Objectivism 101

Lesson 3: Reason Applied to the God-Concept

Conclusion

The basis for the problems of the god-concept is that it was made to transcend naturalism, to provide a framework for existence. God is not just a more powerful being - but an infinitely powerful being. God is not just a producer - but he created everything.

But this is absurd : something that rules over existence cannot itself exist. Otherwise it would be part of existence. It would be natural.

All the divine attributes entail that the god-concept is incomprehensible and opposed to everything we know. Science's basic premise is naturalism, and so it opposes science. Philosophy is grounded in natural law, and so it opposes philosophy.

Supernaturalism is in no small part responsible for this. As George Smith writes :

[T]he Christian commits himself to a metaphysical view concerning the nature of reality. By his belief in a supernatural being, the Christian commits himself to a metaphysical view concerning the nature of reality. By his belief in the unknowable, he commits himself to an epistemological view concerning the scope of human reason.

(see Atheism : The Case Against God, p97)

And as Leonard Peikoff writes :

Nature is existence regarded as a system of interconnected entities governed by law; it is the universe of entities acting and interacting in accordance with their identities. What then is a "super-nature" ? It would have to be a form of existence beyond existence; a thing beyond entities; a something beyond identity.

The idea of the "supernatural" is an assault on everything man knows about reality. It is a contradiction of every essential of a rational metaphysics. It represents a rejection of the basic axioms of philosophy (or, in the case of primitive men, a failure to grasp them).

(see O:PAR p31)

The existence of the god-concept is based on faith. We desire to believe in something greater than us, desire to give context to our lives, but instead of turning to reality, most people turn to gods. Our incredulity towards nature, despite the advances of science, nourish that belief.

The nature of the god-concept is also based on faith. How do we know what a god is, if we cannot observe it or make logical sense of it - that is, use our reason ? We turn to religious doctrines like the Christian Bible or the Quran, we turn to other people's revelations, or what religious authorities claim.

The net result, therefore, is a rejection of reason.

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