RoR: Forum

Post 0

Tuesday, November 12, 2013 - 5:55pm

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You should visit the Galt's Gulch Online discussion board.
http://www.galtsgulchonline.com/

You will meet more than a few Christians who claim both egoism and reason.

It is true that some religious people accept their belief as a matter of faith alone. Mostly, religious people claim some reasons for their belief. Easily, they ask how did everything get here? And "god" answers that. You can come back with infinite regressions, but they will just draw the line at the First Cause, the Unmoved Mover, or whatever. Something was first. That is a reason to believe.

You and I understand that differently than they do. My point is only that few people actually believe without any proof. Hebrews 11:1 - "Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen." Few people have that kind of faith. Mostly, they claim reasons.

I agree with what you wrote as a matter of mental health for the individual. Efficient thinking liberates potential. Contradictions spill over.

Post 1

Tuesday, November 12, 2013 - 10:30pm

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My point is only that few people actually believe without any proof. Hebrews 11:1 - "Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen." Few people have that kind of faith. Mostly, they claim reasons.

To "claim" reasons, is NOT the same as reasoning. And to use the word "proof" as it was used in Marotta's post is to misunderstand what the word means. The whole point is that faith, revelation, emotionalism, rationalizing... are all ways people avoid bringing reason to a possible contradiction. None of those can produce "proof."

Post 2

Tuesday, November 12, 2013 - 10:35pm

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Joe,

Excellent article!

Religion is bound up with morality. Religion requires faith. Religious content, morality, and epistemology all tend to spill over and taint secular areas. Some people give their lives over to religion. Sometimes deeply religious people will say or do nearly anything to convert others - religion often calls for proselytizing and too often breeds intolerance.

I mention all of that because Progressivism exhibiting characteristics similar to religiosity. Big government devotees too often treat their views as sacred - as moral requirements. Their demands for conformity spill over to all areas, even to ways of thinking - political correctness, and end up spilling everywhere.

From my point of view... when they reach a certain intensity, religious practices and political collectivism are both mental disorders at their root, in addition to being toxic for society.