Want some theophanies?
Comment is Free Belief asks “Can we choose what we believe?” Usama Hasan answers briskly right from the outset.
God exists, obviously.
Oh; all right then! Nothing further to think about. He goes on to point out that the Qur’an says so, and give the sura where it says so. Then he gets to the thinky part.
God is a given, and our lives are an opportunity to learn about and experience God in countless different ways because the universe is a collection of theophanies: God’s infinite variety of names is manifested throughout the diversity of nature that includes our complex, intertwined lives.
He forgets to explain how he knows that.
I liked conifer’s answer:
Personally, I like to see some evidence, or at least know that some people who’ve looked at whatever the subject is have looked at it sceptically and seen some evidence. Belief without evidence is just guessing. But then, I’m a godless morally bankrupt atheist.
Frankly I find that kind of godhaver refreshing; since they don’t attempt to justify their belief, then you’re spared the tons of empty verbiage and abuses of philosophy and science that accompany these justifications.
Also, it makes for an excellent “stop reading here” marker.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EUbjpwyesk0
Julian Baggini’s response is an excellent piece, FWIW. Exactly what I would have said, except better. And his paragraph which begins “It should be obvious that this process can never be traced back to a pure, unconditioned choice,” is a brilliant observation.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/belief/2010/aug/02/choice-free-will-philosophy-god
Ah, I see the level of Islamic theology has not reached the “heights” of Christian theology, where things are justified by obfuscation rather than scripture.
Well it’s obvious. Obviously obvious, one would obviously think.
It couldn’t be more obvious. He’s obviously oblivious.
We all know it too. I mean, it’s obvious! We’re just in denial.
Hasan’s 1st Principle:
James, yes, I liked Julian’s post too; I linked to it in News yesterday.
Makes me wonder, do imaginary numbers exist?
There are many parallels between this piece and what I was taught in the Southern Baptist (and later the Wesleyan) Church in my previous life several years ago. The line “God is a given, and our lives are an opportunity to learn about and experience God in countless different ways” could’ve been lifted right out of our Monday night young adult coffeehouse sermon.
And if I had a penny for every time a friend or family member has told me some variation of “God exists, obviously”, well…
God exists, obviously…
God obviouses existly…
Exist gods obviously…
Obvious god existly…
Exist obviouses godly…
Obvious gods existly…
Spot the meaningles phrase.
According to Alain Badiou, if numbers exist then God doesn’t (broadly speaking ;-) ).
Which always leaves me smiling when the religious appeal to historical mathematical mysticism.
“God is a given.”
The weakness of that assertion is a given.
God exists.
Yes she does, and she’s not happy.
‘Makes me wonder, do imaginary numbers exist?’
Irrational numbers do.
An ‘irrational number’ is the exact size of a congregation.
More to the point, if you could choose to believe in god, why the he’ll would you choose the gods currently available? Unless you hated women and gays in the first place and just needed something to justify your prejudices?