John M wrote:
> Brent,
>
> as usual, you have hard replies. Just one exception:
> I do not mean 'each and individual mindset' as the term 'belief system',
> but this is hard to explain. Most scientifically educated westerners -
> or many religious faithfuls can argue among themselves. I never tried to
> speculate about identifying what constitutes a 'different belief
> system', but 'system' must be more than just shades of individual
> differentiation in the details.
>
> John M
If you don't mean something individual by "belief system", but rather some
general summary of what a group of people think, then individuals within that
"belief system" will have a variety of views. Some will have some views in
conflict with the belief system. And some can have their views changed by
argument. People are converted from Christianity to atheism everyday. And
rational argument plays a large part in this. Most theists are also rational
people who want to have beliefs that are coherent and consistent with empirical
observation. When they become sufficiently uncomfortable with conflicts
between Church teachings and science and they may simply stop thinking about it
and rely on faith - or if they are theologians they may assign tortured
meanings to words to avoid the conflict - or they may reject those aspects of
Church teaching that are empirically wrong and become agnostics or atheists.
I notice that you frequently imply that there is something wrong with "the Big
Bang"; but you have never, so far as I know, provided an argument or any
evidence for this opinion. Instead you imply that those with a contrary view
are just too obtuse to see other possibilities. This shows a certain contempt
for your readers.
Brent Meeker
"Atheism is a belief system the way "Off" is a TV channel."
--- George Carlin
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