Wednesday, November 01, 2006

The emperor's clothes--and they're hardly new

I think it was Richard Dawkins who first jogged my brain and made me realize how vacuous the enterprise of theology really is. Indeed, what in fact is theology? What is it that theologians are experts in? Mental acrobatics perhaps? Imaginary Superfriends and Superfoes? Charons and River Styxes?

How can these faith-heads possibly talk about the nature, the deeds, the will, the mind of a deity--with doctrinaire certainty--when they haven't and can't even verify whether any of these are in fact true? Is there any theological "truth" that has been proved? Let's take the very fundamental "fact" of theology, for instance, a fact upon which all other theological claims stand. Is there a god? Since theologians claim there is, what and where is the evidence for the existence of this entity? What tests are there to evince its reality?

This entity is said to have stealth capabilities that the US military would commit genocide for. It cannot be seen nor detected in any way by anyone. Well, if that is so then by what means have theologians discovered its reality? Visions perhaps? Is this omnipotent deity of theirs so timid that it can't be distinguished from the oceanic feelings and ramblings of those who snort coke and acid, from chemical and electrical goings-on in the brain? Is there really no objective evidence for it, only subjective interpretations and hearsay?

Can we do experiments to the test its reality? Here's one right now. Up yours, Yahweh, up yours! May Satan broil you in his oven til you turn into charcoal, then use you to barbeque St. Gabriel, St. Michael, and the entire boys choir of heaven!

Well, I'm still alive. No lightning bolt, no heart attack, no stroke, no bullet to the head. Now if payback is supposed to be after I'm dead, what are theologians' evidence for that claim? ... Caramba! You mean there isn't any? That it's just an empty threat?

You see, faith-heads are wont to make claims and rationalizations that cannot be proven, that can't be falsified, those for which disproof is all too difficult or impossible. Why? Because that is the only way delusions can be kept intact. Disillusionment isn't a forgone conclusion when what is believed in can't be proven false.

But the claim that the Indian deity Ganesh (depicted as an elephant) exists isn't disprovable either. Nor is the claim that superadvanced invisible, undetectable aliens are at this very moment orbiting the earth and controlling our minds. In fact there are an infinity of things that are not disprovable. Any of them can be the object of delusion.

So theology isn't a subject at all. There is zero evidence for its basic premise, let alone for everything that follows from it However you look at it, it's all speculation. Theology is nothing but a house of cards.

So instead of churning out theses, treatises, doctrines, encyclicals, and tracts, theologians ought to switch employers to make full use of their creative talents. Hollywood, Disney Productions and Anime are the proper venues to express themselves.

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