From: Ronn!Blankenship <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Reply-To: Killer Bs Discussion <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: Killer Bs Discussion <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Subject: Twenty (or so) Questions, was Re: Plonkworthy? Date: Wed, 11 Jun 2003 09:04:49 -0500
At 12:25 AM 6/10/03 -0400, Erik Reuter asked:
<lots of snippage throughout>
Is there more than one God? What happens when two omnipotent Gods want two different things?
If there is more than one being who holds the office of "God", why wouldn't they cooperate rather than compete?
IMO, your answer doesn't really answer the question though. If the God of the Assyrians says that every Babylonian should be killed, and the God of the Babylonians says every Assyrian should be killed, who's right? It's all well and good to say "why wouldn't they cooperate", but that doesn't always happen. Tonight, on WWF Smackdown....
To take it one step further, here's a good example with regards to food. Let's call it the Cow Paradox. Hindus say their God(s) say that cows are sacred and should never be eaten. Jews say their God says that cows are not sacred and can be eaten at any time except on fast days as long as they are killed in a specified manner. Catholics believe that their God says that cows can be eaten any time except Lent, no matter how they are killed.
Which God is correct, and which are smoking cow patties? These are contradictory statements. They cannot be waved away with the comment 'they're all correct' because that's an illogical conclusion based on the available evidence. Either cows are sacred or they are not.
I think, although I could be wrong, that this is where Erik was going with his question. Am I right?
Which part(s) of the Bible are fundamental teachings of God and which (if any) are just stories?
I suspect that there are some parts which qualify as both, as Jesus often used parables to teach important truths when He was preaching while He was here in mortality.
So are the "Bible Literalists", the Baptist sects of Christianity, wrong in your opinion?
Can you explain why a survey published in the September 1999 issue of Scientific American found that 90% of Americans believe in a personal god and life after death, but only 40% of scientists (people with at least a B.S. degree in a scientific field) believe in these phenomena?
Nope. Certainly not without the survey in front of me to study its methodology. A lot of the scientists I know personally belong to the 40% group, but of course that could be selection bias.
A while back I remember reading a story about a website where scientists who believe in God and spirituality could connect and voice their views without fear of being ostracized by the scientific community. If it's still around, when I get more time, I'll post it to the list.
Jon
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