On Tue, 01 Jul 1997 18:04:35 -0400, Pim van Meurs wrote:
>PM>Indeed, so he is undoubtably interested in your 'evidence'.
>SJ>And I am also interested in "What `evidence' would *you* accept",
>Pim?
PM>Show me what's on the menu and I will tell you if I have an appetite....
I was trying to get you to acknowledge that there *was* a "menu"!
PM>Evidence I would accept as evidence observations, repeatable
>experiments
Please be more specific: "observations" of what? "repeatable
experiments" of what?
PM>or perhaps a direct audience.
This is not "evidence" -it would be absolute proof (that is if you
believed what your senses). But why demand such a high standard
unless you know that such evidence cannot be provided by Christian
apologists?
PM>But we all know that it is faith, not evidence which guides us in
>these matters of religion. For instance would you deny your God if
>evidence were provided that he did not exist?
It depends how strong the "evidence...that he did not exist" was.
Obviously I am not going to give up my belief in God at the first
sign of a difficulty. But if I became convinced that on balance the
evidence against the existence of God was stronger than the evidence
for His existence, then at some point I would indeed "deny my "God".
I have no need for an emotional crutch in "religion". I could with
equanimity contemplate nothing after death. If there was no God and
the universe was ultimately pointless, I could accept that.
Many (if not most) Christians would probably believe in God
regardless of the evidence. But for me at least, Faith is *not*
believing what I know ain't true. My heart cannot believe what my
head denies.
Fortunately, I do not have to make the choice. My head strongly
(indeed overwhelmingly) affirms what my heart believes - that God is
real.
Regards.
Steve
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