Why can't religion make sense?!
(That question is aimed more at my God-fearing readers than the heretical ones ...)
I stopped believing in God around the age of 17 and only recently changed my mind; but I'm still plagued by doubts.
Why can't religion make sense?
The typical answer is faith. If religion made sense, people say, you wouldn't need faith. I disagree: Religion can make sense without eliminating the need for faith. You still wouldn't be able to see God, you would still need to believe that a man who died 2000 years ago still matters. You'd still have to have faith that your good/bad actions will have good/bad consequences, and that the earth is going to end in flame.
Why can't scriptures be straight-forward and not contradict themselves? Why can't God be constant throughtout the scriptures? And why must we justify certain scriptures or make exceptions, or hold to one scripture and reject another?
You could have all of that and still require faith. At least, that's my take on things.
7 years ago
7 comments:
How about a response from a God-fearing heretic?
One simple observation is that the Bible was not written by one person. There were many authors, each of whom had their own interpretation of God. Sure, they had a similar concept, but by our very natures, we can't help but relate everything to our own personal, private experiences.
With that in mind, it is a short step to argue that God is constant, but opinions can change over time to reflect the overarching culture, the spirit of the age.
indeed...and faith that logic is not the only means of perception.. i mean, logically speaking, that's kind of limited... ;)
(i don't know if i'm one of the heretics barred from zis post, but oh well... i have my own brand of faith and belief that i feel qualifys me.... i just tune it more to my own logic than that of an already organized brand.... proud, you say? no. just have not been able to find another way that sits right with me...)
Everyone's free to answer...
I just figured that a non-believer would throw more wood on the fire, while a believer might give me a new way to think about it or...better yet...an answer.
(I legitimatly want to know. This is not a trick.)
I want to answer with some great wisdom, but I am going to "stew" on this for a bit before I just jump in.
Not that I currently posses some "great wisdom," rather, I just want my response on this topic to be more meaningful than a quick trite post.
Sorry, Rob, deep-thinking is not allowed...
By the way I think we should all drop any arbitrary letters (such as the second "e" in legitimately...as seen in my previous comment)...thus we can conserve space on the internet.
Phee,
I definitely want in on this conversation, if that is okay.
My short answer to life, the universe, and everything is this:
1) God is perfect and perfectly loving
2) He (I could nuance the he, but will let it stand) perfectly respects human agency
3) He uses #1 and #2 to maximize our happiness, growth, peace, etc.
The answer to your question is #2. There can't be an absence of contradictions because that isn't the game God is playing. This is why I think our faith can be based only in personal experience with God, though other sources can motivate us to seek that relationship.
And, our belief systems are vulnerable only to the degree they are not true.
And, I believe in Absolute Truth (a perfect description of ultimate reality), but none of us have access to that absolute truth.
And I love an idea from Terry Goodkind: "People are stupid; they believe things not because they are true, but because they either want them to be true or fear they are true."
I admire your quest for truth. It is a wild, rewarding ride.
There is tons where that came from, but it is enough for now.
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