On non-belief and the existence of God

[FallentoReason]

Hi FallenToReason,

You say ...

As a Christian, wouldn't you be compelled to believe the Bible is the absolute truth? The Word of God? I don't think it's possible to believe other religions have any merit, especially when Jesus says "...I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me." in John 14:6.

There is a well worn phrase in the Catholic Church, that says 'truth cannot contradict truth'. So we can recognise truth in other religions. You may remember from your Catholic days how the Catechism deals with other religions...

843 The Catholic Church recognizes in other religions that search, among shadows and images, for the God who is unknown yet near since he gives life and breath and all things and wants all men to be saved. Thus, the Church considers all goodness and truth found in these religions as "a preparation for the Gospel and given by him who enlightens all men that they may at length have life."

And then a quick glimpse of the history of Catholic theology shows that it has been quite happy to 'raid' other traditions where useful. Much of Aquinas's writings, including on such things as souls' borrowed heavily from Ancient Greek thoughts. There is no need in Catholic theology to consider the Bible the only source of truth and, indeed, our reading of the bible may be shaped by external knowledge such as science, or 'the book of nature' as Francis Bacon famously coined the pursuit of 'natural philosophy', that which today we call 'science'.

And yet I certainly do hold to Jesus being the ultimate reconciler between man and God, as Paul writes...

Colossians 1:19-20 For in him [Jesus] all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, and through him God was pleased to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, by making peace through the blood of his cross.

And, finally, just on being 'compelled', I am as fee as you are. I am a Christian because each day I freely choose to follow this path. I can take another path whenever I want (and I did do, for quite a number of years).

But the point I'm trying to make at the end of the day is; how will I know?... How will I know that Jesus is my Lord and saviour? There's so many other things I could instead believe, all of which have their plausible reasons for being the truth.

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No True Scottsman. Truly spiritual people have also been remerkably similar in wanting to shed blood.

I don't think NTS applies in this particular case, when the issue about discerning character. People can make all kinds of character judgments without falling into logical fallacy: "A truly humble person is..."; "A truly loving spouse is one that..."; etc.

Didn't NTS begin out of a place of judging people? "No true Scotsman would ever do ____".