Posted on 11/15/2002 6:22:37 AM PST by hchutch
Thanks. Your worldview, then, is by definition no less "irrational" than the theistic worldview. You are a believer. Faith = faith.
So is belief a subjective conclusion. It is a choice. As I was attempting to say, not very well apparently, proving God is futile as proof destroys that which was proven, at least as far as it being God in the generally accepted definition. So, if you are to believe you must do so in the absence of proof.
Many intelligent people are reluctant to even try to believe because they don't want to be, or to seem to be, foolish; to be thought to believe something that is nothing more than a superstition or myth. That is understandable. I went through that myself.
I was raised in the church, have a brother that is a preacher, attended college and became an atheist, then an agnostic and finally, years later, a believer. From an intellectual point of view, if that is your desire, agnosticism is the most honest. It is also, in my experience, the least satisfying.
It seems to me that a decision about the existence of God is about the most important decision a person can make. It is the basis for how you live your life, how you treat others, how you feel about others, and, most importantly, your attitude about life in general. Along that line, being an agnostic is to punt the issue rather than to make a decision. I am not saying that you cannot live a moral and productive life with good personal relationships in the absence of belief. I am just saying it is harder, but it is one of those "you had to have been there" deals that I can't explain.
That leaves two choices - to believe there is not a God or to believe there is. Since neither can be proven (You can't prove a negative, there is not a God, and to prove a God destroys that which you were trying to prove.), you must subjectively decide which you would rather believe, which in your mind would bring about the most personal satisfaction. I decided a belief in God had the most potential so I set about trying to gain knowledge that would help me believe.
To make a years long story short, there is a lot in everyday life that enhances my belief but much of it is emotional. Yet, they are not the traditional emotions but rather feelings I had not previously felt nor are they easy to describe. Much of it is intuitive but they are feelings none the less. As I delved deeper into scripture I saw nuances and subtleties that were not obvious in the beginning. Having been a psychology and philosphy buff most of my life, I began to see that many of the answers to our everyday relationship problems and many of the ethereal theories of the "great thinkers" were always evident in plain and simple scriptures. I had not seen them earlier because I had discounted scripture as just a list of does and don'ts with a little Hellfire and brimstone thrown in as an enforcer.
Bottomline, I encourage you to not discount belief in God because it is counter-intelligual. (Intellectuals often outsmart themselves.) The pursuit, and it is continual, can be quite intellectually invigorating.
You just reminded me why I got tired of philosophy.
BTW, where's the SOUTH PARK BUMP LIST and how do I get on it?
HLL: Yes, Matt and Trey have said repeatedly that they are Republicans, but for some weird reason the losertarians always claim them as their own.
Since then, they have both portrayed themselves as Republicans.
C'mon, Comedy Central. Whatcha waiting for?
Where were you when we were voting for a Republican Governor out here in California? OH, I see, bitchin' and moanin' about our candidate from another state for that past seven months, were ya. Where were all those "broken glass republican" buddies of yours?
< CARTMAN VOICE> Oooooo, whatsamatter, Johnny...got a little sand in your vagina? < /CARTMAN VOICE>
1 John 2:18 Little children, it is the last time: and as ye have heard that antichrist shall come, even now are there many antichrists; whereby we know that it is the last time.
1 John 2:22 Who is a liar but he that denieth that Jesus is the Christ? He is antichrist, that denieth the Father and the Son.
1 John 4:3 And every spirit that confesseth not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is not of God: and this is that spirit of antichrist, whereof ye have heard that it should come; and even now already is it in the world.
2 John 1:7 For many deceivers are entered into the world, who confess not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh. This is a deceiver and an antichrist.
We're all on borrowed time.
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