Thinking aloud about your faith is fine, Peter, but relise that with 6 billion people alive today there are 6 billion equally valid religions. Atheism isn't everyone's cup of tea, but neither is mysticism or dogma.

"...when we see a rainbow we think of physical mechanism and not the covenant with Noah. This is a disenchanted world. Adherents to this world...will produce no great work of art, not because one is a biologist and the other a philosopher, but because their world is flat."

Statements like this undermine your objectiveness. Are all artists religious? Granted, faith brings inspiration - but the biblical God has no monopoly on faith.

This essay unfortunately makes the same mistake many others make, when assessing their own faith compared to those of another; it is bounded by egocentrism. Runner sums it up rather nicely: "Anyone with an open mind will see that what they read in the bible is reflected in the world."

"Anyone with an open mind will see that what they read in the bible is reflected in the world."

Au contraire,

The world came first, so that it should be "What you see in the world is reflected in the bible"

To Kang, Anti Green and Keiran.

It goes like this.

-Man born blind
-known by all in the community
.... healed by Jesus.. instantly.

Results ?

a) Lots of talk about 'who is this' (Jesus)
b) Cynical disbelief. "As for this man, we KNOW he is a sinner" (Religous leaders)

But it boils down to his response to their final question:

"C'mon.. we know this bloke is a ratbag, who REALLY healed you" ? (updated langauge)

His (updated) reply

"Listen you blokes, as to whether he is a ratbag or not, I dunno, but there is something I do know.. once I was blind...and now I see"

It boils down to each persons cycical disbelief or.. their belief.

Me ? I've already told you I've experienced that 'instant' healing, but whether its an ancient testimony like the blind man, or mine now, its in your court.
You might say "Ah..but if it happened to ME...then I'd believe"...but sadly, no, you wouldnt because it won't happen to unreceptive hearts.

As Jesus' parable about the rich man and Lazarus went concerning the Rich man in hells 5 still living brothers,

Luke16
http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?book_id=49&chapter=16&version=31

29"Abraham replied, 'They have Moses and the Prophets; let them listen to them.'

30" 'No, father Abraham,' he said, 'but if someone from the dead goes to them, they will repent.'

31"He said to him, 'If they do not listen to Moses and the Prophets, they will not be convinced even if someone rises from the dead.' "

COMMENT:
and neither will any person today who's heart is closed.

BOAZ_david: In our studies there is no such thing as ever lasting ever-torturing hell fire. Regards, numbat

Boaz,
You said

"Me ? I've already told you I've experienced that 'instant' healing, but whether its an ancient testimony like the blind man, or mine now, its in your court.
You might say "Ah..but if it happened to ME...then I'd believe"...but sadly, no, you wouldnt because it won't happen to unreceptive hearts"

I would have thought that Paul was a pretty unreceptive heart and according to your bible, it happened to him.

Let see, science used to say that if you take any thing and keep cutting in half ad-infinitum, there will be an end, which they called an atom, made of electrons, neutrons and protons. Now quantum physics says that atom is made up of further particles...eventually leading to an atom existing due to a 'force' existing as energy at the most fundamental, and how this exists will determine the atom, the atom will determine the matter, the matter to what we see, tree, tv, car etc

So if all things we can see, touch and feel is actually a form of energy existing as matter, then the concept of god and his creation is easier to understand, particularly if one understands god exists as a conscious energy with unlimited power over earth and creation...

The only other issue is understanding this god, two ways I think, with your spiritual eye closed or open, very difficult with the eye closed when it becomes a rigid set of rules, with eye open you see the living god and of course the devils in hell and us sandwiched inbetween, us living- part physical and part spirit...then the us-god relationship will naturally develop further and mature on, just like if we were to spend constant time with another person whom we did not know...

An old hindu saying; 'you can see god through either extremes; pure analytical thinking or through pure faith, or combination of both' just keep searching...

Sam