tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20896717.post8734711486242252396..comments2024-01-25T00:50:10.679-05:00Comments on Thoughts from a Sandwich: Do you think like an outlier?DagoodShttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04557451438888314932noreply@blogger.comBlogger9125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20896717.post-29652246982100601742009-09-23T05:49:41.886-04:002009-09-23T05:49:41.886-04:00I think TMM might not understand that we don't...I think TMM might not understand that we don't trust *anyone*, not just Christians. It's just that scientists and other types know they're not trusted, they're cool with it and not defensive, and they offer good arguments to overcome our skepticism.Larry Hamelinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08788697573946266404noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20896717.post-1585164107733679152009-09-21T13:16:58.815-04:002009-09-21T13:16:58.815-04:00Testing again -- it has ignored my 4 last comments...Testing again -- it has ignored my 4 last commentsLorenahttp://exfundy.wordpress.com/noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20896717.post-83837071106303766082009-09-21T09:15:50.421-04:002009-09-21T09:15:50.421-04:00Wordpress...testing 1 2 3.Wordpress...testing 1 2 3.Zoehttp://changingscenery.wordpress.com/noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20896717.post-687714236209410572009-09-18T14:45:02.704-04:002009-09-18T14:45:02.704-04:00Did that change it?Did that change it?DagoodShttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04557451438888314932noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20896717.post-46788030795870006242009-09-18T12:52:23.484-04:002009-09-18T12:52:23.484-04:00I tried commenting with the Wordpress icon and it ...I tried commenting with the Wordpress icon and it didn't use my nickname (it posted <b>ex-fundy</b>). <br /><br /><a href="http://exfundy.wordpress.com/" rel="nofollow">Lorena</a><br /><br />---<br />Any chance you could enable the name-plus-URL commenting option? That way I can enter my name and URL no problem, without using the blogger profile.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20896717.post-80647463763526157322009-09-18T12:40:07.221-04:002009-09-18T12:40:07.221-04:00Thank you for the awesome post, quite enjoyable an...Thank you for the awesome post, quite enjoyable and educational.<br /><br />As for the believer who says you don't trust Christians, he is partly right, I think, showing at the same time that many Christians see a bi-colour world: black and white.<br /><br />He wants you to believe his hearsay, and you can't 'cause he has no proof, then he transfers your distrust to all-things Christian.<br /><br />Then there is the issue of self-righteousness (of which I may write soon). Because they're speaking on behalf of their God, in a weird sort of way they feel they should be listened to, respected, and believed, as if they were God in the flesh.<br /><br />They have a hard time believing that such higher authority--themselves--isn't believed. I dare to call that attitude "The God complex."Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20896717.post-15984079485364526622009-09-17T06:54:25.232-04:002009-09-17T06:54:25.232-04:00"DagoodS, I really believe this comment illus..."DagoodS, I really believe this comment illustrates your true problem with Christianity. It isn’t intellectual, although I am sure you firmly believe it is. You cannot bring yourself to believe that a Christian could be being genuine with you. If it is Christian in any way shape or form, you do not trust it. You do not trust my intentions. You do not trust any writings written by Christian authors to be giving you reliable information."<br /><br />I think this guy is sort of close to the truth, but he has the characters reversed. What he/she has identified is the crux of why he/she does not "prove" the claim. To his/her way of thinking his/her belief is not a question of proof, but a question of being genuine. I.e., if you really, really want to know this belief is true, you will know it. You only have to be "genuine." You don't have to think critically to ascertain the truth.<br /><br />If all that is necessary to know the truth is the belief that someone is genuine, then all religions can make the same claim. For that matter, anyone with a belief could say the same. <br /><br />The purpose for examining and scrutinizing claims is to determine if they are "genuine."paulhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04437206493901034134noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20896717.post-21604637448816210972009-09-15T15:03:26.203-04:002009-09-15T15:03:26.203-04:00Or they might give the well-worn response "Wh...Or they might give the well-worn response "Why would the early church lie about how the apostles died? They couldn't have thought they could get away with it."<br /><br />To which I would reply "Why did the U.S. Army lie about how Pat Tillman died? They must have thought they could get away with it."<br /><br />In both cases, the stories were invented for propaganda purposes. I don't even think the inventors of the stories saw them as lies since they communicated the essential truths about the character of those who had died.Vinnyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08955726889682177434noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20896717.post-87622534292350751892009-09-15T14:45:46.400-04:002009-09-15T14:45:46.400-04:00"But what if we placed the shoe on the other ..."<i>But what if we placed the shoe on the other foot? What if we told the conservative position: “YOU prove it! You demonstrate Paul was killed by beheading in Rome.” I would think they might discover how weak the evidence is for such a claim.</i>"<br /><br />They might, but I think the conversation would at that point quickly shift to a different angle of apologetics. "What do you think it is in your heart which causes you to reject the story?" Or something like that. *Anything* to avoid cognitive disonance. The category of "outlier" at that point could almost be interpreted to mean, "that which I don't believe." Maybe they should just say, "Your belief is an outlier to my personal belief." It might not seem to them to carry as much weight though...atimetorendhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10563649474540441597noreply@blogger.com