Leonard, Philly, Albert and Greta have really gotten me thinking about faith, fear and how we interact with and perceive one another in light of our different viewpoints on God (faith or no).  If you are coming to the conversation in the middle, the comments I am referring to are those connected to two posts, I Was Never a Real Atheist and Is Conversion Possible?  The conversation also continued on commenter PhillyChief’s site with two posts, We Don’t Need No Stinkin’ Zeros and I Find that Hard to Believe.
On this site, Albert the Abstainer chimed in yesterday with a beautifully written and thought provoking comment. He writes: 


There is the unfathomable. It is something we can probably agree upon, as this word keeps coming up. The major differences between an atheist and someone who believes in God, is that the atheist is able to apprehend and reflect upon the unfathomable without having to put a box around it labeled “God”. 


The believer may make “God” into a talisman, and while not rational, this talisman can be of great value during times of crisis and may provide inspiration. My difficulty is where people become insular and unable to think outside the box. This tends me towards atheism, but then I know via experience a tremendously powerful sense of Presence which tends me towards a faith in the essential wonder of existence. 


This Primary Religious Experience (PRE) can be experiential without the requisite of creating the “God” box. It allows me the freedom to be at home with people of faith and none. So I am smeared between faith and reason, as I know that each has limits. This should not be surprising as the human brain is like a mansion with many rooms, and yet somehow it is still one brain with an emergent identity.


What do you think?

More from Beliefnet and our partners
Close Ad