Stephen
>Group
>
>Here is a remarkable story in an Australian newspaper, that I received
>via email from a friend, about the Christian faith of our Australian answer
>to `Tiger Woods', Aaron Baddeley.
>
>As far as I know it is not on the Web. I have not seen the article myself.
>
>I like this part:
>
> "... we non-believers too often sneer at Christians for being so
> weak
> as to need the crutch of faith. We should be more humble. For a
> start, driving God underground hasn't lifted happiness here, judging
> by all the young Australians now punching each other, taking drugs
> and wondering when their parents will finally come home. Besides,
> a dogged atheist is as religious as any preacher. None of us can
> explain the instant of the Big Bang, let alone what went before, and
> just as you can't prove God exists, you can't prove that he doesn't
> either. Believe in God or believe in Nothing-it is an act of faith,
> either way."
Chris
Not so; for two reasons:
1. One could withhold belief in *either* God or "Nothing" and thus not
engage in an act of faith at all.
2. If one can show that the very concept (or, more accurately,
pseudo-concept) of God is logically self-contradictory, one *can* prove
that God does not exist, and thus *also* not need faith.
Since all the ordinary ideas of God as promulgated by Christianity and
Judaism, for example, *do* involve logical contradictions, no faith is
required to justify a positive disbelief in God (and, even without such
proof, no faith is required to justify merely failing to believe in God).
>May I take this opportunity to wish each of you a safe, happy and healthy
>Christmas-New Year.
Chris
Yes. Thank you for the sentiment.
From the quoted email after Stephen's remarks:
>Research confirms that Christians tend to be happier and healthier,
Chris
I don't think this is true. Research shows that *carefully selected*
Christians are happier and healthier than some non-believers. But such
research does not show that Christianity should get any credit. Secondly,
if no distinctions are made among different kinds of non-believers,
non-belief cannot be shown to be to blame for the *average* lower level of
happiness and health of non-believers, even if it *was* shown that
Christians tend to be happier and healthier.
Keep in mind that non-belief, as such, is not a positive philosophical
belief. Thus, we need to determine what *other* beliefs a person has, and
determine how *they* may be affecting a person's level of happiness and
health. Such research starts out with a flawed premise, and builds from
there. Comparing belief in God to belief in some particular alternative
could be meaningful, but comparing it merely to the failure to believe
tells us virtually noting, even if the research follows proper research
canons in all other respects.
This archive was generated by hypermail 2b29 : Mon Dec 25 2000 - 22:04:19 EST