02-13-2022, 02:16 AM
From this thread I have learned that I am what can be called an “agnostic theist”, and I am fine with that. Still, I don’t expect that I’ll be wearing a tee shirt anytime soon proclaiming it.
As Aristotle pointed out so long ago, “the whole is more than the sum of its parts.” I base my belief in God on that, while not subscribing to any religious dogma or doctrine. I do not argue that belief, it is simply my belief.
Science will forever pursue knowledge of the parts, knowing that most answers will present further questions. As science progresses, it can even pull religions forward, with many now accepting at least part of the science of evolution, for example.
I can stand among a congregation and feel the power of everyone saying the Lord’s Prayer in unison. I can stand among a group of people singing “we all live in a yellow submarine” and feel that same power.
I know atheists who feel the glory of the world around them every bit as powerfully as my religious friends do. I have seen atheists and folks from various faith traditions all work together to help neighbors in need.
I am old enough now to appreciate, and be comfortable with, anyone willing to engage his or her fellow humans with respect, empathy, and compassion.
With a nod to ee cummings:
'since feeling is first
who pays any attention
to the syntax of things
will never wholly kiss you;
wholly to be a fool
while Spring is in the world
my blood approves,
and kisses are better fate
than wisdom
lady i swear by all flowers. Don't cry
- the best gesture of my brain is less than
your eyelids' flutter which says
we are for each other: then
laugh, leaning back in my arms
for life's not a paragraph
And death i think is no parenthesis'
ee cummings, first published by Boni and Liveright, 1926
As Aristotle pointed out so long ago, “the whole is more than the sum of its parts.” I base my belief in God on that, while not subscribing to any religious dogma or doctrine. I do not argue that belief, it is simply my belief.
Science will forever pursue knowledge of the parts, knowing that most answers will present further questions. As science progresses, it can even pull religions forward, with many now accepting at least part of the science of evolution, for example.
I can stand among a congregation and feel the power of everyone saying the Lord’s Prayer in unison. I can stand among a group of people singing “we all live in a yellow submarine” and feel that same power.
I know atheists who feel the glory of the world around them every bit as powerfully as my religious friends do. I have seen atheists and folks from various faith traditions all work together to help neighbors in need.
I am old enough now to appreciate, and be comfortable with, anyone willing to engage his or her fellow humans with respect, empathy, and compassion.
With a nod to ee cummings:
'since feeling is first
who pays any attention
to the syntax of things
will never wholly kiss you;
wholly to be a fool
while Spring is in the world
my blood approves,
and kisses are better fate
than wisdom
lady i swear by all flowers. Don't cry
- the best gesture of my brain is less than
your eyelids' flutter which says
we are for each other: then
laugh, leaning back in my arms
for life's not a paragraph
And death i think is no parenthesis'
ee cummings, first published by Boni and Liveright, 1926