Sunday Sermonette: Falling Sparrows

[bill_sheehan]

Atheism is not a faith. No one was ever struck down on the road to Damascus with the blinding realization that there probably is no God. A friend described his deconversion this way: “A slow gradual process including cognitive dissonance and mental agony, finally culminating in the inevitable recognition of the rational poverty of theism.” Over

Comments

[xiphias]

Two quick comments about my own theological responses to some of these issues

[bill_sheehan]

Xiphias, this is why I love being your Live Journal friend. You teach me things.

Howsomever, I'm not sure I agree. As I view the story, it is God who failed the test. And since my religious tradition is Christian, he failed it mightily. He revealed himself as an inhuman monster who it is a moral duty to oppose (or would be if he existed). But even in the light of the Genesis story, that God sent a messenger rather than appearing himself is a quibble of no importance unless you think the messenger could delay or misinterpret the message. Besides, isn't it true that no one may look upon the face of God and live? Both Abraham and Isaac would have been incinerated on that pyre if God himself had appeared.

God cannot escape the moral implications of delegating justice and mercy to his flawed creation. It is like leaving my infant in the care of my five-year-old child and heading out for a nice Caribbean cruise.

[rowantwig]

I come to atheism from a different direction, and to me it is like a faith. Having not been brought up in church, I had nothing to divorce myself from. Instead my agnosticism became atheism firmly in my teens. I feel it very strongly, despite my attempts to remain open-minded and doubtful of the fact that there is no god. I would like to think maybe there is, maybe I simply don't understand what's going on out there. I'd like to think my understanding is limited. But I can't shake this very firm belief, this faith, this gut feeling that there is no god.

[bill_sheehan]

I don't know if you can really call it a faith, unless my belief that there are no leprechauns is also a faith.

The touchstone is this: is there any evidence that would persuade you that there is a god? Ask someone of faith if there is any evidence that would persuade them that there was no god. The answer is usually that their faith is strong enough to withstand such things.

[rowantwig]

Hmm, I believe you are right here, sir!

[liddle_oldman]

The universe has no "purpose" -- except that which we give it. We're not "put here" for anything -- but we can decide on a mission to improve the corner we find ourselves in.

(Fine writing. Fine reasoning.)

[bill_sheehan]

Thank you, Professor. You are too kind, as always.

[firynze]

Do you watch That Mitchell and Webb Look at all? They did a really good, very funny-yet-harsh look at the Abraham/Isaac story in Series 3.

[bill_sheehan]

I only saw the first series of Mitchell and Webb. I didn't even know there was a third, but I will definitely look for it. Thanks!

[firynze]

It's streaming on Netflix now!