A personal crisis

PJS · Posted: Wed May 14, 2008 2:10 pm Post subject:

To Al Capone:

The American philosopher and atheist John Dewey wrote a short book called A Common Faith based on lectures he gave at Yale in 1934. Before you get too far into your endeavor you may want to give it a read.
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The path of least resistance and least trouble is a mental rut already made. It requires troublesome work to undertake the alternation of old beliefs.
-John Dewey

BarkAtTheMoon · Posted: Wed May 14, 2008 2:10 pm Post subject:

tinker683 · Posted: Wed May 14, 2008 2:19 pm Post subject:

Jutter · Posted: Wed May 14, 2008 2:23 pm Post subject:

Here's one thing I've never understood about the "god(s) might exist"- middle ground...

...isn't god supposedly a special exception, where trivialities like 'possiblity'needn't apply? Isn't god supposedly miraculous, SUPERnatural? It exists without having to exist in the sense of you and I and everything around us existing.

With theism, aren't we (in general) dealing with a train of thought that goes beyond proposing the mere possibility of the existence of some entity? This is a deity we're talking about; a boldface fuck you in the face of the guidelines we've come to define "possibility" by. God exists even though he never could (disclaimer; by human/earthly/natural/blabla standards). God might exist? Nevermind "might".

I'm increasingly growing to think that agnosticism an underestimation of how nonsensical theism is.
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~ Let us be reasonable ~
Congratulations: you are paracorrect about the supernatural.
*"If there were nobody listening to gods anymore, there would be nothing left for us to do,...
... then to finally start listening to each other."
*As any gamer will tell you: God-mode is a cheat-code.

Moloth · Posted: Wed May 14, 2008 2:24 pm Post subject:

_Frost · Visitor Joined: 28 Oct 2007 Posts: 20 Local time: 6:51 PM

technically, the search for meaning and truth is the most important thing one can desire in life. So don't give up on it, and please don't wave things away with witty pot-shots, which never help any cause (because I see this all the time, and it reeks).

I hate to say, but searching for answers on the Bible in a world gone dumb may be difficult. Lack of critical knowledge abounds, so you may find yourself somewhat alone. But do not ever forget this: the Bible is a composite of ancient literature. If you try to read it the way you might read the literature from your English classes, you will rob yourself of what it is trying to say. The insane thing is that so many pastors and Christians do this, thus promoting ignorance of the Bible's true meaning (that is, every author has a specific audience and a specific message, and uses devices to convey meaning. these devices and their context are radically different form the ones we use today). Is that not ironic? It is not so much that Christianity follows ignorance, it's simply that ignorance has that much power to corrupt people, and it very easily infects people who ignore critical study.

Who would have thought that the book of Revelation was written to Christians suffering persecution during the reign of Domitian, and concerns events during that time? (the seven headed beast stands for the seven hills of Rome, for one of many examples)

Who'd have thought that by occupational definition, the scribes who wrote Genesis knew of the Gilgamesh epic and the Near Easter flood stories? (But do you think they intended to create a false religion? Or did they simply make a strong theological statement by writing a story in some way contrary to the ones of the surrounding nations?)

Who would have thought that the purpose of the dietary laws in Leviticus were meant to separate the Israelites via eating customs from other nations, so as to avoid syncretism until the coming of the Messiah?

Literary devices...the implied meaning of the numbers 40, 7, and 3...symoblism...the reordering of events to emphasize a particular feature..."inclusio" structure...you just have to want it. And if you remain an atheist...so be it! You will at least know how to analyze ancient literature instead of just throwing your hand out and saying "fairytales!"

If you feel like reading, let me suggest Ancient Near Eastern Thought and the Old Testament, and Elements of Biblical Exegesis. And, if you're really looking for it, there are plenty of scholarly assessments of Jesus out there.And it never hurts to purchase a few monographs on subjects such as Myth. Just don't be bound by the quick and simple.
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Ecclesiastes 7:23-25
All this I have tested by wisdom; I said, "I will be wise," but it was far from me. That which is, is far off, and deep, very deep; who can find it out? I turned my mind to know and to search out and to seek wisdom and the sum of things, and to know that wickedness is folly and that foolishness is madness.

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