Quote:
Originally posted by kang
You will no doubt answer why my trials and tribulations have not brought me to god with “you have not been chosen.”
|
"No doubt", huh? You make a lot of baseless assumptions. You actually could not be further off on this one. Go ahead and convince yourself you know what I would say to any given point you raise. You have been quite universally wrong up to this point. You are lumping me in with your perceived stereotype of Christians; a stereotype clearly born of theological ignorance mixed liberally with a good deal of prejudice.
Quote:
Originally posted by kang
You say I have closed my mind to the theological answers, but I would say you have closed your mind to the common sense answers.
|
Actually, I think I have adequately demonstrated elswhere that my mind is open to "both" answers. You have demonstrated quite convincingly that yours is not. You divide the "theological" from the "common sense" while readily admitting you don't know one hell of a lot about the theological. You debate a subject in which you have admitted limited knowledge. I guess that doesn't keep you from having well-formed opinions about it, though.
I think I'm gaining some measure of additional insight into what makes the common atheist tick. If you are any example, it appears to be the same thing that makes the common Christian tick. A less than cursory understanding of the basic tenets of "the other side". A somewhat more complete understanding of the basic tenets of "your side", although falling well short of the recognized "experts". An unwillingness to explore "the other side", because you already feel as though you know enough about it to make an informed choice. A respected "leadership" on your side that says the other side is bad. You can't understand all of their justifications for their claims, but you buy into them none the less. Granted, there are those on both sides whose knowledge of both their own and the other side's arguments are either greatly above or below the norm, but I'm addressing the "average Joe". The similarities are remarkable.
Again, if you would like to speak intelligently about theology, like any other somewhat complex topic, it would behoove you to do one thing first. Go learn about it. It is very frustrating to try to carry on a conversation with one who desires to discuss subject matter with which he is not familiar. It really bogs down the whole process. You are making incorrect assumptions, basing challenges upon your own missunderstandings, and finally holding fast to some very unfortunate stereotypes. This topic seems to interest you. Follow that interest and explore it.