Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Posting-Version: version B 2.10.1 6/24/83; site pucc-h Path: utzoo!watmath!clyde!burl!ulysses!mhuxl!ihnp4!inuxc!pur-ee!CS-Mordred!Pucc-H:aeq From: aeq@pucc-h (Jeff Sargent) Newsgroups: net.religion Subject: Re: non-evidence for the non-existence of non-god, and other matters Message-ID: <643@pucc-h> Date: Sat, 7-Apr-84 05:59:43 EST Article-I.D.: pucc-h.643 Posted: Sat Apr 7 05:59:43 1984 Date-Received: Mon, 9-Apr-84 04:15:07 EST References: <896@ssc-vax.UUCP>, <519@pyuxn.UUCP> <621@pucc-h>, <530@pyuxn.UUCP>, <3710@utzoo.UUCP> Organization: Purdue University Computing Center Lines: 61 From Laura Creighton: > I am going to stick to the rules of predicate logic and not worry about any > new rules which I might get if I placed my faith in God. I would rather > work with an incomplete set then a set which might destroy my very capacity > to be rational. Faith in God hasn't destroyed my capacity to be rational; quite the contrary. But this brings up a general question which I would address to all those who oppose Christianity with what they claim (not always correctly) to be rationality. This is a question that might almost be better debated in net.philosophy, were it not for the fact that it deals with the fundamental tenets on which people base their lives. Why is reason, rationality, the BEST, or (as some would say) the only valid thing to base one's life on? This is the underlying assumption (and I claim it is an assumption) in many of the articles by the opposition. So far I have seen nothing to back up this claim. (Again, I will, with great difficulty, restrain myself from saying that famous phrase which Ubizmo utterly abhors.) While I'm here, I might as well clean up another loose end: More than one critic (Thomas Ruschak, Darrell Plank) has claimed that Scott Bowyer's experience could have occurred had he followed some other person or belief (Richard Simmons or Hinduism). Darrell even says (without quoting any case histories) that the same sorts of things have happened through other religions and even through atheism (it's hard to understand how that could do anything, since Scott surrendered to God and atheists don't surrender to anything); and he asks why we say that Christ is better than what a Hindu would experience. To tell the truth, I don't know any Hindus, so I haven't any direct information as to what they believe and experience. But all this is rather empty speculation and questioning (especially the Richard Simmons [Simians? :-)] bit, which is purely hypothetical). Why wonder about other beliefs when we have right here a case history showing that Christ is good, and that faith in Christ is good? Why go looking for something else that may or may not work, when Someone who does work is so readily available and His handiwork is so plain to see? I do concede, especially after reading "The Way of the Bull" by Leo Buscaglia, that non-Christian belief systems are not 100% bad by a long shot. Buscaglia, in his travels through much of Asia, met several people who were much "nicer" (for lack of a better word) people than many Christians (including myself, for that matter); Buscaglia himself is a much more loving individual than I, despite the fact that (as far as I know) he does not adhere to Christianity. I don't wish to get into an argument as to whether Buscaglia will be damned just because he doesn't acknowledge Christ; none of us know the answer; I find verses which suggest that God will reward each person according to what he has done; and 1 Timothy 4:10 refers to "the living God, who is the Savior of all men, and especially of those who believe." I do not condemn all non-Christian beliefs out of hand (unless they are obviously destructive); but on the other hand, I have found that since I came to know Christ (or rather, to let Him know me), I have found the beginnings of joy, hope, peace, and love; many others have gained the same things from Christ; so I see no reason to try anything else, when Christ works. -- -- Jeff Sargent {allegra|ihnp4|decvax|harpo|seismo|ucbvax}!pur-ee!pucc-h:aeq Software maintenance: It's a dirty job, but someone's got to do it.