A long labor day weekend, and I am getting used to the idea that there is nothing pressing. Mass is in a couple of hours and I am drinking coffee and trying to restart a diary. In other words, SSDD.
The war between faith and reason is ongoing in my head. Faith seems to tell me that there is a greater scheme to the whole shebang than just the crap that goes on in the world. Reason tells me that this may well be the whole shebang. Pascal's Wager is a great place to start. In a nutshell it says that if there is a God, believing in him will provide infinite gain upon your death. If you do not believe in him, then it will provide pain upon your death. If there is no god, who cares? With those premises, it makes no sense whatsoever to not believe in God.
What is the hardest thing about the faith is the ritual that attaches itself to faith. At what point does the appearance of morality intersect with the content of morality. Does showing up in church on Sunday really have an effect upon your mortal soul, or is it merely a way to keep people focused. Does the wager on god allow the key to heaven, or does a holy life led without thoughts of God lead to hell?
The war between faith and reason is ongoing in my head. Faith seems to tell me that there is a greater scheme to the whole shebang than just the crap that goes on in the world. Reason tells me that this may well be the whole shebang. Pascal's Wager is a great place to start. In a nutshell it says that if there is a God, believing in him will provide infinite gain upon your death. If you do not believe in him, then it will provide pain upon your death. If there is no god, who cares? With those premises, it makes no sense whatsoever to not believe in God.
What is the hardest thing about the faith is the ritual that attaches itself to faith. At what point does the appearance of morality intersect with the content of morality. Does showing up in church on Sunday really have an effect upon your mortal soul, or is it merely a way to keep people focused. Does the wager on god allow the key to heaven, or does a holy life led without thoughts of God lead to hell?