tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9452662.post7733215077863254475..comments2023-11-19T03:28:33.543-05:00Comments on Thoughts on God and Truth: Guilt: a reason to believe?DMhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09417724576079308142noreply@blogger.comBlogger6125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9452662.post-81882112410052179562009-11-29T18:28:55.709-05:002009-11-29T18:28:55.709-05:00Guilt is in direct contradiction with forgiveness....Guilt is in direct contradiction with forgiveness. The fact that Christianity offers forgiveness means that it cannot offer guilt. Guilt is a result of not applying the forgiveness that is offered or failing to realize that is what is offered.<br />The human experience of guilt is not isolated to Christianity. It is recognized by psychologists and it exists in every culture. Therefore, Christians did not create guilt. Rather, they share the discovery of a solution for it.<br />The fact that the human mind can experience this element of conscious memory is a more relevant and basic question. Atheism and scientific naturalism can offer no explanation for consciousness, much less guilt other than it is a helpful delusion to aid the evolutionary process. How guilt would be helpful is an interesting dilemma, but even more importantly, the delusion thesis is unsatisfactory because it provides no basis for any reality. In this line of reasoning, the fact that you believe you can stop feeling guilt is just as likely a delusion as your entire existence. <br /><br />j repAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9452662.post-34963555966651117702009-11-22T18:16:20.998-05:002009-11-22T18:16:20.998-05:00Antony,
It's been a while since I have posted...Antony,<br /><br />It's been a while since I have posted any articles, although I have been meaning to. Perhaps part of the reason is that I am in much more equilibrium in my beliefs. I think I have progressed significantly towards knowing the truth. The following is my assessment. <br /><br />The world is a harsh place and a beautiful place. We're here for a short while and then gone forever. Nothing is guaranteed and nothing lasts forever, but good can be achieved in this life if we pursue it. <br /><br />And what of God? My best estimate is this: He's a projection of ourselves, our ideals and our aspirations into a super-human form. <br /><br />DanielDMhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09417724576079308142noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9452662.post-68586632264949040322009-11-22T08:52:36.954-05:002009-11-22T08:52:36.954-05:00Daniel,
I have been reading your posts since 2006,...Daniel,<br />I have been reading your posts since 2006, but never commented in any of your discussions. I do have two questions for you: Where has your quest for truth and knowledge led you today? Are you closer or further away from God and/or truth you are seeking? Regardless of your choice to answer these questions I appreciate your inputs over the years (as well as others). <br /><br />-AnthonyMerc007https://www.blogger.com/profile/11681932016868517150noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9452662.post-20589205294961573872009-09-28T16:21:33.861-04:002009-09-28T16:21:33.861-04:00Good thoughts. I like your style. Probably becau...Good thoughts. I like your style. Probably because it's very similar to mine. So consider this a narcissistic complement! ;)Josh Foremanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05522491775240272109noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9452662.post-35959397646110063272009-06-18T23:52:47.634-04:002009-06-18T23:52:47.634-04:00Guilt by itself is not a reason to believe, becaus...Guilt by itself is not a reason to believe, because one can feel guilty for not doing something that is wrong, as well as for doing something that is right.<br /><br />Guilt from offending God is different than judging ourselves by our own standards, and more severe the stronger one's faith becomes, because you begin to judge yourself against what you believe God's standards are. The stronger the faith, the more we strive for perfection. You describe it as hypersensitivity, as though it is a weakness... it is not the reason to believe, it is the proof that you believe in standards greater than those you have lived by.<br /><br />But where do the standards which you measure yourself against come from? If we look around at the secular world to decide what is considered 'moral', all will surely find some that don't fit in with our own personal beliefs. You will also find some that you do agree with, so the greater question is, why don't people feel as guilty for breaking widely accepted secular moral codes as they do for breaking those which they believe are God's?<br /><br />I always read people's comments about how Christians tell people they are going to hell, and are going to be judged, etc. but when I read the Bible, I find that Jesus frequenty talks about not judging and how he loves sinners. I see that he does not want us to feel guilt, he wants to release the burden. Personally, it is hard to let go of because the more I strive towards God, the more I see how much he loves me, and I keep having bigger and bigger revelations of how selfish and undeserving I am of his infinite love and mercy. The sacrament of reconciliation provides temporary relief from the cycle, at least until I sin again.<br /><br />I have also found that it brings humility to my life, and has prevented me from declaring that any person or people are going to hell. I also understand how one could think and question that God could be witholding blessings for something that has not been reconciled. I am going through something right now, which has brought me to this site, yet I am clicking away with a renewed belief that God loves me (and you too). Thank you for putting this website up.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9452662.post-6109037856237541152009-06-10T16:42:40.784-04:002009-06-10T16:42:40.784-04:00I can personally attest to the fact that even if y...I can personally attest to the fact that even if you are not a Christian, you can feel guilty for a very long time about a "sin" you committed as a child. I think that has more to do with being very young and having exaggerated beliefs about what's really important, rather than the influence of any religion (I wasn't religious at all growing up).<br /><br />More generally, maybe we humans are just born with a superstitious nature. You can attach the name "Christianity" to it if you want, or if you don't happen to be religious, just call it the silly tendency to assume that bad behavior causes changes to the physical world around you. Is it so much guilt as aggrandizing ourselves? - Thinking that we're so important that if we sin, it's going to rain the next day, or something equally silly?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com