This ain't no can of beans! It's a can of worms!
I'm just writing this because I want 100 comments on my blog.
You can't argue logic with form; you can't argue form with logic. By form I mean all that isn't defined by reason and tangible evidence. You can't prove God exists using logic; you can't prove God doesn't exist using form. You of all people, Tony, a Pirsig alum, should know this. Conservatives and liberals can't agree because their ideas exist in completely different schools of thought-- their more simplified doctrines concern what role the government has to play, I think, advocating either a strong government to help better the populace or a weak government to allow the populace to better themselves. Objectively, whether or not one idea is the more correct is impossible to say (although I think one party is more correct in how they manifest their ideas in politics).
Chase can't imagine a world with God; Mindy can't imagine a world without God. Who's to say either is correct? Because of the Greeks, we live in world dominated by logic. It's so ingrained in our collective minds that we can't imagine anything without it. Form generally takes a backseat to reason. But that's not to say form doesn't exist. It's been beaten and smothered by classical philosophy, but it still lives in, mostly, aesthetics. What makes a work of art good? What makes a piece of writing good? Music? What generates that feeling of satisfaction, of quality, when we fix a motorcycle, install a stereo system, discover the right enzyme? There's been a lot of scientific research on the subject, but there's never been a consensus on the chemical(s) that triggers a feeling of quality. I'm giving a weak argument for the intangible, but that's because I'm trying to use logic. But I know it exists... because of faith.
What is faith? The answer is so startlingly simple, we can't see it clinging to our eyelashes. It's everything we can't define with logic. That's not "tying up loose ends" or "rationalizing," the only reason it seems that way is because we live in a society dominated by logic and reason. That's why college professors tend to be atheists, because classical education relies on reason to determine whether or not something exists. The educated believe that God cannot exist, but the wise acknowledge the possibility that they can't prove it.
In my opinion, religion is separate from God. Here's my religion. It has two points:
-Lead a happy life.
-Try to get along with other people.
I don't think anyone's going to launch a crusade against me. Those are universal objectives that every successful religion has ever held. Religion (and I'm including atheism, so listen up) is a wonderful thing, except when it gets in the way of that second point. Try to force your beliefs on others? Fly a plane into a building? Start an inquisition? Bomb an abortion clinic? Insult someone else's religion in a condescending tone? You're dishonoring your own beliefs when you do so.
Christianity's not such a bad idea. Jesus was a cool guy, and whether or not you believe he was the son of God, we could all do worse than to try and emulate him a little bit. I think FCA and Student Venture are great organizations. I've been just as guilty as anyone for kind of making fun of them, of Christian rock, of WWJD? bands, but let me tell you, I did when I was at my worst. I'm not in them because I'm not really into "Christian Pop Culture," if you know what I mean. I find church a little confining, a little repetitive, and a little boring. That's not to say everyone who enjoys it is wrong. My church is nature, long car rides, a good book or movie. Those are the times when I feel the closest to what the French call, a certain, I don't know what.
Call it form, call it The Force, call it God, call it quality. Build a cabin in the woods and call it transcendentalism. Revel in the science of DNA, because there is form and beauty in the double helix, after all. Just don't make fun of someone else because they like something different.
Here's my proof that God exists:
I'm just writing this because I want 100 comments on my blog.
You can't argue logic with form; you can't argue form with logic. By form I mean all that isn't defined by reason and tangible evidence. You can't prove God exists using logic; you can't prove God doesn't exist using form. You of all people, Tony, a Pirsig alum, should know this. Conservatives and liberals can't agree because their ideas exist in completely different schools of thought-- their more simplified doctrines concern what role the government has to play, I think, advocating either a strong government to help better the populace or a weak government to allow the populace to better themselves. Objectively, whether or not one idea is the more correct is impossible to say (although I think one party is more correct in how they manifest their ideas in politics).
Chase can't imagine a world with God; Mindy can't imagine a world without God. Who's to say either is correct? Because of the Greeks, we live in world dominated by logic. It's so ingrained in our collective minds that we can't imagine anything without it. Form generally takes a backseat to reason. But that's not to say form doesn't exist. It's been beaten and smothered by classical philosophy, but it still lives in, mostly, aesthetics. What makes a work of art good? What makes a piece of writing good? Music? What generates that feeling of satisfaction, of quality, when we fix a motorcycle, install a stereo system, discover the right enzyme? There's been a lot of scientific research on the subject, but there's never been a consensus on the chemical(s) that triggers a feeling of quality. I'm giving a weak argument for the intangible, but that's because I'm trying to use logic. But I know it exists... because of faith.
What is faith? The answer is so startlingly simple, we can't see it clinging to our eyelashes. It's everything we can't define with logic. That's not "tying up loose ends" or "rationalizing," the only reason it seems that way is because we live in a society dominated by logic and reason. That's why college professors tend to be atheists, because classical education relies on reason to determine whether or not something exists. The educated believe that God cannot exist, but the wise acknowledge the possibility that they can't prove it.
In my opinion, religion is separate from God. Here's my religion. It has two points:
-Lead a happy life.
-Try to get along with other people.
I don't think anyone's going to launch a crusade against me. Those are universal objectives that every successful religion has ever held. Religion (and I'm including atheism, so listen up) is a wonderful thing, except when it gets in the way of that second point. Try to force your beliefs on others? Fly a plane into a building? Start an inquisition? Bomb an abortion clinic? Insult someone else's religion in a condescending tone? You're dishonoring your own beliefs when you do so.
Christianity's not such a bad idea. Jesus was a cool guy, and whether or not you believe he was the son of God, we could all do worse than to try and emulate him a little bit. I think FCA and Student Venture are great organizations. I've been just as guilty as anyone for kind of making fun of them, of Christian rock, of WWJD? bands, but let me tell you, I did when I was at my worst. I'm not in them because I'm not really into "Christian Pop Culture," if you know what I mean. I find church a little confining, a little repetitive, and a little boring. That's not to say everyone who enjoys it is wrong. My church is nature, long car rides, a good book or movie. Those are the times when I feel the closest to what the French call, a certain, I don't know what.
Call it form, call it The Force, call it God, call it quality. Build a cabin in the woods and call it transcendentalism. Revel in the science of DNA, because there is form and beauty in the double helix, after all. Just don't make fun of someone else because they like something different.
Here's my proof that God exists:
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