Is belief in God just the ultimate in CYA? (page 3)

nvrgnbk

I "know" nothing, CoCo.

I post things that I find interesting and then some weigh in.

We all learn from one another.

Sorry that you're a little confused.

LOL!

I don't mean to alienate anyone, though that often happens when controversial and sensitive topics are discussed.

If by means of asking questions about faith and belief, though they appear irreverent, myself or someone gets just a little more clarity on something, that's a good thing.

If none of it matters, then none of it matters.

It's a win-win.

Peace

erandir

'How did man, if come to earth sans divine intervention, develop conscience and the universal concept of worship?'

Some would argue that this makes sense from an evolutionary standpoint. It would be a positive thing for the gene pool to have a group of primitive men and women striving for a higher purpose and being rewarded for that unity of purpose/thought. It doesn't matter what that initial purpose was or what it developed into later on. So eventually humans having the traits of some common purpose for mankind and a conscience dictating what is good or bad for the whole of society would serve to increase the population and well-being of mankind. It wouldn't really make a difference early on how this inbred purpose and conscience were interpretted, i.e. belief in Allah, Yahweh, Flying Spaghetti Monster, Baal, etc. I'm having a rough time explaining this concept, so I hope you get what I mean, CoCo (and others, too).

E

CyrusThePersian

One problem with Pascal's Wager is that we don't know which god is the right one. Is it Jehovah? Do we worship him and take the chance that Allah was the right one and wind up in Muslim hell?

...or Ahura Mazda?

...or Zues?

...or Odin?

...or the African tribal gods?

CyrusThePersian

journey-on

I believe because I experienced something that proved to me beyond a shadow of a doubt there is a dimension other than this physical one.

It was personal to me and I totally KNEW that it was a gift to show me something I needed to see at the time. Nothing will ever take

that away from me or convince me it was anything other than what it was. It wasn't "all in my mind" because I have the physical "proof" of

its reality.

But I've come to believe that most of mankind is confused about what God is because religion has muddied the waters for

so long. I don't think you need a religion nor do I think anybody needs to CYA. As a matter of fact, I think religion is a detriment to

KNOWING and it's better to get out of it altogether. Religion paints an image of what they think God is or should be. It prevents you

from truly seeing His reality because all you can see is this idea of what religion has told you He is.

nvrgnbk

Thanks, j-o.

I respect your faith.

What about those of us that haven't had such experiences?

Would you say you were "blessed" with your experience due to your faith, or does your faith come as a result of the experience?

eclipse

Great post, Journey-On. I respect the faith of those who have had that type of experience.

Thought provoking questions, nvr.

journey-on

Would you say you were "blessed" with your experience due to your faith, or does your faith come as a result of the experience?

I don't know. I'm inclined to answer "neither". It just came and I interpreted it as a personal gift, simply put.

Narkissos

Thanks to this thread, I, too, finally understood what CYA meant (I had seen it a couple of times but didn't bother to ask.)

Other than that: it's rather ironic that the "wager" is what the entire world has retained from such a great mind as Blaise Pascal. A botched attempt at Christian apologetics carelessly cast on personal papers among thousand of other notes (many of them way deeper), never meant to be published. So goes history: you may be remembered for your lamest joke.

nvrgnbk

Would you say you were "blessed" with your experience due to your faith, or does your faith come as a result of the experience?
I don't know. I'm inclined to answer "neither". It just came and I interpreted it as a personal gift, simply put.

Thanks, j-o.

Other than that: it's rather ironic that the "wager" is what the entire world has retained from such a great mind as Blaise Pascal. A botched attempt at Christian apologetics carelessly cast on personal papers among thousand of other notes (many of them way deeper), never meant to be published. So goes history: you may be remembered for your lamest joke.

I don't think anything negative about Pascal.

I know he was brilliant.

I just have found that many that profess belief, certainly not all, do so for the motives he outlined in what came to be known as Pascal's Wager.

Narkissos

I just have found that many that profess belief, certainly not all, do so for the motives he outlined in what came to be known as Pascal's Wager.

I doubt it.

Pascal himself certainly didn't.

His deepest belief he traced back to a very intimate "epiphany" or "revelation".

This is apparent from his "memorial," another paper never meant to published, which he wore constantly on himself (sewn in his coat lining) ever since.

http://www.users.csbsju.edu/~eknuth/pascal.html

Is belief in God just the ultimate in CYA?

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