EVIDENCE UNSEEN-Faith has always been an integral part of my daily life, and I've always believed that faith was a positive quality, but the faith I'm speaking of is faith in yourself. I feel that this faith has a distinct power unlike anything else in the world. However, faith in others is less certain (I think we can all attest to that.) This skepticism has continuously grown in my mind over the years, but I somehow feel that no matter what happens over the course of eternity, there is something special about this one chance at mortality that we have today. There is an interesting line in the movie "Troy" where Achilles says:
"I’ll tell you a secret. Something they don’t teach you in your temple. The Gods envy us. They envy us because we’re mortal, because any moment might be our last. Everything is more beautiful because we’re doomed. You will never be lovelier than you are now. We will never be here again."
This leads me into the issue of blind faith. Many of my issues from religion stem from the simple fact that people are told what to believe in childhood. If I was born to Jewish parents, the odds are pretty likely that I would refute Jesus Christ as God. If I was born to Islamic parents, would I really have a fair chance at choosing a different religion? It seems to me that there is NO WAY THIS IS FAIR. So what I am simply saying is that we have been blessed in one way or another with this one chance at life. Maybe there is a Creator, but would the Creator of man want you to simply believe everything you've been told by your parents, or preacher, or would His way be for humans to seek out knowledge, evidence, and truth? If humans had never opposed traditional thinking, would we have ever developed an airplane? And would the world not still be flat? I see so many people that never question. They see questioning as apostasy. This all leads me to wonder if the devout followers of the religions in the world are wasting valuable time at the one chance they have at life. So for now, my faith will remain in my search.
"Suppose there is a God who is watching us and choosing which souls of the deceased to bring to heaven, and this god really does want only the morally good to populate heaven. He will probably select from only those who made a significant and responsible effort to discover the truth. For all others are untrustworthy, being cognitively or morally inferior, or both. They will also be less likely ever to discover and commit to true beliefs about right and wrong. That is, if they have a significant and trustworthy concern for doing right and avoiding wrong, it follows necessarily that they must have a significant and trustworthy concern for knowing right and wrong. Since this knowledge requires knowledge about many fundamental facts of the universe (such as whether there is a god), it follows necessarily that such people must have a significant and trustworthy concern for always seeking out, testing, and confirming that their beliefs about such things are probably correct. Therefore, only such people can be sufficiently moral and trustworthy to deserve a place in heaven — unless god wishes to fill heaven with the morally lazy, irresponsible, or untrustworthy." -Richard Carrier
http://www.infidels.org/library/modern/richard_carrier/heaven.html
7 comments:
That is an interesting movie quote, but how can something as infinitely powerful as God even give a rat's ass about a petty human emotion like "Envy". That and Arrogance are human qualities. While that would work to justify being human to another human. God could care less. He already knows all.
Everyone is born with faith built in. When we are children, we barrel head long into danger, not thinking about consequences. Because we were taught that everything is gonna be alright. As children, faith led us to do a great many unexplained things. at least unexplained to our parents. LOL. Watch your daughter as she grows. There will be many times you will ask her. "Why did you do that?" She will most likely answer, at least until she finds out there are "consequences", "I don't know, Daddy!
Faith in yourself is what everyone is supposed to believe. But we should all remember that, that particular gift......Comes from God. As do all gifts, if you think about it. The mere fact that we are the only species that we know of, that has the ability to reason, and have complex problem solving........And an opposable thumb joint. :) These are all part of God's plan. What we learn about religion while we're growing up, is merely the foundation on which we are supposed to start building our relationship with God. Organized religion, like every other human endeavor, is incapable of being as perfect as God intended, without God's help. Which, by the way, he is NOT doing. So, you're absolutely right! We do need to figure it out for ourselves. But IMO, it would be folly to try and do that without God's help. I tried it. Trust me, you can't do it :) All you can do is question things till you find your answer. I found mine. And I know "who" or "what" God is. For the most part, anyway. The things he allows me to see anyway. Your faith in yourself is well founded. But your faith in a higher power, who gave you the ability for "faith" in the first place, would be even more well founded!
Thank you for your time and reply. While I do agree with some of your points regarding faith, my major point of contention would be the part about "a petty human emotion like 'Envy'." After all, Gen. 1:26 says, "Then God said, 'Let us make man in our image, in our likeness..." and Exodus 20:5, "...for I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God, punishing the children for the sin of the fathers to the third and fourth generation of those who hate me." Isn't God greedy for souls? But this only leads me to other questions. If God is perfect and complete, then why create us? Why the competition for souls with the Devil? If He is perfect, then He certainly would know beforehand that many would deny Him and suffer eternally in the afterlife. So it's worth throwing multitudes into purgatory, just to have His followers worship Him in Heaven? These are the questions that drive me crazy! Thanks again for your post though. :)
Well you won't find me taking particular verses out of the Bible to make a point. That is a common mistake among people. One verse, does not the whole story tell! The Bible is a "Complete" text. Like any other book. Gut it is much more. It is a handbook, with certain parts to be referenced as necessary. You have to know that in "Human Terms", creation takes a long time. To God it's instantaneous. Our human feelings and emotions, are solely based on our immediate surroundings. If God wanted to convey a truth to us, he may cause us to feel a certain way by the message he delivers, and the way he delivers the message.
He knew we feel envy. He made us feel this way. It's a part of evolution. We are still evolving. He tried to show and tell us the truth. However, the powers that be, told us that we are NOT bigger than our emotions, and that we should embrace them, and forget that the reason we have emotions in the first place, is because God knew that we needed it. He told them he was jealous, because he knew that if they listened to the wrong truth, they would be misled. Which, by the way, is exactly what has happened. He even took on human form, to try and get them to see it. They destroyed and crucified Jesus, because they simply couldn't believe it was that easy. So, when that happened, he was like "That's fine" "You little humans can get your cup of iniquity full" "But you don't know the whole truth yet" "But in the end, you will" Those aren't his exact words, but that's what he's trying to say. Get to know the WHOLE BIBLE, not just snippets. That is what I'm in the process of doing. It has opened up so many truths that had escaped me. It is amazing how the world opens up through true study of the Bible. You don't have to go to church. Just do it in your spare time. That's what I do. Church concentrates on the snippets. Learn to see the whole picture. Love ya Jason!
Mr. H, I was in the process of studying the WHOLE Bible, when I discovered that the Bible I was using wasn't completely trustworthy. I am now doing some research to find a Bible that contains the WHOLE TRUTH. While researching the history of the old and the new testaments, I found information that has created much doubt as to whether I can trust everything I have read and studied in my Bible so far. It's very frustrating, and I now understand the words, "truth shall be thrown to the ground", and "the truth will set you free". I am so longing for the day to be set free, which will surely come once I break through all the deception that was created many, many years ago.
Pam: I also ran into this problem. There are so many different versions, and translations that it is hard to find what really bears meaning. Might I suggest finding a Bible scholar. A Bible "professor" if you will. someone who can go back to the Greek and Hebrew writings, and who knows how to decipher the "true" translations. So much can get "Lost in Translation". That, again can be attributed to human inferiority.
Just because the Living Word was caused to be written a certain way, doesn't mean that it was read and explained right by mankind. Remember also, that the New Testament is merely a "Revealing" of what was already told in the Old Testament.
You are correct when you say that you are trying to break through deception that was put in front of us many, many years ago. Deception is real. But if you know enough about the Bible, then you can walk with the faith of knowing that AFTER we realize how much we've been deceived, the truth will be revealed.
You are doing the right thing by seeking the truth. You are a leader. Don't pay any attention to the negativity and deception that exists in this world. Keep searching for yourself. Find it for yourself, and people will follow you in your quest, and be "Enlightened By Association" I like to call it!
These next few years will be an eye opener for everyone. The Earth's resonant frequency is increasing. That is the frequency which the earth vibrates, or humms. The entire Universe has a resonant frequency. It went from 7.8 hertz to 8.6 hertz from 1986 to 1997. It will be resonating at around 13 hertz by 2012. Human beings have a resonant frequency too, that is in harmony with the Earth's. So, therefore, we are going through an "awakening" right now, as we speak. We can't really see it because it is part of our immediate surroundings. It is scientifically documented though.
I tend to think of 2012 not as a "Doomsday" date, but a "date of enlightenment". It is a message of hope to me. I'm ready to be awakened, and shown the truths of the Universe. Will it happen then for sure? I don't know. But I would rather live with hope than with fear.
Controversies with the different translations of the Bible were the subject of many hours of internal debate in my mind. I simply reached no answers and gave up the quest, but the least tampered with version in the English language is the King James Version. One example of important Biblical mistranslations is Isaiah 7:14 when the Hebrew word "Almah" which, undisputedly means "young woman" was translated into "parthenos" by the Pre-Christian Greek translators, which means "virgin."
I applaud your choice of the KJV Bible. However you are wrong that Isaiah 7:14 is a mistranslation. “Virgin” is a perfectly acceptable translation. There are many sources on the internet which make this clear. You choose to accept otherwise to rationalize your own beliefs, not seek the truth as you claim. I don’t say this to make you an exception. I want to point out that often our worldview comes first and secondarily the evidence.
Regarding your quote from Carrier – his assumptions are incorrect and therefore his conclusions are void. God is not selecting those who are morally good to populate heaven. There is only one criterion to enter heaven and that is acceptance of Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior, period. An indwelling of His Spirit and obedience to his Words (true morality) is a result. Faith in God is not blind. There is such overwhelming evidence for His existence that there is no excuse for one not to accept Him as the Bible tells us. My faith is not that He exists, but that he will follow through on the promises He made to us, namely that we will live forever with Him in heaven if we trust in His Son Jesus Christ.
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