 2 points 1 month ago (1 children)

It's cool how Mass Effect and Terminator could be seen as religious prophecies in some crazy future timeline.

[–] sp3tr4l@lemmy.zip 2 points 1 month ago (2 children)

I have literally met high schoolers who sincerely believed the Marvel movies were based on real life events, until I explained to them that no, they're based on comic books, they are entirely fictional stories.

We already live in the dumbest possible timeline.

Remember how when Idiocracy came out, the general reception was 'wow this is over the top, dude-bro moron version of the future, not worth serious discussion', ... and now a good chunk of people are looking back at it as 'well actually, a lot of this seems scarily reasonable?'

[–] insufferableninja@lemdro.id 2 points 1 month ago

i like how Mike Judge found the stupidest looking shoes he could find, from a new niche shoe company. These will never take off, he thinks; they're too hideous. So he puts everyone in crocs and chortles to himself. And then, 20 years later ...

[–] RadicalEagle@lemmy.world 2 points 1 month ago (1 children)

That’s wild, but I almost can’t blame some kids for their misconceptions. Stories about Captain America fighting Nazis blur “reality” in a weird way because stories can be interpreted both literally and symbolically.

Like, the idea of Captain America being a “real” bio-engineered person might not seem as crazy to a person after they learn about something like MKUltra lol

The more we advance science and technology the more plausible our fantasy worlds become. You can still differentiate through experience, but I’ll cut high schoolers some slack since they just haven’t had that experience.

From my perspective the world high schoolers are growing up in today seems even more fantastical and comicbook-like than the one I grew up in as a high schooler.

[–] sp3tr4l@lemmy.zip 2 points 1 month ago

Most of the Gen A and younger Gen Z I've randomly struck up conversations with in the last year or so have had their brains thoroughly rotted by TikTok, Instagram, Twitch, Rumble, etc.

Avril Lavigne is actually a clone, or Biden is, or Kanye is,

Astrology is completely real and my magic crystals will heal your chakras,

Atlantis was totally real and actually we are all partially descended from different alien species and that's what ethnicity and race actually are,

'Insert movie here' was basically actually real and making it into a movie is the way the powers that be laugh at us,

Shadow Work isn't just a very loose and differently defined psychological practice of attempting to understand yourself better and come to grips with trauma and negative urges its left you with, its actually that you literally have a shadow demon/spirit possessing you, and if you don't exorcise it 'properly', it will magically spread to other people.

... and I can tell this because I am a naturally born empath who is 100% accurate at determining what other people are thinking and feeling even if they directly tell me otherwise, which actually means that they are narcissists....

and so on and so on.

Of course this is my anecdotal experience, but this is what is normal for me to encounter... as I and the people around me are quite poor.

[–] Halasham@dormi.zone 2 points 1 month ago

The God of the Christians?

Time's killing it just as it does everyone. Not only is the vile religion diminishing currently but the claimed miracles of the fabled monster are also diminishing with time.

  • In true Last Thursdayism fashion they claim the universe was created by the beast six millennia ago.
  • 2 millennia later he demonstrably lost, if he ever had to begin with, the traits of omniscience and omnipotence. As demonstrated by taking a rash action, regretting it, and not undoing it.
  • At some point he's developed a weakness to iron as stated by spaceghoti.
  • Nowadays his grand "miracles" are causing light breezes, or small amounts of rain, or stopping either... things Humans are entirely capable of doing.

As for how to accelerate the death of this monster? Take a page from the countries that have done the best at wounding it so far: Raise general quality of life, not just education, for all the people of your society. It feeds on suffering, so we should starve it out.

[–] Kolanaki@yiffit.net 1 points 1 month ago

Put him in a headlock and just snap his neck, like Methuselah but without asking to be blessed.

[–] adelita2938@lemmy.dbzer0.com 1 points 1 month ago

Two options:

Stop believing in him. Per American Gods logic, gods are immortal until the very last human who knows their name dies. Anthony Hopkins Odin is going to live for a very long time.

Or

We need to quintuple scientific research until we can research the end of the known universe and pierce the dimensional barrier into the undying realms and bring our black hole cannons to bear on his kingdom. For selfish reasons I choose this option.

[–] RadicalEagle@lemmy.world 0 points 1 month ago

Meowth was Schrodinger's Cat the whole time and we never saw it because we were too busy with "more important things".

"What could be more important than understanding life?" - Nerd

"Uhhh... Living it?" - Jock

The eternal yin and yang of the virgin and the Chad binds us together.