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Subject: 
Re: Libertarian debate in danger of pollution (was Re: Will Libertopia cause the needy to get less?
Newsgroups: 
lugnet.off-topic.debate
Date: 
Thu, 30 Nov 2000 15:38:24 GMT
Viewed: 
1242 times
  
In lugnet.off-topic.debate, John Neal writes:

Here is where I think the "intellectuals" stumble:  Say for argument's sake
that there actually is a God who created us all.  This God is unseen because
it is infinite and cannot be comprehended by finite beings.

  Given your assumption, I would certainly agree that the infinite is
incomprehensible by the finite.

Now, how could an intellectual or a scientist ever hope to believe this God
exists?

  Don't put yourselves (as Christians) down; intellectuals and scientists, I
imagine, would believe through Faith just like any other Christian, though I
suspect you're appropriately drawing a distinction between ability to
believe through Faith and the scientific necessity of empircal evidence.
Fair enough, in that case.

Because they can only know to be true what they can prove.  God by
definition is unprovable, but scientists insist upon applying the scientific
method to everything.  Their own intellect becomes their stumbling block.

  Not their intellect, but their blind adherence to dogma (which could be
asserted of some though not all Christians).  I for one am willing to accept
that, whether or not God exists, belief is a matter of Faith, and that no
amount of "proof" will convince a true non-believer, nor will any amount of
"counter-proof" convince a true believer.
  Having said all that, though, one can still subject earthly events, even
supposed miracles far in the past, to empirical scrutiny and evaluate their
validity in those terms.

     Dave!



Message has 3 Replies:
  Re: Libertarian debate in danger of pollution (was Re: Will Libertopia cause the needy to get less?
 
(...) I wouldn't, at least not completely. Finite systems can model infinity, categorise it, draw meaningful conclusions about it, etc. They can even simulate things related to some parts of it. I "comprehend" infinity. But most of these infinities (...) (24 years ago, 30-Nov-00, to lugnet.off-topic.debate)
  Re: Libertarian debate in danger of pollution (was Re: Will Libertopia cause the needy to get less?
 
(...) I agree there. The struggle, if you will, between Science and Christianity is that very drive for emperical evidence to back something up (continuing to play the assumption made by John, even though I believe that God does exist and he is the (...) (24 years ago, 30-Nov-00, to lugnet.off-topic.debate)
  Re: Libertarian debate in danger of pollution (was Re: Will Libertopia cause the needy to get less?
 
(...) This is what perplexes me about fundamentalist religion. Given that God is infinite and transcendent, how can any human claim to have perfect or privileged knowledge of God? How can anyone of faith actually be sure that he or she has found the (...) (24 years ago, 1-Dec-00, to lugnet.off-topic.debate)

Message is in Reply To:
  Re: Libertarian debate in danger of pollution (was Re: Will Libertopia cause the needy to get less?
 
(...) Thank you, Hannibal. (...) You raise good points, Bill, but don't fall into the trap of trying to prove anything about Christ or God, at least to seasoned debaters such as Lar et al. They will eat you for lunch. But that's okay, because we (...) (24 years ago, 30-Nov-00, to lugnet.off-topic.debate)

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