RE: Q: do you, Christian, claim that God exists, rather than you believe that he exists?
February 26, 2014 at 1:33 pm
(February 26, 2014 at 4:45 am)whateverist Wrote: I do not assume to know what you believe on the basis of your first person experience, and neither do I judge it on the basis of third person (science based) criteria. But it seems as if it is you who wish to rule on what is real on the basis of first person experience. I don't object to your doing so for yourself but I reject your authority to do so for others.
I would never ever suppose to encroach on the subjective experience of others. It's my belief that everyone believes what they have to believe, given their knowledge. It would be impossible for two people to share identical knowledge, but knowledge is shared sufficiently that we can classify... as atheist and Christian, for example.
Within my belief I can identify very closely with shared understanding. As a theist perhaps as closely as you can other atheists. There is a vast source of religious and non religious information that I appreciate outside of Christianity. I'm constantly in awe of science and nature. I really don't understand why you think I want to impose any authority on others. Christians would question my lack of compassion for those with an inferior world view, as they see it. I don't. I will only defend myself. If that's unduly exerting pressure on others to impose my will onto them, then I am at a loss at what I'm supposed to do.
