***Do you see, Harv, why I oppose scientific theism? A scientific outlook on life necessarily leads to a view of the universe where sheer blind, purposeless force is the only agent.***

That's metaphysical naturalism. I don't buy into it.

***From my perspective, our subjective longing for something better is the only evidence, albeit a strong one, that God exists.***

Like Mike said, scratch the 'only' part and then we'd agree.

*** The evidence is not in the world, for the world looks as ungodly, chaotic, and meaningless as this forum.***

I don't get that impression. I struggle to find meaning at times, but I think that's the purpose of life - to struggle to find the meaning that makes life so valuable to each of us.

*** If I'm correct in my beliefs and a loving God is in fact behind reality, then science must necessarily be an illusion as it leads us to the opposite conclusion.***

Science fills me with wonder about God's greatness. I was just reading an article about how geologists are confused why the earth has a magnetic field given that by all accounts the core should have cooled billions of years ago. It just shows the miracle of life of how things we can't even understand in the 21st century must have all been 'just so' in order for so many things to go right.

I think what you confuse about science is that God has made the world that allows humans to fool themselves if they want to. God won't intellectually force us to accept him by the findings of science, we must do that in faith. Although, the support of our faith can be found in science if we are willing to see it that way.

• Really! - aurino_s - May 12, 2003 - 19:20 UTC
  • The need to argue for rationality - harvey1 - May 12, 2003 - 19:56 UTC
    • Common-sense is more important than reason - aurino_s - May 13, 2003 - 18:08 UTC
      • Ha ha - harvey1 - May 13, 2003 - 18:13 UTC
        • Hemlock, anyone? - aurino_s - May 13, 2003 - 18:46 UTC
          • No, you can have all of it - something - May 13, 2003 - 21:28 UTC
          • And here... - quiet - May 13, 2003 - 21:50 UTC
          • I can explain - dolphin - May 14, 2003 - 09:48 UTC
            • Please don't! - aurino_s - May 14, 2003 - 13:50 UTC
              • By the way, Souza, Mike Pearson is not Alan - quiet - May 14, 2003 - 15:01 UTC
                • ??? - dolphin - May 15, 2003 - 05:23 UTC
                  • Excellent - quiet - May 15, 2003 - 05:43 UTC
              • Aurino..... - dolphin - May 15, 2003 - 05:21 UTC
                • Alan... - aurino_s - May 15, 2003 - 13:18 UTC
                  • thank you - dolphin - May 16, 2003 - 03:26 UTC
                    • Anytime! - aurino_s - May 16, 2003 - 17:51 UTC
      • Common Sense is Intuitive Reason - blaine_steinert - May 24, 2003 - 16:14 UTC