2PhiloVoid Posted February 21, 2015 Share Posted February 21, 2015 Let me start off by saying that this is not an answer that I would have ever expected from a believer of any religion, nor is it one that I even considered as a possibility when I wrote my op. It is refreshing to be surprised every now and then. That being said, I see some serious issues with the thought you expressed here. I certainly can understand how christ and christianity can appear to be the more attractive option when comparing the various religions and their leaders/founders to the others, however the attractiveness of a belief or any idea gives you absolutely no information as to the validity of it. You are gambling with some seriously high stakes if you think that there is a possibility that one religion may be right, and you are judging them on such a flimsy basis as which one appears to be the most attractive of the options. I am a happily married man myself, but your analogy about "buddying up" with the person that becomes your spouse falls apart when you look at what led to the marriage. I spent 3 years dating and getting to know my wife before we said our vows. This was a two-way interaction. I asked questions, she answered. She asked questions, I answered. We had real interactions, it wasn't a case of me reading a book about her written by people I've never met and just believing she was the person represented by them. I didn't call her number and just leave voicemails with the assumption that she would make her personality known to me and do the things that I wanted or expected. We discussed these things with each other at length. We were able to clearly state our needs and desires and accommodate or compromise with each other. This is not possible with the god or gods worshiped in any religion. Sure, you may believe that you are learning about his/her/their true properties. You may think that they are affecting reality in ways that are consistent to what you ask of them in you prayers. But you have no way of knowing whether someone "up there" is helping you out or it is the laws of chance just happening to work out to your advantage. Hiya Warriorpoet, Warrior, thank you for the compliment. I’m glad I was able to surprise someone, even if at least for a moment. That’s better than nothing. Sure, the validity of a religious figure can’t be established by ‘looks’ alone, but the ‘looks’ do at least qualify such a figure as a candidate. I for one can’t imagine me putting myself out there on a spiritual limb for, say, the satanic figure statue that some New York Satanists would like to place in Oklahoma’s capital; whether the meaning of the statue is literal or not, I’m just not that fond of Goats. Lambs maybe, but not Goats. And I’m definitely not fond of old Arabian dudes wielding rusty swords in the desert. Jewish one's maybe, but not Arabians. As far as gambling is concerned, while you probably won’t catch me in Vegas (since what is in Vegas should stay in Vegas), I’m still willing to take Pascal’s Wager that Christianity is the best bet (although, at the same time, please note that I’m not saying the Pascal is the defining factor, just one of a variety of religious considerations). Well, I don’t know that my analogy completely fails on my part, at least from within the context of my own life. I’m under the ‘Delusion’ that by 'buddying up' to Jesus, I was then able to buddy up with my wife. Laws of Chance? Perhaps. But, then again, you might be surprised by what probabilities within the workings of a contained social context might still bring about. And then again, you might not. A lot of this will depend on how Perception and Cognition play a part in your overall Epistemology. Good to hear from you, Peace 2Philovoid Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
2PhiloVoid Posted February 21, 2015 Share Posted February 21, 2015 ...although it may sound corny, one could look at the 'possible religious suitors' and deem Jesus as the most attractive; Christ could have an aesthetic appeal, up and above, or along with, rational considerations. In some ways, this is how I 'buddied up' with my wife, choosing her over and against other possible women. Just a thought. I don't think this is a bad answer. It reminds me of the impression I had about Augustine: he was convinced of Neo-Platonism, but it's as though in Jesus he found the Form of the Beautiful came to have a human face. But it also reminds me of how I got into Christianity in the first place, and how I got out of it. In a nutshell, I had a powerful experience that started off my faith. Later, I had a string of experiences that slowly let the air out of it, topped by another powerful experience that toppled what was left. I came away thinking of the many testimonies I'd heard, about how experiences led people to Christ, and how they found a richer life. And then, others experience the opposite. Many of us on here experienced both ends of the road. So we're left thinking that really, the religion thing is all in our head, the good and the bad alike. Ficinio, I like your style of thinking, Ficinco, I really do. Even though I may not agree with you on some things, you've got good form. I'll try to follow suite. Peace, 2PhiloVoid Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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