Guest biofriendly Posted May 9, 2009 Share Posted May 9, 2009 Following a link on this forum I was directed to a thread on another forum and a video there and in the video one person suggest this: Re: Dr. Andy Thomson: Why We Believe in Gods (AA09) Postby SkepticalDeb » Tue Apr 28, 2009 1:27 am One of the questioners - I think the last one following the lecture, suggested creating a computer game that allowed people to create religion(s). I think this is a fantastic idea. I am not sure what these two persons really say there but what if we had a computer program that was more intelligent than us humans and if that program refined and refined religion after religion so they became very logical and emotionally attractive and always up to date with our needs. a bit like how Christian denominations and Churches do now. They compete and take believers from each other in an ongoing persuasion contest on which religion that is the most attractive. Is it Mega Churches that is most popular now or was that the trend some years ago? I am behind on such. But I find the idea interesting. As an pedagogic tool to show how religions are constructed one could ask the program to explain while it chose to make it "Intelligent Design" and why it chose to make it emotionally expressive and literalistic instead of metaphoric. Ok a lot of Christians would not want to know. They would realize that their faith could get a challenge but maybe a lot of doubters within the Christian fold would want the help of a very intelligent tireless friendly computer program that patiently again and again without getting impatient like most atheists do answer the many questions the doubter have. If the program could make a faith that was 100% compatible with science and logic would that not be a very good thing? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest biofriendly Posted May 9, 2009 Share Posted May 9, 2009 link? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vomit Comet Posted May 9, 2009 Share Posted May 9, 2009 If the program could make a faith that was 100% compatible with science and logic would that not be a very good thing? That makes about as much sense to me as toilet paper that's 100% compatible with my socks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shion Posted May 25, 2009 Share Posted May 25, 2009 Computers are programmed by humans, no matter how much faster a processor it may possess, it will contain flaws. Also why do we really need religion? People use it as an out from really thinking, really having to make choices for themselves. Whether we create a computer or gold statue or sit in the pews weeping for crucified terrorist, we giving authority over free will and choice to things and beings that do not deserve it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Amethyst Posted May 26, 2009 Share Posted May 26, 2009 Why do we need any kind of superstitious thinking at all? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Weetie Posted May 27, 2009 Share Posted May 27, 2009 Here's sort of the next best thing: Open Source Religion http://www.yoism.org/ I've poked around their site a few times. Most of it has what I find to be a beautiful intention. I think this could be a possible future of the evolution of religious thought. It's a little like Buddhism in that it's more of a philosophy than a metaphysical religion. A computer-generated religion is interesting, but I think it would suffer the same reaction as I did to a certain marketing scheme when I was young: Back when I was in 4th or 5th grade, pet rocks were a big craze. Some marketing genius had the idea of making a little package that looked like a hamster cage, putting some plastic easter basket "grass" in the bottom, placing a fist-sized rock in it & selling it at Spencer Gifts for a buttload of money. I believe the guy who thought of doing this now owns his own private island. I desparately wanted one, but my more sensible mother refused to pay $7 for a ROCK. She said to me "Why don't you go out in the back yard and pick one yourself?" I refused because it wouldn't be a REAL pet rock. It seemed so obvious to me that only a store-bought rock could be a genuine pet rock. Grown-ups can be SO clueless. Similarly, most people wouldn't be willing to buy into a religion that's synthesized by a computer algorithm. It would lack that "authenticness" created by being presented to them wrapped in a big building, sold by a slick-talking professional "Aw Geez, Mom! Everybody KNOWS you can't just program a religion! You've gotta be brought up in one or start your own cult after having a nervous-breakdown-induced apocalyptic vision! Sheesh! Don't you know ANYTHING??" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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