(May 21, 2015 at 12:15 pm)FatAndFaithless Wrote:(May 21, 2015 at 12:11 pm)Faith No More Wrote: Which interestingly enough, that's precisely what my father told me. Of the few times he would ever speak in front of me, he would rip on creationists and say science trumps the bible on literal claims like that. He's still a Christian, and I actually called him out on the conflict of him being a scientist and a Christian when I was fifteen and telling my parents I didn't believe in God. He said it boiled down to faith and that I "just wouldn't understand."
The thing is, he's the smartest man I've ever met personally. I mean, he has a Ph.D. in organic chemistry for Christ's sake, so he's certainly not ignorant of the principles behind empirical observation. I just can't wrap my head around it, but my parents are so passive about religion that it's literally a non-issue. I do notice he gets a little uncomfortable when I bring up religion, though.
I wish more theists were like him.
Me too.
(May 21, 2015 at 12:15 pm)FatAndFaithless Wrote: I'd just ask him..what about the beliefs he holds in his religion that...can't be tested (or verified or falsified) by investigation? What basis would he have for holding those beliefs, and isn't accepting a conclusion before sufficient evidence has been provided...kind of the definition of unscientific?
I suspect the religious beliefs he holds are on par with beliefs we hold about who we are and what we value. True "faith" is about embracing the truth as you find it. Religious "belief" tend to be more specific. Belief is at odds with faith. I think most atheists are more faithful in the sense of being open to the truth/reality as we find it. The downfall of atheists tends to come from adopting a "nothing-but" stance. The trick is to embrace all kinds of truth, intra-personal as well as inter-personal, while knowing where and how each applies. You can't and shouldn't ignore the observer (you) any more than you do empirical observations. A full life needs to include both.
Theists stop at belief in doctrine rather than remaining faithful to the truth they humbly do not fully possess. I wonder if atheists who take a nothing-but empirical evidence stance are also afraid of something.
