Atheism, A Grim Position?

[*steve*]

I claimed the dictum 'God said to' was simple.

Some may. I think it is incredibly complex.

If you find time, could you please elaborate on your response?
Complex how?
What part of ineffable don't you understand?

Right. Now things get tough. In my view there is an ultimate basis for value, grounded in God. However, the question is how to access it, evaluate it in the given context, and apply it in the right way. Philosophers have grappled throughout the ages with moral questions and they constantly arise in each context.

You mentioned ineffable. Right. So now we get to religious experience. Another tough one. The great theologian Paul Tillich spoke of the "mystical a priori". Calvin spoke of "sensus divinitatis". Both reflect some sort of ontological and epistemic union with the divine. Paul Tillich also talked about how certain people, places, and things can be transparent to the divine. Those can also include wisdom literature, science, philosophy, art, music, etc. I add to this dynamic with what I call an informed intuition. All these speak to some sort of connection with the divine and divine purpose. So, I think the best we can do is open ourselves up to the divine depth within us and let it try to inform our moral decisions, realizing our fallibility. It ain't perfect and it must constantly be tested by results and realities. That's why it is complicated and challenging. I talk more about these ideas on my website [snip] where I've summarized some of my theological thinking. I haven't yet put up some of my writings expanding on the summary but will sometime in the future.

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Not too good with bricks but I do swing a golf club pretty well. ;-) Actually, a couple of my best friends are atheists. I much prefer the non-religious to traditional religious folk when it comes to deep conversation.

If a couple of your best friends are atheists, why don't you understand atheism?

I think I understand some things about atheism but our discussions have mainly been about the conflicts in science and religion, philosophy of mind, and consciousness.