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MARK L. BAKKE'S
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REPLY #3 TO
"RELIGION"
Boldfaced statements are parts of the original essay (or a subsequent reply) to which the respondent has directed his comments.
 Italicized/emphasized comments prefaced by (R) are those of the respondent and are presented unedited. My replies appear under the respondent's comments in blue text and are prefaced by my initials (MB). (R) I will not refer to the Bible but I know that God does have relevance in our lives. (MB) How do you know that *without* referring to the Bible? If the Bible did not exist, there would be nothing to use to defend such a notion. (R) You do not have to believe in the Bible to know about a tribe of men called Hebrews that believed in One God. (MB) True. But, limiting one's historical references to those concerning just one of the thousands of major tribes throughout the history of Man is short-sighted, at best. These other tribes had their own beliefs in one or more deities. Most also had their own holy books in which their beliefs were detailed. What makes their beliefs and holy books intrinsically inferior to those of the Hebrews? (R) Many people refer to this God as a warrior god becouse in his name these people defeated the peoples that lived in a region that these people believed that promised there forefather, that his desendance would live someday. (MB) This is the same God who supposedly created Man in his own image and loves everybody. Therefore, all men should be descendants of his original creation and none should be preferred in his eyes over any other. Yet, this is almost the complete opposite of what the stories in the Bible relate to us. (R) You can follow the archeological evidence that these people did become great but they fell. (MB) Yes, you can. You can also follow the archaelogicial evidence that shows that many of the Bibical stories have either been exaggerated somewhat or are more along the lines of pure fiction. (R) But the belief in their god continued. All through history the belief in this one God continued. (MB) All other tribes believed in their own deities until they were wiped out or absorbed into other tribes. If, like the Hebrews, they continued to exist independently, they maintained their own beliefs, as well. This, by itself, proves absolutely nothing about the validity of those beliefs. (R) Of course people did not keep his commandments; they did not follow his laws and you might use these things to say that there is no God at all. (MB) I use those things to define problems with Man's religious systems and with his own behavior. Man's limitations in no way provide proof or rebuttal for the existance of any God. (R) You have that right. That is the way you were created for. (MB) That assumes that I was "created" and am not simply here as a consequence of the evolution and reproduction of Homo sapiens over the course of life on planet Earth. Such "creation" assumptions have no facts to support them. (R) You have that right. You have to look deep into your own heart, if you have and are happy so be it. But are you really sure that there is no God. (MB) Because I have made an honest, thorough and objective study of the subject, I must describe myself as being an agnostic. This means that I can neither definitively prove nor disprove the existance of God or any other superior being(s). I do not subscribe to any of Man's organized religions, nor do I agree with Man's notions of any particular God. My personal belief is that I am one with our Universe. My body contains nothing that isn't also present everywhere else. My individual physical existance is nothing more than a consequence of the physical laws that govern our Universe. I don't believe that the intervention of anything or anybody supernatural is necessary to explain the Universe or anything contained within it. I don't believe that Man is either special or unique in any way, shape or form. I also do not believe that the Earth is the only place in the Universe where life exists nor that Man is the only intelligent form of life. My life is worth living so that I might have the chance to contribute towards the betterment of the lives of others. "Right" and "wrong" are defined by their consequences and not by the dictates of any book. When I die, there will be no afterlife and my "spirit" will not be reincarnated. If there is any "judgment", it will be done in the minds of my peers.
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