Dave,
In spite of Bill and Anthony's retorts this is a very important and
valid question, at least certainly as much so as any other question.
While it is true that Zen doesn't ask this question, the fact that it
doesn't gives it no right to ask any other question. The question of
God is certainly the ultimate koan!
Whether god exists or not depends first of all on how the term is
defined. If we take the Christian or any other ancient religious
definition then there is of course no evidence for his (their)
existence and plenty of counter evidence. If such a god is postulated
to exist that just begs the question of who created him. This
understanding of god is from the childhood of humanity. Likewise the
AI conception of a programmer god a la the Matrix and sci fi (which
by the way I wrote about in a short story in the '60's about what I
called 'Livies', that we all were living in an artificial reality so
real it seemed like reality and how each cycle intelligent life would
gradually construct virtual realities so convincing that they would
ultimately become characters within them, etc. which is really what
the human brain is doing in actuality - constructing an illusory
reality in which we think we live - which is very close to Zen's
world of illusion).
On the other hand if we merely define God as the creative life/motive
force of the universe then by definition god exists. It is very clear
that the intelligence embedded in the structure and design of the
universe and the DNA etc. is many orders of magnitude greater than
human intelligence. Perhaps someday when we understand the
functioning of DNA we will find encoded there the signature of the
artist?
I have my own ideas on this and the ultimate fate of the universe....
Edgar
On Nov 4, 2008, at 2:03 AM, Dave wrote:
Edgar Owen <> it does cast doubt on specifically human self
consciousness after brain death.
>
>
There is a theory that even the illusion of the white light is the
brain just trying to give the emotional human a last positive feeling
of peace. All chemicals. We are just an electrical meat cell, and the
question is, WHO CREATED THIS PROGRAM and the physical manifestation
(body) which is way beyond the complexity of any realistic theory of
evolution.
We are programmed a certain way. Who programmed us? Why are we seeking
God, enlightenment, the transcendence of the now and our physical
limitations?? What is it we are searching for? It is not something
new, it is a memory of something we know already.
