Atheism in the USA

[Flint]

Originally Posted by Undertoad

If the idea of God is just a representation of the sum total of all human potential through all time, the top of the hierarchy of values, and a word for the (mostly Darwinian) forces that guide us, that we cannot hope to completely understand, I believe in all of that.

It looks like everybody just made a human mistake and over-personified that concept, and now God is "Sky Daddy Who Controls Everything And Judges Us". If instead of that, God is everything above, then we are the judges all along, and what is Godlike is what best serves our potential.

I agree very heartily with the general shape of your take on what God is.

One idea that I wish that more religious organizations would embrace, and make a real effort to encourage in their devotees, is that reconciling scientific knowledge with religious concepts doesn't devalue the moral and practical applications of religion; and if we are genuinely interested in religion being a tool of betterment for the world, we should embrace anything which makes it stronger and more resonant with people who were born in the 20th/21st century.

The Iron Age was a long time ago, we should stop trying to live in that mindset. Let religion be a strong force for moral leadership in the world-- TODAY'S world, the world WE live in.