Ever since young, Christianity has always seemed somewhat wrong, as though there were some important components of it that are missing. I used to be extremely engrossed with Bible stories, and very active in Church sessions. I loved those songs that praised God, and soaked up theological lessons like water on the desert sand.

Not anymore. I have gone from Christian to free-thinker to agnosticism, with heavy inclinations towards atheism. Currently, I identify myself as an agnostic, and I may modify my stance when I complete the reading of “God is not great” by Christopher Hitchens, and “The God delusion” by Richard Dawkins.

I will go straight to the root of my theological stance, which should explain much of my beliefs.

I have always wondered why humans conceive of God, stating things about him as though they knew God so well. Christians claim certain things about God, for example, that God is a good God. Rebuking such statements is a ridiculously easy task. How are they to know what God is like? Even if the bible were true, even if the Son of God did come to earth and died for us, and all those countless miracles happened, what gives us the right to claim anything about the nature of God at all?

The Bible is frivolous in the sense that it makes it sound as though humans are in the centre of attention; as though God thinks that we are beings who deserved attention at all. What arrogance! The arrogance of the Christians bemuses me. If God were as powerful as claimed, why would he give a damn about humans who are, at most, a heartbeat compared to the flow of time? I find it much more reasonable to think that God is somewhat like a bored scientist conducting an experiment, and we are the rats in the experiment of his. We exist merely as mundane amusement to this almighty being, rather than as a terrible burden and responsibility to him that the Bible appears to depict. There is no way for you to discount such a possibility, and it only goes to show how enigmatic God is.

This proves that we have no way of claiming anything about God with certainty. Even if all of Christianity were proven true, we still have more than enough reason to doubt God’s nature, and it means that agnosticism is inevitable.

As finite and imperfect beings, we have no way of envisaging the nature of an infinite and perfect being, and are limited to speculating about his characteristics. That lies on the assumption that this being exists at all. A sceptical nature, together with the use of rationality, would have led one naturally towards agnosticism, as I have shown in the above analysis. It is no coincidence that the majority of philosophers were atheist, and that atheism grows in popularity with the integration of scientific thinking into education.

You may ask “If such a conclusion were so logically obvious, why is the majority of people in this world still Christian?” In response, I shall quote a passage adapted from the Dune series, “Do not attempt to reason with those whose beliefs are set in stone.”
21:51
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I remembered back when I was involved with the Super Teens programme in Secondary Two, as participants of the camp, we were posted a question by Ernest Wong. The gist of it is based around a scenario. Supposing there was a man who wanted to buy your organs, and somehow, you have no choice but to sell them at a monetary value (without an option to refuse), name your price for each organ.

Arms. Legs. Eyeballs. Kidneys. Liver. Lungs. Heart. Go ahead. Name a mandatory monetary value for each organ independent of each other. You are not allowed to sell for free, or put the price at ridiculous amounts (e.g. infinity).

It sounds easy.

It sounds really easy.

However, once you try it, you find just how hard it is. One thousand seems too little, while a hundred thousand seems too much, yet at the same time, not enough. You do not even know if the sold items are to be donated to charity, or sold to illegal organisations, or even if they are to see the light of day again, considering the suspicious setup of the scenario. You are basically trading physical defects or even death in return for cash, without a choice in the matter. So, name the price, for as they say, money can buy everything; you just need to determine the right price.

I find this a very unfair question. It acts upon human selfishness and instinct for self-preservation, forcing you against these barriers if you had taken the question seriously, and threatening to crush you against the walls. This is a “money or life” threat question that forces you to pick the money in your desired quantities, when most sane men would have chosen otherwise.

Of course, a bit of analysis would have revealed that the learning point of the scenario is to show how valuable each of our lives are, a method to boost your self-esteem and appreciation for our physical state. However, paradoxically, I personally interpret it as a form of proof for the finite value of our individual lives and bodies. Predictably, almost everyone would place extravagant prices on each item, as though saying that your personal suffering caused can be covered by the material benefits received through the money, but you are also admitting that your own life may be quantified into a finite worth. That is, if you are able to confidently name your price at all, and back then, I certainly was not able to.

As beings of finite worth, we are merely some of the billions of faces on this Earth, existing only during this short period of around seventy years. Thereafter, time goes on, and your existence will slowly be forgotten, no matter how influential you used to be. As beings of finite worth, we are only capable of exerting impact of a finite magnitude while on this planet. Thereafter, time goes on, and your existence will slowly be forgotten, no matter what achievements and material progress you have attained in your lifetime. What we have been, or will be doing, is inconsequential; even now, what we have done may have already been rendered inconsequential. Continued existence, therefore, seems hopelessly meaningless.

This means that the goal to find meaning in life is ill-defined. Meaning in life can be found, but only when we look upon the passage of time with the narrowest of scopes and refuse to look through the broader perspective. However, such an approach does not do justice to intellect, and is like preparing to run a marathon by tying your feet together. That is assuming we have some chance of completing the marathon in the first place.
18:37
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It is really easy to set up an entire religion if you are motivated enough to do so, although the label of madman may become heavily associated with your name.

Firstly, one must understand that humans have insecurities, ranging from a fear of the dark to having no true direction in their lives. A religion must be able to account for all these fears, and to be able to reassure followers of their self-worth and value, giving them incentives to renew their devotion. In order to do so, a set of rules by which their lives should be lived must be drawn up, in accordance to the basic principles set by the religion. While acting as an incentive for followers, these rules allow you to dictate their lifestyles, and certainly is extra bang for the buck!

Secondly, there are many religions already existing in this world. Obviously, it is not a difficult task to execute a cut and paste job, bringing in a bit of everything. Some essential items a religion needs are a symbol, a figurehead and “physical evidence” of God’s commandments. Symbols should be plain, simple and easily recognisable. Regarding figureheads, it is always easier to bring in popular personalities in public culture, rather than create one from scratch. As usual, messianic figures hailing from those many fiction books may work (e.g. Jesus-like), while a wise old man for a God is never a bad idea (e.g. Zeus-like). Naturally, the notions of heaven and hell can be easily incorporated, given how readily accepted they are within society! It provides the all important leverage you need to scare the converts into upholding their faith, lest God’s curses fall upon their souls.

Thirdly, as stated earlier, “physical evidence” of God’s commandments are, without doubt, of crucial importance. This physical evidence will be the basis by which scholars, philosophers, skeptics, scientists and other heretical bastards criticise you. By ensuring that these critics get as few bullets as possible, you benefit by strengthening the faith of the ignorant followers. In ancient times, a work of fiction can move the mindsets of the masses; however, in present days, it is probably much more difficult. No worries! If you cannot create a genuine “ancient and holy” manuscript that proves God’s will, you can always put up a farce and become the prophet yourself!

Now, as a prophet, it is essential to act out your role to the point that people will believe in your sincerity. Naturally, you must act as a conduit between God and man, and perform some form of miracles that men will deem as proof of your holiness. The easiest way to do so will be as an oracle, by predicting the future. Such methods of doing so without discrediting yourself is rather simple once you get the hang of it; all one needs to do is to speak in cryptic sentences, such that they do not refer to any one event, yet in the future, there remains a probability that a major event will occur that fits these predictions perfectly. Based on Justified True Belief definition of knowledge, the only distinction between predictions becoming actual knowledge is the recognition of the event as the predicted one; hence there are few who can face your “righteous” aura without doubts.

Last, but not least, as a religion, defining right from wrong is part of the basic framework. As an earlier point had previously emphasised, a newly founded religion, indeed, any religion must appeal to the masses, thus bringing about social acceptance. Moral codes set by the religion must appeal to the common man, upholding widely accepted views of contemporary times regarding what is “correct”. For example, a religion that promotes rape is never going to become popular among the women, meaning you have just lost the support of half the population of possible converts. Bad idea indeed!

In conclusion, I present to you all, the guide to setting up religions for dummies only! However, be warned: these advices contained therein are experimental ideas, and the author of this guide will not be held responsible for any damages, physical or mental, throughout the duration of its practice. Have a fun-filled learning journey, but be sure to fasten the seatbelts!
00:14
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