The thing I think about is, Scientists believe that the Universe is infinite, doesn't end. Why is that so much easier to believe then a God/Allah/Creator etc that is infinite? How does an infinite universe begin? It would have to have always been there cause there's no beginning or end...
Actually, the universe is expanding, which means it cannot be infinite. But a belief in an infinite universe is arrived at by mathematics, by scientific research; scientists' understanding of these issues is always developing and changing, but crucially they are honest about it. They have to be, otherwise research becomes purposeless. There's consistency to it.
Regarding a belief in God, and I've heard many reasonings, there's either a fallacy at the outset or some sort of leap of logic at the end. It's just a language game, wherein 'God' becomes reducible to 'Nature' or 'Causality' or 'The Way Things Are and Will Be No Matter How They Are Are What They Are'. The language employed by believers allows them to account for many incompatible worldviews formed by materialism: evolution, the Big Bang, etc. 'God' made the world and now we're fit to explore it as we wish, with science and all those other 'human constructs'. Meanwhile, God watches down out of curiosity as to how we're getting on...
But the belief in God remains a product of a logical fallacy; I've dealt sufficiently I think in my two previous posts as to why this fallacy might have such social appeal - a belief in something beyond us and above us helps us to remain aware of our own hopelessness: this is the true meaning of 'hope', it's actually a product of despair.
This brings me nicely onto Klyd's last post:
Originally Posted By: Klyd
I disagree with the premise that faith is blind. If you look to scripture, precisely the writings of St. Paul, who was an ardent persecutor of Christianity until his dramatic conversion, he incessantly calls upon people to open their minds through learning and education to develop a deeper understanding of God through Christ.
Okay, fine. So he 'incessantly calls upon people to open their minds through learning and education to develop a deeper understanding of God through Christ'. Cool. But how does that help with your reasoning? How is 'learning and education to develop a deeper understanding of God through Christ' any more cogent than simply saying 'I cannot account for many things in the world, therefore I believe in God'. The two don't even connect, they don't have the same meaning.
Originally Posted By: Klyd
My belief and faith did not merely result from blind acceptance of what I was taught, but from applying thought and rationality. Reason and faith coexist.
Well, I suppose you've got to have some faith in what you read and accept, otherwise you'd be another self-debilitating sceptic.
But saying you have applied 'thought and rationality' to arrive at the knowledge of God's existence does not mean you did apply 'thought and rationality'. It's just another vague linguistic trick.
So: What's your reasoning for God?
Last edited by Capo de La Cosa Nostra; 12/30/0902:13 PM.
...dot com bold typeface rhetoric. You go clickety click and get your head split. 'The hell you look like on a message board Discussing whether or not the Brother is hardcore?
