Posted: Jan 03, 2014 1:30 am
He thinks he is giving up God but the only way to do that is to actually become an atheist which he is not. So what he is actually giving up is the ritual rather than the belief. He could therefore do all he is doing and still practice his faith. It is
not actually incumbent on him to forgo the ritual at all. The time limit is also problematic because matters of this kind are
not ones one can set their watch to. It tends to be a gradual process that comes of its own volition. One cannot force it
If he came here - and I hope he does - I would just tell him how I see it from my own perspective. I would not proselytise or preach at him as long as he was not in denial of objective truth. I would tell him that religion exists because of fear of death but as one was dead before they were born then that fear is entirely without reason. I would tell him that spending the rest of eternity in a state of non consciousness is nothing to be afraid of and indeed should be welcomed. I would tell him that from both a mathematical and scientific perspective we are incredibly fortunate to exist at all and so should be grateful for that and not expect more just because we have developed the ability to philosophise about the nature of our own existence
I would tell him that the root of morality lies in psychology not religion. And that ones own moral code determines whether they are a good human being and not their faith which is incidental to that
I would also tell him that I could not care less what anyone believes or thinks as long as they do not impose their views
on others. I would also tell him that although I am no longer Christian that the Sermon On the Mount is a truly beautiful statement on how one should behave towards their fellow human beings. That and the Golden Rule which Jesus took even further and which was also referenced by Confucius and Buddha before him. And speaking of Buddha I would also tell him that we should heed his advice on accepting nothing and questioning everything. Which would neatly segue into respect for objective truth vis a vis the Scientific Method. I would tell him that it is also important to retain an open mind as much as possible and that there is nothing wrong in just not knowing as no one has a monopoly on wisdom anyway
I would finish by telling him that ultimately none of this matters in the grand scheme of things because all life eventually dies. But what is important is what we do while we are here. Which for me is to be a good human being [ a work in progress that one ] and have a raison d etre in ones life [ mine being the pursuit of knowledge ] I would then finish by wishing him all the best in his life whatever he discovered at the end of his year and shake his hand and see him on his way [ assuming he did not want to stay ] And hopefully I would have learnt from it too. All that is what I would tell him if he came here. And so for that reason if no other I hope he does [ so thanks to hack for inviting him ]
not actually incumbent on him to forgo the ritual at all. The time limit is also problematic because matters of this kind are
not ones one can set their watch to. It tends to be a gradual process that comes of its own volition. One cannot force it
If he came here - and I hope he does - I would just tell him how I see it from my own perspective. I would not proselytise or preach at him as long as he was not in denial of objective truth. I would tell him that religion exists because of fear of death but as one was dead before they were born then that fear is entirely without reason. I would tell him that spending the rest of eternity in a state of non consciousness is nothing to be afraid of and indeed should be welcomed. I would tell him that from both a mathematical and scientific perspective we are incredibly fortunate to exist at all and so should be grateful for that and not expect more just because we have developed the ability to philosophise about the nature of our own existence
I would tell him that the root of morality lies in psychology not religion. And that ones own moral code determines whether they are a good human being and not their faith which is incidental to that
I would also tell him that I could not care less what anyone believes or thinks as long as they do not impose their views
on others. I would also tell him that although I am no longer Christian that the Sermon On the Mount is a truly beautiful statement on how one should behave towards their fellow human beings. That and the Golden Rule which Jesus took even further and which was also referenced by Confucius and Buddha before him. And speaking of Buddha I would also tell him that we should heed his advice on accepting nothing and questioning everything. Which would neatly segue into respect for objective truth vis a vis the Scientific Method. I would tell him that it is also important to retain an open mind as much as possible and that there is nothing wrong in just not knowing as no one has a monopoly on wisdom anyway
I would finish by telling him that ultimately none of this matters in the grand scheme of things because all life eventually dies. But what is important is what we do while we are here. Which for me is to be a good human being [ a work in progress that one ] and have a raison d etre in ones life [ mine being the pursuit of knowledge ] I would then finish by wishing him all the best in his life whatever he discovered at the end of his year and shake his hand and see him on his way [ assuming he did not want to stay ] And hopefully I would have learnt from it too. All that is what I would tell him if he came here. And so for that reason if no other I hope he does [ so thanks to hack for inviting him ]