Re: [asa] Christianity: balance of truth and solace?

My text for Easter

Michael
----- Original Message -----
From: <grayt@lamar.colostate.edu>
To: <asa@calvin.edu>
Sent: Saturday, April 07, 2007 7:03 PM
Subject: Re: [asa] Christianity: balance of truth and solace?

> Here's where Dawkins and the Apostle Paul agree. Taking solace in a
> lie may make us feel better, but we are to be pitied above all men.
>
> Have a Blessed Easter, everyone!
>
> TG
>
>
> On Apr 6, 2007, at 4:57 PM, Iain Strachan wrote:
>
>>
>>
>> On 4/6/07, Michael Roberts <michael.andrea.r@ukonline.co.uk> wrote:
>> This is very close to my practise too and I have done a funeral of a
>> non-church member last week and another in ten days. I say a few
>> things
>> about the deceased and then some Christian comment but not say Fred
>> who
>> never showed any interest in worship has been let through the
>> pearly gates.
>> However I do give some Christian proclamation - low key - either
>> expounding
>> a passage often John 14 or explaining the gospel in the hymns they
>> chose..
>>
>> Terry will tell us we are off-topic. However we must make clear
>> that the
>> Gospel can only give solace if it is true.
>>
>>
>> Michael,
>>
>> I don't know if I can agree with that last statement. For example,
>> in medicine, the placebo effect is well-known and well documented.
>> For a new drug to become accepted in trials, in not only has to be
>> shown to give an improvement in the patient's condition, but it
>> also has to be shown to do significantly better than a placebo drug
>> that is administered in a double-blind trial. The plain fact is
>> that people often get better after administration of a placebo
>> treatment (which should have no effect at all), simply because they
>> believe that the treatment they receive is doing them some good.
>> The same argument could equally be applied to religious beliefs
>> giving solace. Just because a placebo makes you feel better
>> doesn't prove that the placebo is genuinely effective. By the same
>> token it could be argued that religious faith gives you solace, but
>> that in turn doesn't prove that it's true.
>>
>> Perhaps it goes against the grain as a Christian to say this, but
>> I've seen enough papers that show beyond much doubt that the
>> placebo effect is "real".
>
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Received on Sun Apr 8 02:16:14 2007