(July 3, 2018 at 8:52 am)SteveII Wrote:(July 3, 2018 at 8:50 am)Mister Agenda Wrote: Perhaps you are interacting with a Mathilda in an alternate universe. That doesn't describe the Mathilda I know at all.
Go ahead, summarize her argument about why Christian experiences are not real.
We understand that people have experiences. What we also understand is that our brains are notorious for misinterpreting and misremembering experiences. Especially when under emotional stress.
I have a friend (an old surfing buddy) that became addicted to alcohol and drugs, was living on the street and doing petty crimes.
One day he walked into a Hindu temple in Los Angeles, and he claims he had a religious experience where he saw Hindu gods, and they communicated with him (the god told him to clean up his life, and that he was hurting his loved ones).
He literally quit alcohol and drugs that day. Cleaned up his life, and now owns a small business, and has a great family. He is still Hindu.
So, what do you think is more likely, he had a real experience with the Hindu god, that caused him to clean up his life, or, he had a real experience, like a change in mental states, that he misinterpreted as communication with Hindu gods?
You'd believe if you just opened your heart" is a terrible argument for religion. It's basically saying, "If you bias yourself enough, you can convince yourself that this is true." If religion were true, people wouldn't need faith to believe it -- it would be supported by good evidence.
