It’s probably not in doubt that I would have started listening to podcasts. I think they are a great alternative to radio, and I’ve been lucky enough to find some really great content that I truly enjoy. Some of them are really well produced, most have interesting interviews with a variety of people and some are very educational. One of my favorites is Evil Genius Chronicles. The host has interesting music and has interviewed some really cool people, but that’s not why I’m writing today.
He has made reference to a show that he did back in January. It is his essay on why he does not believe in God. Apparently, this was the show that has generated the most comments for him ever. The references he was making were to another podcast that commented on his essay. It was over at Wired Jesus and it is episodes 14 & 15 that were the commentary on Dave’s essay. I listened to all three podcasts today, and boy was it heavy listening.
I have to say that it made me consider my stance on the issue. I’ve struggled with what I believe for a long time. Anyone that knows me knows that I am a rational being. I think about things a lot. I read constantly and I believe that there is an order to the Universe. I also believe that science can explain anything that happens, we just may not understand enough right now to explain everything. This can be a problem when trying to reconcile this with a belief in God or some higher power.
I can’t say that I go as far as Dave in my stance. I don’t know if there is a God. I know that I can’t prove or disprove his existence. It also stands to reason that if he created the Universe, then he must be outside of the Universe. My feeling is that this makes the question irrelevant for all practical purposes in daily life. Some may feel that this is a cop out. But since I don’t have enough information to know, then I can’t say definitively one way or the other. What I can say is that I don’t have a problem with God, it’s his messengers and followers that I have problem with. I generally can’t stand organized religion.
Anyway, this isn’t where I wanted to end up… I found it refreshing to hear Dave’s essay put things so clearly and express some of the feelings that I have. It was also reassuring to hear Wired Jesus talk about someone that doesn’t believe in God and not try to point out how he was wrong. If anything he mostly agreed with the fact that there are extremely legitimate questions about the Bible and faith in general.
I would definitely recommend listening to these podcasts. Dave’s essay is replayed in its entirety within the Wired Jesus commentary, but it was helpful to hear the entire thing uninterrupted before moving into the annotated version.
Let me know what you think.
The Blog of David 