Quote:
Originally posted by Stiltzkin
1.) Every religion claims to be right
2.) Every religion claims that the other religions are wrong
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When asked "how do you know?", you can always argue for hours on end, but when you do reach the end, they always use the same trumpcard: "I've felt [insert holy figure] inside of me/felt their presence. You haven't felt it, this is why you do not believe." Could it simply be that all these religious people are all wrong, and none of them are right?
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And what if none of them are wrong, and all of them are right? I know to some people this may seem a cop-out, an easy answer, but as someone who's spent a lot of time wrestling with the question of the existence of god, I ask you to think about it for a little bit. One of the things that turned me (and I suspect many others) off from the faith I was raised in (Baptist Christianity) was the sheer exclusivity of it. Why is it so hard for people to people to accept the idea of inclusionary religions? The sheer variety of people living varied lives, happily living in the face of astounding contradictions guarantees we can never all believe the same thing. Assuming that there is a god, and we are created in his image, isn't it possible that this is no accident?
There is empirical evidence that there is no god. I've read very logical arguments against his existence. However, I've seen god, and I'd be betraying myself not to trust my own observations over the arguments of the smartest people on earth any day of the week. If you choose not to agree with me, it makes no difference to me at all. What I saw argues for inclusiveness in belief beyond any doubt I may have. I have no interest in the idea of organized religion; it seems silly to me, but if it does it for you, who am I to argue. I'm just one thread in a tapestry, reflected and reflecting; I have little interest in judgment.
And before someone points it out, I will admit that I do find it hard to incorporate the idea of atheism into this notion of inclusiveness. But to be frank, it's not something I've spent a lot of time trying to incorporate.
As an aside, I noticed someone brought up the "Creation vs. Evolution" in this post. I've always been amused that of all the people I've talked about these things with, and some of them were very smart, not a one of them could even conceive of a third alternative, or a fourth, etc.