@individual......why do you appear to equate atheism with "lefties"....US christian neocons are the greatest hypocrits on earth...either that or the eyes of needles are much bigger there....humanism=empathy......without imaginary sky friends.....

Jesus said it was not a good idea to throw pearls at swine.

'(Mat 7:6) Do not give that which is holy to the dogs; nor cast your pearls before swine, lest they trample them under their feet and turn again and tear you. '

There seems to be something of a disconnect here, Mr Sellick.

First you assert that:

"When we say that Christian faith is supernatural we mean that it may not be found in nature but may be found in the historical, in culture and art and literature and worship."

Ok, so we can discard the traditional meaning of supernatural. But then you go on to say:

"the truth and wisdom of ages, the accumulated experience of peoples, the Holy One of Israel who is hidden in deep darkness, and lastly personified in the man Jesus"

Having subtracted the supernatural from the existence of Jesus, where do you place the "miracles" that he was reportedly involved in? Surely they form the supernatural core of what he is supposed to separate him from the rest of us guys.

Or have I somehow misunderstood you?

It wouldn't be the first time.

I envy other blogs that attract reasonable and informed comments. What is it with mine that I attract the usual knee jerk interlocutors who have obviously not read my stuff?

Saying prayers before lectures at secular universities is of course a joke. But it is a joke with a background to it. My theological lecturer beginning with prayer changed what we thought our role was as students. Our role was to glorify god not ourselves. We sat under an authority higher than the intellectual achievements of either the lecturer or our own. We were part of a bigger think that our own ambitions.

Is that not a good thing to aim at in secular universities that are increasingly reduced to degree factories with students not interested in the life of the intellect but only in what will be in the exam?

There is no way that the secular university can promote these goals that are essential to the intellectual life. This is because there is no transcendent goal or authority.

Transcendent is, by the way, that which we do not produce but receive. A good poem is properly described as transcendent because it is not available to our ordinary rationality.

Why do we not produce interesting atheists? All we have is the same old prejudice masquerading as thought. "Friends in the sky", "the flying spaghetti monster" "superstitious rot"

You need to do better. Read some proper atheists, there were plenty in the 19th C. Give me something to argue against.

Peter Sellick

'I envy other blogs that attract reasonable and informed comments.'

Perhaps they have better content. The comments I think reflect the quality of the argument presented.

Look at some of the Hate Mail and other religious discussion on the FSM site and it is far superior to this schtick you've go going on here.

http://www.venganza.org/category/hate-mail/

http://www.venganza.org/category/sightings/

He's also protecting our children.
http://www.venganza.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/DSCF1285.jpg

Ramen.

Dear Peter,

The Yoga Sutras of Patanjali (chapter 1, verse 33) prescribe:

By cultivating feelings of friendship toward the happy, compassion toward the unhappy, joy toward the virtuous, and indifference toward the wicked, the mind becomes purified and calm.

So please don't allow the undeserving to make you unhappy - in friendship and joy, please keep up your good work.