Star Cluster,
I guess the last line of my previous post kind of sums me up: "Only the weak philosophy fears challenge." But I think I want to revise that for clarity: "Only the weak philosopher fears challenge." I like that better.
I was raised Lutheran, but not aggressively so. I eventually became a person who is skeptical about EVERYTHING, who questions EVERYTHING. I got degrees in English Lit, Visual Arts, Theology, and Integrated Education and became a teacher. I teach at a Christian school, and a conservative one at that.
That said, here is what I believe:
I believe in God, but I daily question all that we, as humans, think we know about him. I even question if he exists or not. I have to; I can't accept ANYTHING without subjecting it to thought and debate. (Which drives my wife batshit.) How can so many people claim on one hand that God is "unknowable" and then in the same breath claim to know everything about him and his will? If God is unknowable, then admit that we don't know a lot about him. Question dogma, because all dogma ever did was suffocate thought. Notice I didn't say reject or abandon dogma, but to question it. If it is true and accurate, it will withstand the questions and doubts, and the undoubted faith is not worth having. An undoubted faith is not faith at all; it is merely habit.
Only dogma that is false need fear criticism or question. To react aggressively towards such attacks is merely to admit you have no faith in them holding up.
I am a Christian because I choose to be one. Because there are things in the faith that speak to me. The moral code of (true) Christianity is a beautiful and elegant philosophy, although at heart it is not original to the Christians.
However, I have no patience for anyone who seeks to control the thoughts and beliefs of others. Far too many Christians do not trust their fellow humans to make decisions for themselves. That's why the Roman church in the Middle Ages refused to allow the people to have direct access to the Bible, but rather forced them to rely on Priests for all information. Just because the Bible is in English now doesn't mean that attitude has changed. Organized religions still seek to shoehorn as many people as possible into a specific, narrow version of faith, one that usually provides the organization with power, influence, and wealth. True people of true faith should resist any attempt by someone else to dictate what they should believe, but should arrive at their beliefs through sober consideration and thought. Debate and exposition is great, but far too often, people resort to coercion and force their beliefs on others. And they tell themselves they are doing it because they “love” the other person and want what’s “best” for them. Having good motivations for performing an immoral act of mental bullying does not excuse it, and I doubt a loving God would accept such behavior in the first place.
Sometimes I think the posts here on FSTDT wander a bit towards the pointless. It is easy to fall prey to mocking and swearing at the quotes posted, secure in the knowledge that the vast majority of us here are like-minded and unlikely to engage in debate. The few times we do get a contrary voice, it is usually either a blatant troll, or the person is simply mocked until they go away. I myself have been guilty of this, but I far prefer it when we avoid ad hominem attacks and instead dissect the ridiculous idea instead of the ridiculous person. At times, we come dangerously close to ideological cannibalism here, all feeding off of each other and adding nothing of value to the debate. A closed system (even a system chiefly of rhetoric) is prone to inbred entropy, and I would be sorry to see that happen here on FSTDT. (After all, so many of the quotes are as amusing as they are disturbing.)
So I guess I am the Christian who fell to earth. Skeptical of everything, willing to listen to any non-hateful idea, and with a mind as broad as Oprah’s thighs.
Sandman
PS
Ann Coulter is a nasty piece of work.
