The concept that the universe doesn't care..

[Undesired Walrus]

..Is scary for some, but so beautiful and stunning for me. Thinking of the fossils of the first humans being discovered, without invoking any God into the equation, gives such a profound feeling of a lost past that leaves behind clues but is uncaring in its presentation. There is something about this 'lack' that gets me.

So, that said, I was thinking about how various members here describe the feeling of God as 'a strong love'.

Now, when I see a Moth travel into a flame, because it is confused and unknowing that we are now in a time of concievable and touchable light, this often fills me with a profound sense of excitment and what some may describe as awe and love for the universe. The same when you think of this planet one day ceasing to exist or the universe coming out of nothing and returning to nothing.

The concept that the universe doesn't care is, in my eyes, its 'conciousness'.

So when I feel all this about it, why can a religous person tell me their 'feeling' is a call from God and mine is not? After all, I am thinking of a universe without Him, and I still feel awe.

I'd be interested in knowing if others had or have this 'feeling' of being terrified but also completly in wonder at something as incredible as a godless universe, and if you had a 'revelation' at this time.

[Matt the Poet]

The whole ‘uncaring universe’ trope seems to me to be a fallacy. By asserting that the universe ‘doesn’t care’ about you, you’re admitting to the idea that it might, and thus already tacitly anthropomorphising it – in other words, you’re already a theist of some sort. ‘Caring’ is a term we can apply only to things that appear to have that emotion. Calling the universe ‘uncaring’ is as meaningless as calling it ‘cautious’.

The term seems to come into use as a straw man for religionists, trying to claim that life is unbearable without convincing yourself that a big beard in the sky loves you because everything’s so big and cold etc. etc.

The universe is what it is. Why waste energy feeling ‘wonder’ or ‘terror’ or anything like that? Personally I reserve these emotions for things on the human scale.

[Beerina]

By asserting that the universe ‘doesn’t care’ about you, you’re admitting to the idea that it might, and thus already tacitly anthropomorphising it

That is sort of the point as a rhetorical device. "Jesus/God cares", at least insofar as there's a Master Plan, if not outright via miracles from time to time, is a solid worldview of some people. By saying "the universe doesn't care", you are deliberately contrasting it.

[Darth Rotor]

..Is scary for some, but so beautiful and stunning for me. Thinking of the fossils of the first humans being discovered, without invoking any God into the equation, gives such a profound feeling of a lost past that leaves behind clues but is uncaring in its presentation. There is something about this 'lack' that gets me.

So, that said, I was thinking about how various members here describe the feeling of God as 'a strong love'.

Now, when I see a Moth travel into a flame, because it is confused and unknowing that we are now in a time of concievable and touchable light, this often fills me with a profound sense of excitment and what some may describe as awe and love for the universe. The same when you think of this planet one day ceasing to exist or the universe coming out of nothing and returning to nothing.

The concept that the universe doesn't care is, in my eyes, its 'conciousness'.

So when I feel all this about it, why can a religous person tell me their 'feeling' is a call from God and mine is not? After all, I am thinking of a universe without Him, and I still feel awe.

I'd be interested in knowing if others had or have this 'feeling' of being terrified but also completly in wonder at something as incredible as a godless universe, and if you had a 'revelation' at this time.
Do you think that the Universe, in its totality, is sentient? That doesn't seem to be where you are coming from, but I thought I'd ask.

DR

[Gord_in_Toronto]

The Universe does not care because it cannot care. Is that so hard to understand? Accept? :boggled:

[Apology]

The whole ‘uncaring universe’ trope seems to me to be a fallacy. By asserting that the universe ‘doesn’t care’ about you, you’re admitting to the idea that it might, and thus already tacitly anthropomorphising it – in other words, you’re already a theist of some sort. ‘Caring’ is a term we can apply only to things that appear to have that emotion. Calling the universe ‘uncaring’ is as meaningless as calling it ‘cautious’.

The term seems to come into use as a straw man for religionists, trying to claim that life is unbearable without convincing yourself that a big beard in the sky loves you because everything’s so big and cold etc. etc.

The universe is what it is. Why waste energy feeling ‘wonder’ or ‘terror’ or anything like that? Personally I reserve these emotions for things on the human scale.
Well, to really believe that the Universe was "uncaring", you'd have to be some sort of a deist at the very least.

I think Undesired Walrus used the concept of an "uncaring Universe" to describe the lack of God rather than suggest that there is one that just doesn't care in this instance. However, similar uncaring gods, like Spinoza's, are deist concepts.