From: reh@wam.umd.edu (Huddleston)
Subject: Re: Top 10 Reasons for Believing in the Deity of Jesus Christ.
Organization: University of Maryland at College Park
Date: Tue, 14 Apr 1992 01:18:44 GMT

 
> Richard Pitts sez:
 
>> Richard Huddleston sez:
 
>>I guess what you guys believe, then, is a function of the belief system you
>>grew up under.  Human beings that like to argue about these types of things,
>>I assert, should really take more responsibility for determining WHY they
>>believe the things they do.  Aside from spinning like a dervish around the
>>non-reason, "because it's TRUE!!!" that is.
 
>     Since you are so convienced that I don't understand that other's
> do not believe the way Christian's believe, could you tell me what
> gives you such confidence to that the way you believe is correct?
 
I'm not so confident that you understood the point I was trying to make.  I
make reference in my original comment to the foundation of *your* belief,
which you discussed in this newsgroup a few months back.  You stated that you
were raised as a Christian; raised to believe as you do.  Of course, I really
don't keep a collection of these articles to pour over -- feel free to
disclaim my recollection of your background.  If you do, I certainly don't
mind standing corrected.
 
My point, I believe, will stand: those that base their religious nature
on belief, and who have experiences created by their beliefs rather than by
any reality which they are atuned to, are destined to misunderstand each
other.  Much like many Christians and Muslims seem to do, for example.
 
I think religious belief is harmful if it comes before religious experience.
Just like having beliefs about what, say, a limit is prior to actually working
through it can make learning basic calculus rather difficult.  If one
approaches a book of spiritual information with a bunch of ideas as to what
that book means, then one only gets confirmation from the book -- not
any knowledge.  If you're after knowledge, you have to be more careful in
how you approach these things.
 
I think that it is absolutely essential not to believe anything for awhile,
at least for people like myself who had all sorts of silly ideas pressed
upon them while not yet old enough to do anything but be indoctrinated by them.
 
I don't have any respect for a belief that has not been sincerely and deeply
questioned -- even discarded to allow one to come to fresh terms with life.
 
I don't see how gaining knowledge in one area is different from gaining
knowledge in another.  Anything I've learned, I've either been able to verify
or hold with an appropriate degree of skepticism.
 
>     Do you adhere to any religous order?  Which?
 
I don't believe that the purpose of having what might be called religious
sentiments is so that they can be discussed and debated.  I hope you notice
that I specifically refrain from describing a cosmology or a theology.  It
is all that much more meaningful to me because of this. I wouldn't discuss
my sex life with anyone except my wife --- how much more initimate would a
relation with the Divine be, and worthy of even greater discretion!
 
>                Certain things are facts, and these things take place whether
>or not one believes in them.  If one doesn't believe in the tennents of
>Christianity, then THEY AREN'T TRUE.
 
Ken Arromodee, or whatever, jumped in here and said that "If Jesus was
actually resurrected, then that would be a fact..."
 
Not worth a separate posting, but no one I know was there.  Whether or not
it happened is completely irrelevant in a very major sense -- and any religion
based ALONE in the truth or falsity of that event (or, non-event :-) is,
standing on one leg.
 
> What do your base your belief system on?
 
For starters, that which I can personally and directly confirm.  It suffices.
 
> A benefit of spirituality, as you put it, is that you can have a
> relationship with God - where there is no barrier between you and God.
 
This is not dogma.
 
> We all have fallen short of what God wants, but through what Jesus did for
> us, we can have this relationship by placing our trust in him and the work
> he did to pay for our sins - we are transformed out of God's wrath
> into his kingdom, which includes eternal life.
 
This, however, IS dogma.  No one can speak for what God wants!  Do you
recognize the audacity of your statement ?
 

-- 
Perot for President.

Boycott Microsoft.
Newsgroups: talk.religion.misc