Biblical illiteracy

[Jacob(smooth)]

Would you mind if I redirect you? I cracked off a thread called "most important reason I'm a xtian" because someone asked me that on another thread. Rather than derail this thread on biblical illiteracy, if you want to know my personal theology, it's there (although I'm sure I don't know why anyone would be interested!).

Okay, I found your answer to my question (although it still wasn't too clear to me) about the role of Jesus and what you think of him. You said that it was the hardest question by far.

http://atheistforums.org/thread-22345-po...#pid554623

So, from that post, it looks to me that you don't believe that Jesus is God because you wrote that he was "somebody" whose love with humanity is very special to you ...

Correct me if I'm wrong.

"I don't believe" is perhaps overstating the case. I simply don't know. I choose to work on the basis that Jesus is God (although I'm not at all clear on what that means), but I do so knowing that my conception of it is oversimplified and probably wide of the mark. Its probably not right in an absolute sense but its as close as I can comprehend to it being right.


In medicine we have things called "placeholder" diagnoses. These (usually syndromes rather than diagnoses) are what we put in place when we don't really understand whats going on very well... but we know that there is a set of symptoms / circumstances about which we can make some general observations. Chronic fatigue syndrome is the usual example but I'll use "headache" as a simpler example. You know the symptoms in broad strokes (pain in the head) and you have some broad treatment options (like pain killers). But headache is not really a true diagnoses, it covers migraine, hangover, muscular tension pain, referred pain, neuralgic pain, etc etc.

For me, "Jesus is God" is a placeholder theology. I'm pretty sure there is more to it than I understand but it serves to keep the slot open. That's why I don't like stating it as a fact, or even a firm opinion, because Its very open to finding problems with (like placeholder diagnoses). There is something there... but I don't know what.

Sorry I'm not able to be clearer. "I don't really know" features exceedingly heavily in my views on religion (and everything else for that matter). I used to be convinced that the little space between my ears was a pretty good representation of objective reality. These days, I'm not too certain of anything any more. To paraphrase morpheus , what is real? If real is what you can feel, smell, taste and see, then 'real' is simply electrical signals interpreted by your brain. On that basis God is real, and I believe in her.