quotes from:
Date: Fri, 24 Oct 1997 14:41:24 -0400 (EDT)
From: konsler@ascat.harvard.edu (Reed Konsler)
Subject: virus: Re: virus-digest V2 #282
> So "faith" is unreasonable to you. I am asserting that faith is
unreasoned,
> exactly like the example you have given above and exactly as
potentially
> useful. But you find the construction "reasonable faith" meaningless
or
> contradictory.
I think we need to draw a line, here, between "Christian" faith and
"faith" in general....
I believe that all Christian faith is "unreasonable" simply because of
the bulk of evidence against them...
Check out:
Where Jesus Never Walked
http://www.AmericanAtheist.org/win96-7/T1/ozjesus.html
Then there are the quite good arguments from historical silence, and
arguments from Christian burning of "heretical" Christian texts... I
mean, honestly, do you think that an institution which had to burn and
persecute it's opponents out of history to survive is in possession of
the Truth? "A committee consisting of one member from each of:
Episcopal, Jehovah's Witness, Methodist, Mormon, Presbyterian, Southern
Baptist and Unity Church would probably fail to reach a consensus on
almost any basic Christian belief or practice. In fact, some committee
members would probably refuse to recognize some of the others as fellow
Christians. " (quote from the Religious Tolerance people -- see below)
The Gospel of Q (the Origins of the New Testimate Gospels)
http://www.religioustolerance.org/gosp_q.htm
As well, several deductive proofs for the non-existence of the Christian
God, with the premises well supported from the Bible, have been made:
The Arguments from Evil and Non-belief:
http://www.infidels.org/library/modern/theodore_drange/aeanb.html
(it's important to note that these are big, reliable organizations...
not somebody's personal homepage!)
My question is this: against this kind of evidence, is it even possible
to have "faith" that is *NOT* "against" the evidence?
My point is that you are constructing a category of Christian faith that
is simply empty... all Christian faith is *against* the evidence.
> Here is a different question:
> Do you think that there are any elements of faith that are reasonable?
Now, if we take it to a general level, I do believe that "faith" can
sometimes be reasonable... I often have faith that what my prof's are
telling me is true. I believe that I could go out and find the evidence
to support what they say without any problem... sometimes I do!
Faith is fine, as long as one is willing to *look* at evidence that
others present to you. How many Christians do that?
(I've been corresponding with Cathy lately... she hasn't looked!)
ERiC