I'm not sure whether anyone has mentioned this or not but I am curious. I'm sure most, if not all of you, have had what might be described by some as 'spiritual' experiences in which you have been transported to a 'realm' of joy or ecstasy or 'wholeness' by some art form-music, dance,painting, sculpture- or by a sexual experience or by an intensely loving contact or perhaps through an intellectual experience or connection with nature.
How do these experiences fit into your 'scheme of things'? Do you attribute them to neurological activity? Do you find them the exception and therefore not worth explaining? Are they somehow part of the intellectual reflexive self-examination that you may be discussing? Selma ----- Original Message ----- From: "Ed Weick" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: "Brad McCormick, Ed.D." <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Cc: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Sent: Sunday, May 19, 2002 8:41 AM Subject: Re: Why do I write? -- On agnosticism > It's Sunday, so it's probaly OK to pursue the God theme on this list. Not > tomorrow though, because we Canadians imagine it to be the Queen's birthday. > > Brad, it wasn't me that proposed that we should be agnostic, it was Arthur. > But I do agree with him, and I also agree that we should spend less time > speculating on the nature of our being than on using that being to make > ourselves helpful to others while we are here (wherever that is). And I > agree with you that cynics should be sent to the deepest circle of Hell. > However, agnostics are not cynics, they're skeptics. If you can demonstrate > something to them, they will accept it. Cynics, on the other hand, will > find a way to deny it, unless of course they undergo some kind of instant > conversion. As I'm sure you have, I've known cynics, and they are very > unpleasant people. I've also known converted cynics. They are equally > unpleasant because they now see the truth, the whole truth and nothing but > the truth. > > Ed > > Ed Weick > 577 Melbourne Ave. > Ottawa, ON, K2A 1W7 > Canada > Phone (613) 728 4630 > Fax (613) 728 9382 > > ----- Original Message ----- > From: "Brad McCormick, Ed.D." <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > To: "Ed Weick" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > Sent: Sunday, May 19, 2002 7:11 AM > Subject: Re: Why do I write? -- On agnosticism > > > > Ed Weick wrote: > > > > > > > I don't say there is nothing out there. As you know the only > > > intellectually > > > > respectable position is to be an agnostic. > > > > Unless, of course, G-d has appeared in one's > > immediately experienced life, which is at least > > conceivable. > > > > Therefore, I propose that the true and rigorous agnosticism > > is not merely to leave in abeyance the empirical status of > > G-d's existence, but rather to maintain a radical critical > > stance toward G-d's "goodness" and deservance of being obeyed, > > etc. G-d may or may not exist, but even granting G-d does > > exist, that does not relieve each of us of the responsibility > > to account for our attitude toward G-d, as established no > > later than the WWII Nuremberg War Crimes trial. > > > > As George W Bush says, second guessing has become > > second nature to the Democrats, so we cannot judge > > Abraham too harshly for having obeyed orders. > > > > > Having said that, I say let's > > > > forget about afterlife paradise and/or whether there is an edge to the > > > > universe, space and time and try to make the lot of people marginally > > > better > > > > while they are alive on earth. > > > > The way I look at it, If there is a good G-d, when Pascal > > arrives at the induction station, and G-d asks > > Pascal why he believed "just in case", and Pascal replies > > that he figured he was hedging his bets, G-d will > > immediately triage Pascal to eternal damnation > > in that low level of hell reserved for the cynical. > > > > > > > > > > arthur > > > > > > > > > > to that I say "Amen!". > > > > "New situations teach new duties; new knowledge makes > > old wisdom uncouth" (from an Anglican hymn we sang in Chapel > > @ prep school) > > > > \brad mccormick > > > > > > > > Ed Weick > > > > -- > > Let your light so shine before men, > > that they may see your good works.... (Matt 5:16) > > > > Prove all things; hold fast that which is good. (1 Thes 5:21) > > > > <![%THINK;[SGML+APL]]> Brad McCormick, Ed.D. / [EMAIL PROTECTED] > > ----------------------------------------------------------------- > > Visit my website ==> http://www.users.cloud9.net/~bradmcc/ >
