i be naija

On Creationism

I believe there is a Creator. Or, to put it more accurately, I’d like to believe there is a Creator.

But believing is not the same thing as knowing—at least, not in the epistemological sense. My ‘belief’ is different from what I consider ‘knowledge,’ in that it is based on an imperative not too dissimilar from ‘faith,’ rather than empirical evidence, discernible by the senses or through deduction.

I believe there is a Creator; I just do not know that there is one.

Why I do believe that there is a Creator?

It appears highly unlikely to me that the universe, in all its complexity, began spontaneously and without cause, out of nothing. The sheer diversity and organization of things would appear to require the concerted action of a creator. In order words, I believe it is more likely than not that a universe as complex ours resulted from some sort of higher intelligence.

Also—and I am convinced many people share this sentiment—my belief in a Creator is driven by a desire, nay need, for there to be something bigger than me… for there to be something that transcends my mortality. Believing in a Creator satisfies that need.

 (True, true, these two ‘arguments’ do not offer deductively valid support for the belief in a Creator, either. Nonetheless, I think that the first one at least, is strong enough to support that belief.)

Why I do not know there is a Creator?

I cannot claim to know that a Creator exists because I have not seen any empirical, fool-proof evidence for His (or Her) existence.

What is your own belief based on?

Do you KNOW that a Creator exists? What is this ‘knowledge’ based on? If you have a deductively valid (i.e. 100% fool-proof) argument for the existence of a Creator, do post a comment. Note though that anecdotal “evidence” do not count.

Finally, without convincing empirical evidence, I categorically refuse to believe in:

voodoo · juju · jazz · deities · shamans · shamanism · astral travel · ouija boards · reincarnation · sublimation · demons · demonism · demonic possession · Satan · Satanism · conspiracy theories · spiritualism · charms · talismans · cults · occultism · fraternities · confraternities · angels · archangels · demonic suppression · feng shui · organized religion · psychics · magicians · magic · witches · wizards · witchcraft · wizardry · curses · spells · incantations · heaven · hell · purgatory · the sixth sense · extra sensory perception · past lives · aliens · unidentified flying objects · etc.

Here’s Sony’s billboard ad (in the Netherlands, at least) for its Playstation® Portable, depicting a Caucasian woman gripping the jaw of a woman of African descent, in an undeniably rude and condescending manner.

According to Business 2.0 (Vol.8, No. 1; Jan./Feb. ‘07, p. 105), Sony initially defended the ad, saying it was meant to “highlight the whiteness of the new model,” though they later apologized (and, I hope, pulled the ad).

Let’s not waste our time analyzing the blatant racist undertone of the ad, but suffice it to say that I hereby resolve not to purchase a Sony product, until, and unless, I am convinced of a reversal of this unfortunate, unfortunate corporate mindset.  I really do not see myself buying a Sony product—PlayStation, Walkman, TV, DVD player, camera, headphones, computer, et cetera—anytime soon…

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(Incidentally, I have a similar standing resolution for Tommy Hilfiger, who might have hinted that his designer jeans were never intended to be worn by black folks.)