(February 23, 2018 at 10:02 am)Astreja Wrote: Well, I've experienced it. My inter-hemisphere communication in my brain is such that if one part of my mind tries to assert something that violates what I know of reality, the other half of the brain refuses to play along and refuses to suspend disbelief. I've tried in the past to have religious faith. It fails every time because I'm fully aware that I'm attempting to lie to myself.
I don't even try anymore, and have not tried for some years now.
I remember attending an Anglican church when I was about 12, and like yourself - it did not appeal to my intellect or reasoning.
I couldn't explain it at the time, but there was an unspoken agenda to have the audience subservient to the cloak behind the altar. I did not buy it.
I am not saying that the SDA church was all OK, it was laboriously dry at times, but occasionally it resonated with me.
Now I know that while most religions claim to worship the Creator, they don't have a word to say about creation, the thing studied by science. Which is really odd, if not negligent. I have yet to hear a sermon on it.
But I wouldn't venture to say that people did not have a proven relationship with God, as I have seen, heard and personally experienced a lot of that.