Thank you for your response. I think you slightly misunderstood where I am at though, and what I meant by “crowdsource”. I am in my mid-30’s, and I am entirely focused on making a career transition into the technology sector. The crowdsourcing part of my question was in regards to which track to take based on the programs that were available at the institution I am at. Also, money isn’t really an issue at this point as I diligently saved in my previous role with the specific expectation of making this transition. So, I am covered there for the foreseeable future, but I appreciate your concern. This is not a casual undertaking for me at all, and is being done entirely with purpose and intentionality. I am way beyond the fucking around stage of my life.
Do you believe this for any particular reason, or just because it is psychologically reassuring? I’m not trying to be a smartass, I’m honestly curious about your perspective.
I’ve watched about 1000 hours of the Atheist Experience, Aron Ra, Cosmic Skeptic, Christopher Hitchens, and just about every popular religious apologist you can think of too. I’ve never hear a single compelling argument for creationism (I know you are talking about creation in the more macro sense, I don’t think you’re a young earth creationist).
The only one I’ve ever seen that was even worth giving serious thought is the Kalam Cosmological Argument, which I find to be deeply flawed as well, it is simply the least bad argument. So my ultimate question to you would be this: If there is a “higher power” that created the universe as we know it, but that higher power is completely indistinguishable from the laws of nature as we observe them then why believe and why care?
Very well written, and insightful. Thanks for sharing this perspective in the discussion as I personally found it very valuable. You articulated my own perspective on this much better than I could have, and gave some great philosophical background to boot. 10/10 👍
Not gonna lie, as someone in their 30’s that just returned to higher education this kicked me right in the dick. I was a great student, and loved school until I was enrolled in a Christian middle school where my education tanked (especially math & science). Then in ended up in a good quality high school where my first science teacher had no consideration for the missed concepts that I had no way of knowing about, and so I barely passed his class. The same thing happened to me in math where I ended up in Algebra II, but had missed many of the ways the curriculum was taught in their school system so I struggled. This, along with the fact that I had serious life turmoil from 11-21 caused me to give up on education. (everyone in my family died, including two suicides, except my mom who was checked out at the time dealing with estate shit)
Anyway, feels really bad to be so far behind the curve on mathematics especially, but I have been soaking up the course work through Khan Academy like a sponge. I feel like I have learned more concepts more thoroughly through that free resource in the last 6 months that I did in the entire 12 years of school. I started at Algebra I, and am now moving on to Geometry. My goal is to make it through at least pre-calculus as my desired career field is technology. If you have any insight or resources on math education I am all ears.
The core of Abrahamic religion is based around an in-group / out-group ideology. When you dove-tail off that premise it is clear that Abrahamic religion uses labelism such as “evil” or “from the devil” in order to obfuscate their suppression and opression of the out-group.