tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5863301599557441497.post5644961623690444099..comments2023-05-02T09:08:52.494-05:00Comments on Resistance is futile: The Question that Never Goes Away, by Philip YancyAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01974988315420539840noreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5863301599557441497.post-63473629468945665612014-03-05T09:50:24.053-06:002014-03-05T09:50:24.053-06:00Hi Brian!
I seem to be endlessly fascinated by l...Hi Brian! <br /><br />I seem to be endlessly fascinated by logical arguments about whether or not God exists, although I firmly believe that there is absolutely no way to logically prove or disprove the point. So, in a way, I agree with your argument somewhat: if there is a God, we can't <i>logically work out</i> what his nature is. On the other hand, I have a reasonable feeling "in my heart" of who God is, and it feels right to me. And I am willing to accept that sometimes intuition can tell us things that logic can't. :)<br /><br />I completely agree with you that the moral system of the Gospels is awe-inspiring. Regardless of whether you think he was God or man, Jesus was a <i>very</i> wise man, and so were the writers of the Gospels and letters of the New Testament. <br /><br />But I think it's a shame that so many people seem to think that this moral structure is uniquely Christian. You can see the same types of wisdom in Eastern religions and Islam (I'm not familiar enough with Judaism to comment on it - a weakness I should address some day.) <br /><br />Of course, Jesus' teachings influenced Islam quite a bit, since Jesus is revered as a prophet by Muslims - and the prophet Mohammed was certainly quite familiar with Jesus' teachings. <br /><br />I also imagine there was a lot of ideological trade between the Near East of Jesus' time and the Far East. Ideas, after all, can move a lot more swiftly than goods. I imagine part of the "universal" morals is human nature, and part of it is trade of ideological memes.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01974988315420539840noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5863301599557441497.post-38888427797998913232014-03-05T04:36:47.000-06:002014-03-05T04:36:47.000-06:00Very interesting commentary on what sounds like a ...Very interesting commentary on what sounds like a very interesting book.<br /><br />One personal observation on the "suffering in the world proves that there is no God" argument. I find it untenable. I often do however cite it when I contend that if there is a God, we have no idea as to his nature. We have no idea if he loves all of humankind, if he is indifferent, or if he hates humankind.<br /><br /><br />Just one final point, it sounds as if Yancy is critical of Atheists being hypocritical, by supporting a system of morals that is Christian. Aside from the fact that I believe that sometimes Christianity is credited with certain moral innovations that are actually universal, on the whole I share, and am frankly in near awe, of the moral system espoused in the Gospels. One can question the existence of God, yet share many Christian values.<br />Brian Josephhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15139559400312336791noreply@blogger.com