The Forum > Article Comments > On being human > Comments
On being human : Comments
By Peter Sellick, published 25/5/2009If you want to 'make a difference' join a church, be baptised and raise your children in that community.
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The primary meaning of the word “suggest” is “to call an idea to present itself”: What most people would assume. One secondary meaning is, “propose (theory, plan, ‘that’) for acceptance or rejection” (OED). In the latter case, we can have, “There is a wide spread belief (held), which suggests that God actually exists": In the first case, we have the existence of Personal God “presenting itself” on the belief. Alternatively, what actually exists is, “the wide spread belief in a Personal God”. The suggestion is the belief exists. It’s a bit like that young women, old hag illusion. One doesn’t easily see the ambiguity at first.
The respondents seem to assume that question is about the existence of God. [I would] Trav is saying that question is about "the belief in the existence of God”, not the existence of God and assumes others have read the question as he has.
Trav,
Adams dilutes the meaning of Cognitive Dissonance. Cognitive dissonance isn't so-much, you like being a Christian but don’t like tithing: Rather, you first believe that if you do tithe you will receive satisfaction. Subsequently, you do tithe, but receive no satisfaction. [I studied three-plus years of psychology in my undergraduate days. Religion was mentioned only in passing]
Incidentally, according to the dead seas scrolls, tithing included working/living as an indigent, not merely giving away money. Presumably, to show humility:
Yet, I don’t see too many bishops living in the park and eating from baggage bins one day a week. Here, the bishops decision to not follow that practise because is the bishops don’t want to. That isn’t cognitive dissonance, either. On the other hand, if Cardinal Pell slept one day-a-week under a park-bench and was satisfied with his act of humility, cognitive dissonance would not exist, for this act.
Trav, how would you answer following question?
“The widespread belief there is no Christian God suggests that a Christian God does not exist.”
- Agree/Disagree?
Also,
- Why is the insect world so cruel? Whose plan does the insect world follow? Would an extant god allow this cruelty?