Re: [MLUG - DISCUSSION] More on Pascal's wager [was: Famous atheistchanges his mind]

[Mike Miller <EMAIL:PROTECTED>]

On Tue, 11 Jan 2005, Stephen Montgomery-Smith wrote:

> Rick Buford wrote:
>
>>> This one woman is probably responsible for driving England out of 
>>> France, and had she not done so there is no doubt in my mind that our 
>>> present history would be very very different - for example, I think 
>>> that the present day USA would be completely different in a manner 
>>> that cannot at all be predicted.
>> 
>> While discussing this Joan of Arc, perhaps Hitler would be a good 
>> counterpoint. This man drove France out of France, most of Europe out 
>> of their homes, and given a few more years unchecked, probably would 
>> have conquered the planet. Does this make him a "hand of God" too?
>
> I think Hitler's power could much more easily be attributed to the hand 
> of Satan than to the hand of God.

I could see that one coming.  As you said earlier, Stephen, Joan of Arc's 
success also was attributed to Satan.  Once you allow yourself to accept a 
mystical belief system, everything in life is potentially controlled by 
powerful unseen forces of good and evil.  People who disagree believe that 
there is much more to it than simple disagreement - the opponent has sided 
with the devil!  Today we hear that many Islamic people believe that 
"America is the great Satan," or somesuch (I have to trust the 
translations because I don't speak Arabic!).  Can't we just accept that 
good and bad things happen that we cannot control?  There is never a need 
to evoke metaphysical forces to explain things we don't understand fully.

The history of human progress shows, I think, that casting aside the gods 
and demons in favor of skeptical and scientific perspectives has always 
been a good thing.  We can retain everything that is good in religion 
without the mystical hogwash.  I see Fundamentalism and Literalism, in any 
religion, as a dangerous step backward.  Unitarianism is the sort of thing 
we should be trying to promote within Christianity.

Mike
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