The "god shaped hole"

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09 Aug 2010, 11:11 pm

There's something I've heard from a lot of religious apologetics. It goes something like this:
"Everyone has god shaped hole in their psyche and people without god just fill it with something different."
And I am here to say that I fully agree with that.

I abandoned Chrstianity less than a year ago and I've filled the god shaped hole with two things - nature and the human lust for freedom. I pretty much worship both. It may seem odd to worship a part of the human psyche, but I don't think there's anything wrong with that.

Whenever I want a religious experience I just take a walk in the woods. I get in touch with the lust for freedom because being outside feels more free than being indoors all day long and I get in touch with nature because I'm in the woods. I can also get a religious experience by visiting the Canadian Museum of Nature or by reading about William Wallace.

Does anyone else have any commentary on this "god shaped hole" thing?

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skafather84
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09 Aug 2010, 11:15 pm

Just be sure that your god shaped hole doesn't get raped.

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ChrisVulcan
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09 Aug 2010, 11:19 pm

Yeah. I do believe in God, and I think that because God wants a relationship with his people, he wired us to be drawn to religion. It would explain why there seems to be a compulsion throughout history to find an object of worship. Our essential function as human beings is to worship, so it's deeply rooted into our minds.

skafather84
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09 Aug 2010, 11:29 pm

ChrisVulcan wrote:

Our essential function as human beings is to worship

No it isn't.

KaiG
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09 Aug 2010, 11:51 pm

All you're doing is ascribing religious connotations to basic human behaviour.

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DarthMetaKnight
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10 Aug 2010, 12:57 am

skafather84 wrote:

ChrisVulcan wrote:

Our essential function as human beings is to worship

No it isn't.

If you find yourself pondering what your essential function is, you're already doing it wrong. Does a cat wonder what its essential function is? No. It is too busy catching mice to ponder such a thing.

Our essential function is to live and live hard.

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10 Aug 2010, 1:10 am

Our essential function is to have babies. It is also the essential function of almost all living things that have ever existed.

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skafather84
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10 Aug 2010, 1:13 am

Orwell wrote:

Our essential function is to have babies. It is also the essential function of almost all living things that have ever existed.

Don't forget eating, urinating and defecating.

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10 Aug 2010, 1:24 am

I think that a major part of this whole thing is projection. Theists will have a god-shaped hole if they leave. The fact that they left will hurt and haunt many of them. Atheists may lack the hole though because they never had the encounter. At the same time, they will still have existential quandaries, which are often taken as expressing that hole, but which do not require God to solve. That being said, I tend to doubt a "God shaped hole".

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10 Aug 2010, 4:25 am

Don't be silly, the essential function of a human is to make lots of money.

But, more importantly, are you trying to tell me what you know what shape God is?! :lol:

pgd
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10 Aug 2010, 6:14 am

The God-shaped hole refers to why religions have become a non-profit, tax-exempt business/what is behind the tendency for humankind to invent a wide assortment of religions and see those 1,000s of religions continue on.

http://www.beliefnet.com/
http://www.sacred-texts.com/

To me it's very clear that there is no consistency in how the God-shaped hole is defined over thousands of years since there are so many different religions which appeal to people.

Is the God-shaped hole the shape of a W as in Why - Why are humans born to live for a brief period of time, then die?

Religious science fiction (movie)

www.pilgrimsprogressthemovie.com/

Apple_in_my_Eye
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10 Aug 2010, 7:33 am

What if it's actually a beer-shaped hole filled with God?

ruveyn
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10 Aug 2010, 9:51 am

skafather84 wrote:

ChrisVulcan wrote:

Our essential function as human beings is to worship

No it isn't.

Correct! Our essential function is to reproduce, for if we don't we soon will be extinct.

ruveyn

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10 Aug 2010, 10:00 am

I do believe in the god shaped hole. I also think it is probably located in the brain.

ChrisVulcan wrote:

That's interesting. So basically we exist to worship this all-powerful being that form some reason needs constant validation from his own children. He sounds a little needy. Are you sure he doesn't have narcissist syndrome?

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skafather84
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10 Aug 2010, 10:51 am

ruveyn wrote:

skafather84 wrote:

ChrisVulcan wrote:

Our essential function as human beings is to worship

No it isn't.

Correct! Our essential function is to reproduce, for if we don't we soon will be extinct.

ruveyn

Don't forget eating, urinating and defecating.

skafather84
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10 Aug 2010, 10:52 am

Vexcalibur wrote:

I do believe in the god shaped hole. I also think it is probably located in the brain.

ChrisVulcan wrote:

I think he might have a messiah complex.

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