Beauty, Morality, God, and a Table

[BrianSoddingBoru4]

It’s not a contradiction. If the same person declared the presence of God and denied the presence of God, it would be.

But God is (according to the handbook) a non-material being. Therefore, ‘God is/is not here’ is a statement of feeling, of perception and not a veridical fact, like the length of a table.

If a person has a religious experience, no one can gainsay that they had an experience, but we may question its origin without doubting that person’s sincerity or honesty.

Boru

But surely 'God is here', whether material or not, is a statement claiming a veridical fact?  It may not be testable in the same way (or even at all), but if God doesn't exist, for example, then surely the claim would be false?  It is, then, like the table statement a True/False proposition, albeit one not so easily verifiable.  

Or have I gone wrong?

Exactly - it’s a statement claiming a veridical fact, which doesn’t make it one. I can claim my cats all speak fluent Swahili, but I’m the only one who can hear it.

Yes, it’s a false statement as to the existence of God, but it is not a false statement with respect to the person’s sense that God is present. 

The table statement is a whole other kettle of fish of a different colour. A table is a discrete, physical object of particular dimensions. A person’s claim about the length of the table can be verified as being or not being exactly one meter long. But someone with a less than accurate measuring device can determine the table to be 1.1 meters long. Their perception of that length would be correct (assuming they trusted their ruler), but it doesn’t alter the actual size of the table.

If Person A says they sense God, I don’t doubt that there have a sensation that they take to be the presence of God, so they’re correct. If Person B has no sensation of God, I’m happy to take them at their word, and they would also be correct.

There’s a huge epistemological difference between an unverifiable feeling (the presence of God) and the size of a physical object (the table).

Boru