From: posting-system@google.com Sent: Monday, January 07, 2002 3:16 PM To: brian@holtz.org Subject: Re: On Perception of Reality From: brian@holtz.org (Brian Holtz) Newsgroups: alt.atheism.moderated Subject: Re: On Perception of Reality References: <20011127232822.22639.00002141@mb-mj.aol.com> <29c16047.0112122206.566c667e@posting.google.com> NNTP-Posting-Host: 12.236.1.8 Message-ID: <29c16047.0201071515.1eba77e5@posting.google.com> "Jim Humphreys" wrote > > Faith is belief based on revelation and exempt from doubt. > > > False. Religious belief does not have to be based on revelation, > but may be based on reasoned argument ( the approach > of natural theology). Your statement only makes mine false if "religious belief" is the same thing as "faith", which it is not. I would define religion as any system of belief based on faith or mysticism, or involving worship of or reverence for a deity. > Nor is true to say that faith is > exempt from doubt- indeed there is a vast religious > literature which deals with doubt as it affects belief I didn't say that people who have faith never have any doubts. What I said is that people who have faith have an authority (text, deity, etc.) whose statements are exempt from doubt. For example, can you name any Christians who hold subject to doubt the statement of John 3:16 that "God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life"? -- brian@holtz.org http://humanknowledge.net