The question: Is there a creator and is the universe constructed in an organized manner, is answered through the scientific method. The creator could be the energy holding things together in space, creating and maintaining equilibrium. Whether we personify God or view God as a scientific construct makes no difference. In essence, my existence depends on IT to survive and so does every other living entity.
I'm fine with playing with semantics, god is the universe or energy in it, however if we talk about god the creator it would imply conscious effort in creating universe, some purpose and sense, and not just its mindless existence. If it just a form of flowing energy, it is losing the conscious god status, the God people are looking for. We might call it just universe instead for simplicity.
There is method in everything we observe whether we believe it is created or because of natural occurrences is a matter of world view. Personally, I believe things make sense in the world because of the existence of a creator. I cannot accept the belief that nature works the way it does simply because of natural processes were it not for the existence of a creator exercising control over such processes. The argument that we have no scientific proof for the existence of God or a creator is in my opinion one of the greatest fallacies in 'scientific' reasoning. The question however of whether a creator exists in man's image, whatever that means, is another question altogether
Hypothesis of Multi Universe, might explain order by chance and probability without invoking god to keep world orderly.
If we consider your belief in god-universe, and however elegant you make your belief, it stands in strong contrast with all existing religions. Religions which personalised god (and spirits) and made it essential for everydays' live, the participating god. It brings morality to people, justice, fortune, punishment, love, law and order, social structure, and what's not. Very importantly, in all religions gods and spirits secure life after death, where better and eternal life begins.
These gods and spirits are taking care of people and participate in their lives. This is the god(s) people want and are looking for. I'm not sure how you can consolidate your energy-universe-creator with the one based on human nature, the participating god? Just for the purpose of not inventing your own beliefs and explaining the god billions of people believe in.
. I believe that suffering and disaster is part of nature's process. To lose faith in God because of the disaster and suffering in the world is blaming the creator for our irresponsible actions and the consequences of our past actions on the planet. If intelligence and assuming responsibility for one's own actions were commensurate then
I'm not sure how someone can be responsible for a little child dying from rare genetic disorder? Suffering of this child and parents is not a consequence of actions of ancestors. Just a stupid mutation caused by cosmic rays or bad combination of genes.
If creator is participating one it should be blamed for this senseless cruelty. The nonparticipating universe-god can't be blamed for this but in this case why should we care for it, it might not exist for us at all?
I would have said that you have a point however it is my personal experience that levels of narcissism increase in more intelligent individuals as they work much harder to achieve positive regard from others, seeking recognition and affirmation by their peers. In essence, a high IQ suggests that an individual spends the requisite amount of time studying and developing themselves in the belief that they would be able to make a difference in the world, hopefully a difference for the better.
I would hope so, although I'm not sure if I would define the quest for self improvement as narcissism.
What you are saying is that less intelligent persons need to believe in a creator whereas I am saying that more intelligent persons need the existence of a creator to avoid personal responsibility for the suffering they have caused. This however becomes too 'painful' for some individuals to bare, the elite or exceptional among us have come to the realization that belief in a creator does not negate their responsibility and in an effort to free themselves from the burden they rely on themselves for 'salvation' ... the theme here is CONTROL.
I wouldn't go that far, however, I've seen on many instances people cleaning their soles, or avoid looking for answers, with short statement: "It was god's will".
I didn't say less intelligent person
needs to believe in creator (the need, possibly genetic) affects intelligent people or not same way. I was saying that some less intelligent people will give up analyzing world by themselves looking for answers and rely on knowledge and beliefs of others, like parents and teachers. Plus, I believe that spirituality (the feeling supernatural forces, antropomorfism, feeling of uniqueness) might be genetic, and as such is stronger than logic in most circumstances. Simple conservativism is to blame too. People tend to romanticise things from their childhood and youth and consider them superior (religion included) over things that come with new generations. Not mentioning that many people are simply afraid of any new changes.
Well, it is not that easy to become atheist, when one used to be a believer.
I would like to mention that many religions have fall back safety if it comes to analytical reasoning of god's existence. It is a blasphemy and a sin to even consider that god might not exist.
Intelligence is correlated strongly with a belief in an individual's ability to exercise control. This in turn correlates with self-aggrandizement or narcissism. The belief that there can be no creator is found among the most narcissistic individuals, those of us who refuse responsibility and rationalize that the proverbial creator would never allow the holocaust to happen and yet they believe that man would somehow stop the suffering he has imposed on his fellow man. This circular reasoning ends at the feet of the individual narcissist ... for lacking the necessary empathy and insight to perceive their own inability to comprehend that it is man's own responsibility to behave in a manner that is in alignment with their own 'ideas' befitting the existence of a creator.
Not to my observations. Narcissism will correlate with believe of one's special status, look, destiny, egocentrism. Even if this person doesn't belong to mainstream religions, this person is spiritual in nature. Is he a product of random events and blind genetic combinations? Off course not, someone in the universe made him this very special specimen.
If we as man behave poorly and expect somebody other than ourselves to clean up our mess, does that not say more about our lack of morality and misguided self-importance than the existence or non-existence of a creator???
I agree with this.
What if a creator had no reason to save such a man as ourselves, does that mean the creator does not exist, or that man is riddled with vice and self-love?
One can ask couple of questions. Did creator know what he was doing?
If people are to blame for their actions, maybe god should be too?
I hope we can put god to the same or even higher standards we put imperfect people to.