Re: What are you asking God to do about Burma?

On 2008-05-18, Gareth McCaughan <Gareth.McCaughan@xxxxxxxxx> wrote:

2. We should only expect that people will end up all agreeing
on some subject when the evidence available is very lopsided,
very compelling, and so clear that neither special skills nor
long study are required to appreciate it all. I don't see any
grounds for expecting that to be true here. There *are* some
very simple arguments that some people on one side or the other
find very convincing: for instance, one can give a decent
statement of the atheistic argument from evil or the theistic
argument from design in a couple of sentences. But in these
cases, and others like them, the other side has a thing or
two to say on the subject, and going into it thoroughly
lands you in metaphysical subtleties (for the argument from
evil) or biological technicalities (for the argument from
design).

One thing on the theist side is that it seems to work. I've met a number
of theists of various types for whom the religion seems to give them a
lot. (As well as a number for whom it seems to cost a lot). It makes me
question the value of suspending disbelief, though that raises other
questions.

Evidence suggests that religion can work for many, also that all the
popular ones seem to be able to work. It tends away from the kind of
Christianity that sees itself as the One and Only and makes me wonder
what the common factor is, trying to understand at a more basic level.

Still, there exist a fair number of atheists who find that atheism works
with some reporting that they've tried religion and for them atheism
works better.

It looks like it's better to be settled in something and go for it.

- Richard

--
_/_/_/ _/_/_/ _/_/_/ Richard dot Corfield at gmail dot com
_/ _/ _/ _/
_/_/ _/ _/ Time is a one way street,
_/ _/ _/_/ _/_/_/ except in the Twilight Zone
.

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