Responses to Atheist "Proofs" and Thought
Assume that one is open to either religion / spirituality and atheism. Mr. Jager's site offers lots of links to thoughts and proofs by atheists. Titles range from serious (pompous?) ("The Truth Behind Religions") to the silly ( "Church of the Invisible Pink Unicorn").
The problem is that it is easy to sound witty and superior when discussing issues that involve emotions or the human spirit. Many of the sillier sites remind me of middle-schoolers making fun of people in love. The concept is so foreign (and scary) that it is easier just to make light. The fact that early exposure to romantic love is often so exaggerated and phony only makes the job easier.
If you've bothered coming this far though - I assume that parlor tricks, fuzzy "logic" and debating tricks are not your primary interest.
My religion page offers links just as Mr. Jager's site. You will notice quite a difference though. My links lead to sites where you can either study religious thought in greater detail or see how religious people look at the world and attempt to be involved with it. Many of the sites contain information that contradicts information on other sites. The sites are meant to be helpful to those with a serious interest in religion - Christianity in particular, and generally do not attempt to convince a doubter that they are wrong. As such, if you have explored Mr. Jager's links and are curious about a different view - my religious links will probably not help you.
This page will attempt to fill that gap. I suppose there are three ways to do so: a) link to sites that push religion (runs counter to my views), b) link to sites that discuss the many scientists, logicians and other reasoning people that have room for spirituality (a feasible and desirable goal - but beyond my time constraints) or c) respond to the atheist links to show there are alternative ways of thinking about the things they address. Of these, only the third is practical for me.
I propose to add as many or few links as I choose - but promise not to choose on the basis of ease-of-response. If I look at a link, I will respond to it regardless of the difficulty (I've already had to modify this "promise" - see "Paths" below). I'll start with two:
Responses to:
Leave No Stone Unturned - An Easter Challenge for Christians
Paths : General reflections on following links...
Generic Response to Those Attacking Literalists / Creationists / etc.
To save time, I'll address these people only once. For example, Tracy has a page called "Blasphemous Links" - many of which just are science links. (These include at least one link to a scientist who does not disbelieve in God).
I am not a Creationist - I simply view the issue as irrelevant. It is clear to me that God wants us to believe that dinosaurs existed and that man evolved from some earlier form. We are in a state of very imperfect knowledge (the bird / dinosaur link, etc.) and yet think science gives us truths that last forever... Sigh. You can be spiritual and you can be religious and you can have specific religious beliefs without believing in the literal truth of the Bible. Jesus commanded "Love God...Love thy neighbor..." - he did not say the world was created in 7 24-hour days.
However, God operates at a whole different level than we do. Frankly, I think it would be amusing if the Creationists are right and God just left a fossil record to get us thinking about the possibilities of evolution. I believe (but not with any real caring) that those who say the Devil planted the record to lead us astray have it wrong - but even their point of view is useful to us. Considering the dangers we face as we play with genetics, etc. - perhaps it is useful to have people remind us that we can be led down dangerous paths.
Rejecting religion because some believers hold beliefs that you find distasteful, irrational or unreasoning would be like rejecting Republican thought on the basis of Russ Limbaugh or Democratic thought because Clinton fooled around.
God wants to have a relationship with you. He provided at least one way (Christianity) that will benefit you even if none of its "myths" are true. Take a risk - explore spirituality. Research for truths and ignore any apparent inconsistencies - find elements that sing to your soul. Do not let those who are on bad paths distract you - you waste your time...
email me at doug@hardts.net