From: “Rowland Croucher”
Newsgroups: aus.religion.christian
Subject: Re: The questions of existence
> “Chris Ho-Stuart” <> wrote in message
> .
> <>
Chris: reasons theists have given for
> > believing in God.
> >
> > Some have an experience which they attribute directly to God, and
> > a personal interaction with God.
Rowland: Others have similar experiences which they attribute to other
> causes/entities…
>
C: Some believe in God because they trust the witness of others (or
> > of the bible) to God’s existence.
>
R: Ditto of anything/anyone beyond our immediate senses…
>
> (The Bible BTW doesn’t set out to prove God’s existence; simply assumes
it -
> see Genesis 1:1)
> >
C: Some believe in God because they infer the existence of a creator
> > from a universe, or other phenomena.
>
R: Includes the notion of a ‘first cause’. (Why can’t there be an infinite
> regression of causes?). Nature? Wot about ‘red in tooth and claw’ – can’t
> see God there…
> >
C: I am not, in any of these threads, attempting to refute theism, or
> > God’s existence; so I am content to present the above as reasons
> > people have for belief, without needing to refute them.
> >
> > On the other hand, I do not myself believe in God, and I do not
> > in fact think any of the above is a particularly good reason for
> > belief.
>
R: I (a Christian) agree…
>
> <>
>
C: However, I am not now a Christian; I am an atheist. I don’t deny
> > my past experience; but I do attribute it to different causes.
>
R: (Raises an interesting question about whether a person is a Christian
‘cos
> they think they are; or not a Christian ‘cos they deny they are… Not
> simple).
>
> ‘Experience’ I agree is a very slippery concept – and dangerous in some
ways
> when used in Christian apologetics… As a counsellor I come across all
> kinds of persons’ ‘peak experiences’ – their aetiology is many and
> various…
>
> <>
>
> As I’ve written here before, it seems to me the best reason for believing
in
> God is proferred less frequently than any other by both theists and
> atheists – Jesus of Nazareth.
>
C: Cheers — Chris
>
R: [Sorry I can't respond more frequently to these interesting threads.
I've
> added a two-day-a-week pastorate to my already full week. But I'm
lurking].
>
> –
>
> Shalom!
>
> Rowland Croucher