Ritu wrote:
A] Never claimed it was one of the reasons I started believing, just one of the reasons I went back to believing. B] Since you started this thread of with a rebuttal of Dan's statement that you don't have faith, I guess you are either an atheist or an agnostic. In which case, you are not likely to find *any* reason a good reason for believing in a divinity. :) C] The above is fine because I am talking of *my* beliefs, not yours, and therefore, your validation is not required, neither for the beliefs, nor for my reasons for entertaining them. :)
Actually, and I posted about this a few weeks ago, I think that people in general feel a need to be able to understand things and that an imaginary god helps fulfill that need. Contemplating the unknown can be very frightening, and that fear is a valid reason for seeking the security of a god.
I did not mean to imply that my validation was required (or even considered) for your beliefs and am sorry if that came across too strongly. I appreciate your honesty and candor in discussing these most inner, personal thoughts.
I consider myself agnostic and not atheist because while ultimately a god doesn't really answer any of my questions, I believe in possibilities. Thus denying the possibility that some vastly superior entity might exist goes against my nature.
I see progress and wonderful potential too, Doug, but that is not the same as having faith that it is the only direction we are traveling in/we would travel in. And Brin hasn't expressed any such faith, or reason for it, in that essay either. Hope and optimism, yes. Faith in the inevitability of the golden age, no. So you will have to go into greater detail if we are to discuss it any further. :)
I don't recall saying anything about a golden age. My (humble?) faith is only that we will continue to make progress and will not destroy ourselves. Optimisim _is_ faith! I think that we increase our rate of success as more and more people come understand that it is more important to have faith in ourselves rather than in a fictional deity.
-- Doug _______________________________________________ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
