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Re: agree and disagree



Yes, I'm an atheist, but what intrigues me about Spinoza's philosophy
is that Spinoza's God *was* the universe & *everything* in it.  His
God wasn't a separate entity which *created* the universe.

So when you say above that Spinoza "thought God was *present* in every-
thing," that's not entirely correct.  Spinoza's God *is* everything.
He leans more towards a "God = the Universe" view.  That's intriguing
to me.

I'm not sure of the fine points, of course, but I think the Eastern religions are based on this idea. It's Western religions that divorce God from the universe and set him in heaven somewhere away from us. The animistic religions are also very attractive, as they see a bit of God in everything, a little fragment of spirit in each animal or each rock.



Spinoza's God isn't anthropomorphisized with human attributes & emo-
tions, either.  Plus, Spinoza's God "does not willfully direct the course
of Nature."

And another intriguing concept of his philosophy is that "*mathematics*
offers a standard of truth which refutes the view that God acts with a
purpose."  I dig that, too.

How does he think that follows? Most mathematicians and scientists think math is an indication of how orderly God made the universe.



Also, Spinoza argues that "belief in God's willful guidance of nature
gives rise to an erroneous notion of value judgments, such as goodness,
order, and beauty."

I dunno that this comes from the idea of God. God is typically a means to explain or enforce these values, but I think good and evil are real in human experience. It doesn't matter how relative your values are, eventually public opinion catches up with you.



But you're correct in calling to question my atheism in comparison to
Spinoza's philosophy.  Spinoza still retained the belief in *a* type
of God.  God as everything, without human attributes, & acting without
purpose.

It sounds good to me, too.



keets


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