Jon, Liat,
with "leaving the God-question open", I did not mean, whether God exists or not, but the choice between pantheism, panentheism, and theism, and also "special" revelation (hell, original sin,....). I am happy to read from you, that Peirce denied the certainty of such special revelations. Do (proper) christians really believe, that the bible is the words of God? I mean, the chapters are named after their authors, who are not God. So the bible clearly is secondary literature. I know one who says that the bible is the very word of God, but she is very orthodox. I am glad Peirce didn´t.
Best, Helmut
Helmut, List:
Gnosticism is considered to be a heresy by orthodox Christians, including Augustine and Luther. The doctrines that you mentioned are derived from the text of the Bible itself, which Christians believe to be the very Word of God--special revelation, the kind embraced by all the "Religions of the Book." As I have pointed out before, Peirce did not deny the possibility of such revelation, only its certainty (CP 1.143, c. 1897); but he was much more interested in general revelation and natural theology, the latter being a term that he used in several drafts of his "Neglected Argument" article and its "Additament" (R 842-844, 1908).
Accordingly, Peirce did not "leave the God-question open," he reframed it. "[I]t is unscientific to inquire whether there be a God; the only rational question being what sort of God there is ... it is far more consonant with the method of science to formulate the problem by asking what sort of a mind God is" (CP 8.168, 1902). "[I]f contemplation and study of the physico-psychical universe can imbue a man with principles of conduct analogous to the influence of a great man's works or conversation, then that analogue of a mind ... is what he [the pragmaticist] means by 'God'" (CP 6.502, c. 1906).
Regards,
Jon Alan Schmidt - Olathe, Kansas, USA
Structural Engineer, Synechist Philosopher, Lutheran Christian
On Thu, Aug 21, 2025, 5:50 PM Helmut Raulien <[email protected]> wrote:
Jon, List,I fully agree with what you wrote. We may (or even "must") have a direct perception of God. We just can't see the forest for the trees. But isn´t this view a contradiction to gnosticism and its influence to christianity at e.g. Augustinus and Luther? All these from dull to frightening dogmas about two realms, hell, original sin, and the like?Best, Helmut
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