[~ot] why is programming so fun?

[BCS]

Reply to Me,

> BCS wrote:
> 
>> have you ever had a pet? Which reason did you use for keeping it? 1,
>> 2 or 3?
>> 
>>> 1/ It enjoys watching us suffer floods, plagues, earthquakes, wars,
>>> starvation and pestilance.
>>> 
>>> 2/ It is so ego-centric that it needs the adulation of billions
>>> (what would this number mean to an omni-present being?), in order to
>>> feel good about itself.
>>> 
>>> 3/ It a mechanism whereby a few strong minds effect control of large
>>> numbers of weak minds.
>>> 
> Sorry BCS, but I have come to expect better arguements from you during
> our breif association on this forum.
> 
> The direct answer to your question, is "none of the above".
> 
> There is a distinct and huge difference between:
> 
> - "keeping a pet"--feeding it, taking it for walks, petting it.
> Simply
> enjoying the affection it demonstrates--of its own volition-- and the
> companionship it provides.
> and
> *Creating* a entire race of sentient beings, along with a million
> other
> species, a world, and a universe containsing millions of galaxies and
> billions
> of stars...
> And then compelling them to subscribe and adhere to a set of
> (variously) 10
> commandments; 613 rules; etc. etc. on pain of eternal damnation if
> they fail to
> believe, subscribe and adhere...PURELY FOR MY OWN AMUSEMENT.
> 

In my world view these is a marked similarity between the two. The sole reason 
for the creation of the universe is that god wants personal relationships. 
God is so powerful that the creation of the universe is easier for him than 
it is for us to even pick out a dog to take home. Out sole reason for living 
is to have a personal relationship with god. And as to demanding behavior 
of us; do we not do that with pets? If you had a dog that didn't obey, didn't 
come when you called and messed on the carpet would you keep it? A lot of 
places the culturally correct thing to do is shoot it. Other places you just 
give it away or kick it out. 

> And that last uppercased part is the point. Give, describe, or
> otherwise elucidate *one* reason, justification or purpose to creating
> sentient beings, endowing them with "free will", decrying them from
> using it;  and condeming them if they do?

God wants a voluntary personal relationship with us. For it to be voluntary, 
we must have to option to refuse. If we can refuse, some will. The result 
of us refusing is simply to end up without a relationship with god, to end 
up separated from god, a.k.a. in hell.

> 
> The *only* "explanantion I'ev ever been offereed from "believers" for
> this question, is "its just an experiment".. But, if the creator is
> all-poerful, and omni-present--and it must be, if it is a "god"--then
> it knows the outcome for the experiment starts, so there is no purpose
> other than one of the 3 above,
> 
> b.
>