Comments on: Food for Thought http://www.anwyn.com/2008/01/05/food-for-thought/ Sometime editor, all-the-time mother, delivering facts, reviews, commentary, and rants. Occasionally in that order. Thu, 20 Nov 2008 16:02:35 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.0.4 by: Anwyn http://www.anwyn.com/2008/01/05/food-for-thought/#comment-189473 Mon, 07 Jan 2008 23:40:24 +0000 http://www.anwyn.com/2008/01/05/food-for-thought/#comment-189473 We're agreeing. I was saying that "more comforting to believe in heaven" is silly, and I agree with you that you don't have to be a Christian to understand how to properly treat people. I was saying those two reasons are far inferior, imho, to searching for that obligating belief or truth. We’re agreeing. I was saying that “more comforting to believe in heaven” is silly, and I agree with you that you don’t have to be a Christian to understand how to properly treat people. I was saying those two reasons are far inferior, imho, to searching for that obligating belief or truth.

]]> by: Anne http://www.anwyn.com/2008/01/05/food-for-thought/#comment-189469 Mon, 07 Jan 2008 23:34:09 +0000 http://www.anwyn.com/2008/01/05/food-for-thought/#comment-189469 I meant that to view the world as is convenient is blind arrogance, not your post. Sometimes I need to hire a writer. What is it about clicking the "say it" button that makes me realize what a doofus I've just been. English! I haz it. I meant that to view the world as is convenient is blind arrogance, not your post.

Sometimes I need to hire a writer. What is it about clicking the “say it” button that makes me realize what a doofus I’ve just been.

English! I haz it.

]]> by: Anne http://www.anwyn.com/2008/01/05/food-for-thought/#comment-189468 Mon, 07 Jan 2008 23:33:02 +0000 http://www.anwyn.com/2008/01/05/food-for-thought/#comment-189468 You're nicer than I am. If it's more comforting to believe in heaven, that's not really much to support that belief. And as for the good set of moral values, well, you can get those anywhere without having to believe in anything. I think I'm splitting hairs and ignoring the main point of your post, which is blind arrogance. And I'll go along with that, too. You’re nicer than I am. If it’s more comforting to believe in heaven, that’s not really much to support that belief. And as for the good set of moral values, well, you can get those anywhere without having to believe in anything.

I think I’m splitting hairs and ignoring the main point of your post, which is blind arrogance. And I’ll go along with that, too.

]]> by: Anwyn http://www.anwyn.com/2008/01/05/food-for-thought/#comment-188504 Sun, 06 Jan 2008 01:50:38 +0000 http://www.anwyn.com/2008/01/05/food-for-thought/#comment-188504 And Anne--truth is what I mean when I say "something that tends to oblige you to allegiance." If you evaluate the evidence and come to the conclusion that there is a God, that's an obligating truth, not the "something to offer" mode that will say things like "I'm a Christian because it's more comforting to believe in heaven" or "I'm a Christian because it's a good set of moral values on how to treat people." And Anne–truth is what I mean when I say “something that tends to oblige you to allegiance.” If you evaluate the evidence and come to the conclusion that there is a God, that’s an obligating truth, not the “something to offer” mode that will say things like “I’m a Christian because it’s more comforting to believe in heaven” or “I’m a Christian because it’s a good set of moral values on how to treat people.”

]]> by: Anwyn http://www.anwyn.com/2008/01/05/food-for-thought/#comment-188502 Sun, 06 Jan 2008 01:48:26 +0000 http://www.anwyn.com/2008/01/05/food-for-thought/#comment-188502 Allen--that's exactly what I mean. Anybody who puts that list that I linked to is not an atheist for lack of compelling reason to be theist, but seemingly because he has boiled together atheism and all the other Isms in the list to come up with the way he wishes to view the world rather than making an intellectually honest attempt to view it as it is and drawing conclusions. I'd say you are the latter type of atheist--you've sized it up and drawn a conclusion, not gone around cherrypicking stuff that has "something to offer" in terms of motivation. Allen–that’s exactly what I mean. Anybody who puts that list that I linked to is not an atheist for lack of compelling reason to be theist, but seemingly because he has boiled together atheism and all the other Isms in the list to come up with the way he wishes to view the world rather than making an intellectually honest attempt to view it as it is and drawing conclusions. I’d say you are the latter type of atheist–you’ve sized it up and drawn a conclusion, not gone around cherrypicking stuff that has “something to offer” in terms of motivation.

]]> by: Anne http://www.anwyn.com/2008/01/05/food-for-thought/#comment-188457 Sun, 06 Jan 2008 00:07:23 +0000 http://www.anwyn.com/2008/01/05/food-for-thought/#comment-188457 I would hope that "something to offer" would somehow be a search for truth, but I suspect not. Sounds like he's looking for a Consumer Reports analysis of which belief system he should buy. That might work fine for a while, but eventually you need to seek what is true. I remember hearing Joseph Campbell say that you can't have two belief systems (such as Christianity and Buddhism) because that's like trying to run two kinds of software on the same machine. Of course, that was before Windows so the analogy worked better. I would hope that “something to offer” would somehow be a search for truth, but I suspect not. Sounds like he’s looking for a Consumer Reports analysis of which belief system he should buy.

That might work fine for a while, but eventually you need to seek what is true.

I remember hearing Joseph Campbell say that you can’t have two belief systems (such as Christianity and Buddhism) because that’s like trying to run two kinds of software on the same machine. Of course, that was before Windows so the analogy worked better.

]]> by: Allen http://www.anwyn.com/2008/01/05/food-for-thought/#comment-188418 Sat, 05 Jan 2008 22:26:00 +0000 http://www.anwyn.com/2008/01/05/food-for-thought/#comment-188418 My father is a self-described Evangelical Fundamentalist. That's his label for himself, mind you. He says that when he reads about others claiming the same label he scarcely recognizes what is being espoused. I would have to say the same thing about some self-described atheists. I'm an atheist only because I haven't found any reason to be theistic; not because I want to "belong" to a cool group. my $0.02. My father is a self-described Evangelical Fundamentalist. That’s his label for himself, mind you. He says that when he reads about others claiming the same label he scarcely recognizes what is being espoused. I would have to say the same thing about some self-described atheists. I’m an atheist only because I haven’t found any reason to be theistic; not because I want to “belong” to a cool group.

my $0.02.

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