(June 27, 2010 at 6:53 am)Purple Rabbit Wrote: The first questions to ask are "what can we know at all?" and "how can knowledge, if it arises, be shared?". Observe that your claim that god exists and we should share that view on basis of your revelation touches on both these questions.
In common practice where humans share information certain principles have emerged in modern society that were less developed or plain absent in ancient times like that of Jesus. For instance, in situations where two or more parties have to rely on the validity of shared information, transparancy of that information must somehow be ensured. Transparancy meaning that the path from the information to the source of it is traceable unambiguously. Another principle is that the information is verifiable from independent sources. In theistic revelation there's no transparancy, no verifiability and no public access, you ask us to rely solely on your alleged revelation from your first experience. You ask us to rely on anecdotal evidence.
Some of what your saying smells like ``chronological snobbery'' (see C.S. Lewis for more details). Also, I wouldn't share your definition of revelation. As a Christian, I would say that the contents of the Old and New Testament are God's revelation, and any ``first experience'' is subject to the teaching contained within the Scriptures. And in terms of transparency and public access, in our day and age I think the Bible's a best seller and therefore widely available. Whether you think its a valid source of information or not, that's something you'll have to decide.
(June 27, 2010 at 6:53 am)Purple Rabbit Wrote: I ask you in all earnest to answer me this: Have you ever, in prayer or otherwise, heard god speaking directly at you where it was possible for you to absolutely 100% confirm that it was god himself? If so I would like to know how you did that. How did you confirm that what you heard was from an entity that can be 100% identified as your god? How did you rule out 100% positively the following possibilities:
1) that what you heard arose from your own thought
2) that what you heard was not a false god pretending he was your expected god
I mean do you guys exchange encrypted communication certificates to authenticate the parties in communication by a prescribed exchange protocol?
In answer to your first question, no. I guess I believe I hear God speaks to me through the preaching of the word, but I have to check what is being said to see if agrees with the overall teaching of Scripture.
