<<Nor did I intend to. Perhaps you misunderstood what I was saying; I admit
that it may not have been entirely clear. I was not implying that Christianity
can't help *anyone*. I was just talking about human nature *in general*.>>
I'm not sure I understand the distinction. The millions of changed lives I've
been talking about are changes in human nature. How can we tell? Because they
result in changes in behavior--from immoral to moral, from bad to good.
<<Nor have I tried to. I am not talking about individual cases, I am talking
about the overall behavior of humanity as a whole.>>
But when you multiply individual cases by millions, you begin to affect the
behavior of "humanity as a whole," don't you?
<<Atheism is about more than just "turning away from God". By describing it
in this negative light, you automatically bias your argument in favor of
your desired conclusion. And there are certainly plenty of books about the
beauty of understanding the universe from a naturalistic perspective. One
I can think of off the top of my head is "At Home in the Universe", by
Stuart Kauffman.>>
I'll check it out. But I remember reading another ode to the natural--Cosmos,
by the late Carl Sagan--and I found it, unfortunately, a paean of
self-deception. I think it is impossible to be "at home" in a godless
universe, if one really thinks it through. Sartre, for example, thought it
through, and saw the inevitable consequences. That's why I think there is
always a bit of self-deception (or inconsistency) in feeling at home in a
purely naturalistic universe.
Best,
Jim