Dr. Paul Young’s book is listed under Agnosticism on Amazon Kindle: If There Is A God, Whose god is God?: An easy-to-read analysis that looks at the FACTS.
While the title is oddly worded, the better answer is that man created God in his image, not the other way around. First, the book uses a common apologetic trope: that it is analyzing facts to reach a conclusion. Very little in the Old or New Testaments is a fact. There is historical evidence for some of it and I will allow that a man called Jesus lived in that time but other than in the most general terms most of the Bible is metaphorical or based on primitive, Bronze-Age thinking.
It was all pre-science. Everything mysterious was supernatural. Religion does not employ facts, reason, rationality, or logic, but apologists continually assert that they do—no matter how much data you produce. I consider that disingenuous at best and outright lying at worst; they know better. Religion is based on faith (which is not the same as reasonable expectations). And blind faith, as promoted in the Bible, is not a good thing.
The three belief options listed (atheist, agnostic, theist) are not the only options.
There is also a deist, Cosmic Über-Entity, that is responsible for both the universe and life existing, but it did not write any books and it is not concerned about human morality. It did not dictate 600 laws for man in the Old Testament. It is not a personal deity. It is an entity so far advanced that it would be incomprehensible to mere humans. My theory is that probability is the First Cause. (See Probulism, A Religion for the Rest of Us.)
You don’t worship probability, you respect it. It is perfectly aligned with facts and science. Real facts. Real science. Not the bastardized version that apologists use.
Theists love to segue from a Cosmic Über-Entity to Yahweh of the Old Testament and then Jesus Christ. There is no connection—other than in Genesis, which is a non-scientific, anti-factual, fable. The three options for the Judeo-Christian God are:
- He is a psychopath. He is a serial torturer of 75 billion humans, adding 135,000 every day and 40 million every year. (And don’t get me started on Free Will; it is an illusion)
- He is non-existent. We made Him up.
- He is an imbecile. He is an incompetent Cosmic Prankster, like Loki or the “Q” in Star Trek. A Bungler God, He is too inept to be truly evil.
Instead of God, or deity, I prefer the name: Cosmic Über Entity. It removes all the “made in His image,” worship, burnt offerings, deity, and God imagery. It’s the 21st Century. The First Cause would be an Advanced, Timeless, Inter-Galactic, Trans-Dimensional, Alien Life Force, Über-Entity, and Quantum, Probability Engine, and not the very human-like, jealous, angry, and wrathful God of the Old Testament. It would not be made of matter or energy, but something far beyond that.
Dr. Paul reviews the three great religions: Islam, Judaism, and Christianity; obviously Eastern religions are not so great in his opinion. I am sure the 1.35 billion Hindus and 535 million Buddhists would disagree. It must be nice knowing that God loves you but will torture nearly 2 billion humans, most, who are good people, for the sin of nonbelief. Keep working on the bake sales so you can convert the heathens.
His conclusion is that Christianity is true; Islam is not. I am sure the 1.6 billion Muslims praying five times a day would disagree as well. But Dr. Paul has the truth, the facts, and all those Muslims are wicked, infected by Satan, willfully disobedient, and every last man, woman, and child deserves their just punishment of eternal torture and torment for all eternity.
But did you know: God loves you?
To add to a deity that just loves to torture billions of humans; we have the Catholic versus Protestant question. Why would anyone need a human to explain which one is true or correct? Based on Damnation by Probability (DBP), the sheer fact that there are so many religions and denominations, and that so many have to spend years explaining and interpreting the Scriptures—in thousands of different ways, to me, is proof that The Bible is not the work of our CÜE but man.
And the more you throw Bible quotes at me, the worse DBP gets.
Dr. Young was a Protestant minister and then converted to Catholicism, which is actually interesting. Unfortunately, over 150 million Protestants in the United States are certain that Catholics are infected by Satan, need to be converted, and a cult. And they are certain they are correct, have the truth, supported by the facts, because they have God in their heart and the Holy Spirit in the brain, and Jesus pretty much everywhere else. I know because I just spoke to a very earnest Evangelical missionary. He seemed like a nice guy. And he was so sad that Dr. Paul Young was going to hell.
Catholicism and Protestantism can’t both be right. And then of course there are the Mormons! Based on John 14:6, the Christian God is a serial torturer of over 75 billion humans or an imbecile. He is someone who cannot create a proper human, is constantly thwarted by Free Will, or cannot make himself clear, or get humans to behave as he desires. And He always needs money! There is no love here, and I list over sixty reasons why in my book: Why God Hates Me.
For a humorous look at DPB, read Donald J. Trump: Anointed by God: Jesus Returns.
At least Catholics believe in evolution. And they drink (alcohol) like fish; they are way more fun than the Baptists. I think my Good News book about the benefits of a secular life far outweigh the sex-hating, this world-hating, anti-birth control, anti-women, anti-gay, and just generally weird beliefs of the Catholic Church. Transubstantiation? The Trinity? Selling indulgences? Bastard Popes? And that’s not even mentioning all the sexual abuse of boys by Catholic priests. Funny how God didn’t bother to tell anyone about that! I guess He was too busy helping the Evangelicals win that football game?
But I digress.
There is one fact. You have this one life. That is a fact. The faithful want to convince you to avoid it. No matter how well-intentioned Dr. Paul is, nothing he presents in his book is good enough to refute any of my over 100 reasons for non-belief (in the Judeo-Christian version of God). As secular humans, we can help the needy, feed the poor, and clothe the immigrant. There is no need for religion or the threat of eternal punishment to be good and do good.
Read more at my I. M Probulos Amazon Author Page.
I. M. Probulos
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