Justice came up in the discussion a few days ago on What makes one person more caring than another? and it’s been one of those topics that keeps popping up everywhere I look lately. In an email exchange recently, a Christian (who does not post here) sent me an essay about naturalistic vs. theistic bases for morality,
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Last week, Benjamin posted this response to something I said about belief in the afterlife:
(quick update added by Helen: in comment #2 Benjamin mentions that it was actually his wife Meg who posted this question, not him)
it seems to me that, to believe or not believe anything takes similar risk, leap, assumption, faith!
Thanks for bringing this up, Benjamin, it’s a great topic. I wanted to offer the viewpoint of a skeptic (me) on it, but I didn’t have a chance last week. Thanks to Helen for allowing me to get back to it.
So, do belief and nonbelief in the afterlife require similar “leaps of faith”? Very simply: No.
Let me explain. I said I’m a skeptic. What’s a skeptic?
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I thought it was time I interviewed myself. It seems only fair, since here I am hoping other people will complete the interview. (You can read all our online interviews here).
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In comment #28 on Are we “graciously” encouraging people away from Jesus, JG wrote:
Posted in Comments from others | 17 Comments »I agree with you 100% that there are many people who have no religious faith but who care deeply about other people and about the world around them.
But there are also people who appear to be very selfish and who think only of themselves.
Why do you think there is this difference? What makes one person more caring than another? What makes one person care more about MTWABP than other people?
Leaving faith aside, scientifically, how does this difference arise? And how does this difference link in to evolution?
In comment #26 on “Are we graciously encouraging people away from Jesus?” Jeff wrote (bold emphasis mine):
No, I don’t mean the protest. From the many different comments I’ve read about Driscoll, it seems to me that the majority of those who have issues with him do indeed think he is inflicting eternal harm, at least potentially. If this is not so, I do not understand the links to sites about recovery from spiritual abuse, for example. If he is spiritually abusing people then it would appear to follow that this abuse has temporal and eternal consequences if it is indeed spiritual in nature. In light of certain doctrines regarding salvation, I agree with you. No person can ultimately thwart God’s intentions for someone.
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Note: the current sidebar poll goes with this blog entry
Andrew recently expressed some concerns about Conversation at the Edge on his blog, Moved Mountains. Andrew specifically mentioned the comments discussion on Giving God a second chance as concerning him. Here’s part of what he wrote:
Posted in Comments from others | 47 Comments »[M]ost of my struggles with OTM relate to the stuff being “dealt with” at “Conversations”. I think I understand what is being attempted there, but I guess some of the postings really do just grate against my good ol’ conservative background. It is easy for me to forget that there is a whole lot of life and interaction and talking and thinking going on beyond the posts I read on the blog. But I seem to find myself worrying, at times, that in some places the gospel ends up falling through the cracks in an effort to accomodate “everyone’s” views. And this concerns me because I am concerned for those who might get the wrong end of the “relativity” stick and be “graciously” encouraged down a path that leads away from relationship with Jesus rather than toward it.
Since tomorrow is a holiday for many of us, I’m posting a video today.
If you want to talk about Thanksgiving here are some places on our blogs where you can do that:
To those who celebrate it, happy Thanksgiving!
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Mike O and Siamang are now posting on the eBay atheist blog (that’s our other blog for conversation between atheists, Christians, and everyone else). If you haven’t visited there lately, go check it out!
Posted in General Conversation | Comments OffRick Warren is pastor of Saddleback, a megachurch in California. His church is hosting a global summit on AIDS and the church next week.
Senator Barack Obama is one of the invited speakers. This has caught the attention of The New York Times and also conservative Christian talk show host Kevin McCullough, who is asking:
Why is Obama’s evil in Rick Warren’s pulpit?
Kevin McCullough is urging people to call Saddleback and express their concerns:
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This Thursday is Thanksgiving Day in the US – a national holiday. I think I’ve heard that more Americans travel (to be with friends and/or family) on Thanksgiving Day than any other time of the year.
If you live in the US:
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