You’re now chatting with a random stranger. Say hi!
You: Not tired, even though I should be asleep already
Stranger: oh im alright thanks
You: So, what do you believe in?
Stranger: ohh yeah id o belive
Stranger: well, several reasons
Stranger: but among them, it makes sense, and gives life a purpose
Stranger: like creation is a big factor
You: Creation of the universe? Or creation of an even more complicated supernatural being?
Stranger: both, like think of the fact that earth is the perfect distance from the sun..
You: Hmm. What about venus? That’s too close. Or Mars? That’s too far
You: Are there not other earth like planets which are too hot or cold for life?
Stranger: yeah too hot or too cold
You: So there’s nobody living on them
You: And nobody to be thinking “this place is just right”
You: So God must have created it
You: Why did God create Mars and Venus?
You: Why did God create the trillians of other planets which are no good for life?
You: Couldn’t he have been a little more efficient about it?
Stranger: i dunno, maybe its part of a whole system..
You: Could it not be that there are many, many planets, and on one of them life happened to evolve. There are so many, that surely it had to happen on one of them
You: And so here we are. Just lucky?
You: If I were God, I reckon i’d be less wasteful
Stranger: i dunno, what do you belive?
You: I’m not sure really. I believe in simplicity. If a theory is any more complicated than it can be, then why not make it simpler?
Stranger: yeh youre right, i agree
You: simplicity of (big universe + complex god) >> simplicity of (big universe)
You: Why do you think life has a purpose?
Stranger: i think its better to believe that than we being here by accident, then what would life mean, why do we want to live longer than we can.. you know?
You: Hmm… If I were on death row, about to be executed, and I was really nervous about it, would it be better for me to believe that the execution wasn’t really going to happen? I’d be happier, for a while, so maybe it would be better to believe it. But it wouldn’t make it true, right?
You: Besides, I want to live longer than I can :)
You: So, if you think it is better to believe in a creator, it doesn’t imply that it’s true. Right?
Stranger: well of course, its bad to blindly belive, you need to prove it to yourself
You: Do you think it is good that suicide bombers believe in paradise?
You: Is it good to believe in a caring creator who will grant people eternal happiness after death?
Stranger: you mean heaven?
Stranger: i believe in the bible, and i dont believe that eveyone goes to heaven
You: ok. How literally do you believe in the bible?
Stranger: not always literally
You: Do you believe God told Moses to commit genocide? Or do you just believe Moses did it by himself? Or did it not really happen, but there is some deeper meaning?
Stranger: um genocide? i dont think it was a genocide
You: There’s some bit in Numbers I think (or maybe Exodus), where Moses tells his army to go out and capture a city, killing the people in it.
You: The army goes and kills all the men, and they bring the women and children back as slaves.
You: Moses then gets angry at them. He tells them to kill all the male children, kill all the women who are not virgins
You: But they get to keep the virgin women as slaves
You: “Do with them as you will”
You: ok, thanks for the honest answers
Stranger: i dont wanna go lol
Stranger: bye, take care, and keep looking for answers