pocaracas Wrote:1. How would you know that?
It is a part of the religion that we are assuming in this thread. However, it's not really complex guess work. There are two options, the source of Good, Order, Beauty, Truth, and Being has favor is upon you (although unmerited) and you get Good Order, Beauty, Truth, and Being, or the source of Good, Order, Beauty, Truth, and Being does not have favor upon you and you do not get Good, Order, Beauty, Truth, or Being. Instead, you get Evil, Chaos, Horrors, Lies, and Isolation. I, being a super-duper awesome analyzer of opposites, would say the first grouping is good, and the second bad.
pocaracas Wrote:2. How would you know that?
Eyewitness accounts, mostly. They spread the news, the wrote, then kept spreading. Romans thought they were a danger to the empire because of such rapid expansion. More evidence than for the existence of Cleopatra or Socrates.
pocaracas Wrote:3. And how would you know all that?
Why the Jesuits? Why is it that christians (and practically all other religions) want to reach out and let everyone know about this religion?
I explained how I know that in what you quoted. There are "transcendentals" that God literally is. A reverence of Order is a reverence of God. And I am surprised you know how the Jesuits work, but I am not even Catholic. However, the Jesuits are correct here. There is no reason why we should limit God to only being able to do work in the way we are accustomed to. I'm not saying that this indirect reverence works 100%, but I will say this is another way my God can save. Knowing my God, I believe he uses it as often as he can. Knowing people, I doubt he can use it often. Therefore, since this is an indirect way of worship, evangelization is good because it can bring about a more full worship of God.
pocaracas Wrote:I meant people. Why is it that people have to keep convincing other people about the existence of this divinity?
If only the deity could handle that part...
Oh, that makes more sense. God doesn't "require" people, but yes, he strictly uses people. Catholics will say some saints will show up to people, but I don't buy that. There are no more dramatic miracles (God talking or some superpower or another) because that isn't supposed to be the base of faith. The knowledge of God's existence does not save a single person. God could have angels sing about the good things he's doing for us every day, and that would not save a single person. No one would deny God's existence, but faith is not existence. It's a relationship (a trust at the most basic of levels).
pocaracas Wrote:5. I don't see how your reply follows from my question, but ok.... I must be in some sleep deprived state...
Belief is required because it is the most basic connection we can have with God. It gives him something to work with.
pocaracas Wrote:YHWH is not my god.... I have no god. Even if there was only one god, the concept of "having a god" shouldn't make any sense.... but humans have different opinions about the divine entities, leading to "having" different gods... clearly a man-made proposition, no?
You have a God in the same way that you have a father. This probably isn't what you're speaking about. Ya, there are lots of "gods". That's even recorded in the bible. Worshiping things that are not God is idolatry. What we claim, just like they do, is that our God is the one that actually exists. They "have" what they have made (idea, wooden statue, etc.) and we "have" what made us.
Pocaracus Wrote:Well, I think the workings of our brains are deterministic, being heavily based on genetics, upbringing and any information that arrives to them at every moment of our lives. With all the billions of neurons and possible connections between them, we are left with a brain as a very complex machine, which leads to the appearance of what you call "free will", or "soul" as a separate entity from the brain itself.
The workings of our brains are largely deterministic. Light goes in eyes, data is collected, and the neurons transfer the data everywhere. I discussed one of my reasons for all animals having souls on another thread, but If you wanna start a free will vs determinism thread I'll chime in.
The Lord bless you and keep you; the Lord make his face to shine upon you and be gracious to you; the Lord lift up his countenance upon you and give you peace.
