Finding my religion

Sunset

SMED, JOHN F. (2016) God In the Conversation, Prayer Current, Vancouver.

Quote:

'When it comes to finding a religion people get confused. There are too many options. Religions seem to run in every direction. There is pantheism, New Age, the Dali Lama, agnosticism and atheism - as well as the major world religions. Christianity is divided between Catholics and Protestants - and a hundred varieties within the two. Without a road map, religions diverge and merge, ending up in an undifferentiated tangle.' (33).

The text provides a reasonable answer:

'I know I cannot think my way to God. Prayer connects me with God and put things together.' (35).

This followed up with:

'Do you think you might be interested in the prayer life of Jesus?' (35).

Prayer Current
---

I realize that within Christianity there is also Orthodox and Non-denominational traditions, but the text is informative and like this website, not an exhaustive textbook.

According to the Biblical model, God can only be 'known personally' through revelation. Romans 1: 17 for example. This is contrasted with God being 'known about' which is also discussed in Romans 1.

Romans 1:17

New American Standard Bible (NASB)

17 For in it the righteousness of God is revealed [a]from faith to faith; as it is written, “[b]But the righteous man shall live by faith.”

Footnotes:
a. Romans 1:17 Or by
b. Romans 1:17 Or But he who is righteous by faith shall live

Righteousness and legal justification is provided by Jesus Christ's work of atonement and resurrection to those believers in Christ. It is revealed to those chosen (Romans and Ephesians), those that are believers, and not discovered through reason and speculation alone (although it is reasonable).

Religious speculation can provide some truth, making philosophy of religion a valid academic pursuit. But in at least some agreement with Kant from Critique of Pure Reason and related, in that regard, God can be reasoned as existing, intuitively and/or perhaps Kant would think God can be reasoned by deduction related to morality; although Kant was not a supporter of speculative religious doctrine, as he viewed it. Revelation from God in Scripture and resulting claims made within could perhaps be tied to Kantian concepts and intuition arising from empirical sensations. Kant (1781)(1787)(1929)(2006: 66).

I disagree with Kant in regard to the historical revelation. The infinite can make self reasonably known to the finite. In Scripture, God works through prophets, apostles and scribes. Therefore, Christ’s exclusivity claim of John 14: 6, can be tied to the idea above, as in whatever God reveals would be the exclusive truth and the rest speculation, some true, some false.

This view of Scripture along with prayer would be useful in working through various religious and philosophical worldviews in pursuit of a reasonable explanation and ultimately, the truth.

KANT, IMMANUEL (1781)(1787)(1998) Critique of Pure Reason, Translated and edited by Paul Guyer and Allen W. Wood, Cambridge University Press, Cambridge.

KANT, IMMANUEL (1781)(1787)(1929)(2006) Critique of Pure Reason, Translated by Norman Kemp Smith, London, Macmillan.

KANT, IMMANUEL (1788)(1997) Critique of Practical Reason, Translated by Mary Gregor (ed.), Cambridge University Press, Cambridge.

KANT, IMMANUEL (1788)(1898)(2006) The Critique of Practical Reason, Translated by Thomas Kingsmill Abbott, London, Longmans, Green, and Co.

KANT, IMMANUEL (1791)(2001) ‘On The Miscarriage of All Philosophical Trials in Theodicy’, in Religion and Rational Theology, Translated by George di Giovanni and Allen Wood, Cambridge, Cambridge University Press.

SMED, JOHN F. (2016) God In the Conversation, Prayer Current, Vancouver.

Very Dynamic (New search)

Burnaby

Recent website employment has me researching website design and templates. I thought the BBC.com website, was well-designed. I tried to find within Blogger, a significantly similar design, and then customized the new templates for both of my websites. I decided on switching to a 'Dynamic' template. I have chosen 'Magazine' as the default view, but 'Classic' represents a useful throwback to traditional blog views.

The 'Search' function is a vast improvement to older templates. I previously for years had to research my archived articles through the Blogger Dashboard or by a search engine.

To search, for example 'Blackburn', on this site, an often cited secular, philosophical source, type in 'Blackburn' in the search box. The preview options, and the amount of preview options are listed, presently as 'Show all 118 results'. These can be followed by pressing enter or clicking on the results. This takes the reader to a new page with results presented in preview article form.

In denial of the preceding

Instagram Vancouver

In denial of the preceding

September 1, 2016 article revised on May 1, 2023. Placed on academia.eu

PIRIE, MADSEN (2006)(2015) How To Win Every Argument, Bloomsbury, London.

Cited

'...the fallacy of denying the antecedent (precedes from, my add) is for those who do not really care if their brain is going forwards or backwards. It does not admit the possibility that different events can produce similar outcomes.

If I eat too much, I'll be ill. Since I have not eaten too much, I will not be ill' (81).

Other events can bring about the same results and the event that is assumed to have taken place, did not take place. (81).

Illness could be caused by, for example:

Food poisoning.

A virus.

Bacteria.

Cited

'If he's slow, he'll lose.'

'Since he isn't slow, he won't lose'. (81)

Pirie states he might just be stupid. (81). He might lose to someone that is faster.

'Denying the antecedent is a fallacy because it assigns only one cause to an event for which there might be several.' (82). The are other possible causes.

Pirie reasons that this is a conservative status quo fallacy. (82). In my mind, this is another fallacy used by those prone to intellectually lazy thinking.

The concept of antecedent is also related to counterfactuals, which means they are contrary-to-fact conditionals, that presuppose that the antecedent is false. (163).

'If Hitler had invaded Germany, Germany would have won.' (163).

My example

God existence = No problems of evil

If God exists

Then there is no problems of evil

This of course rejects Biblical revelation explaining God's reasoning for willingly allowing evil and his eternal plan (Ephesians 1) for the atoning and resurrection work of Jesus Christ to save those in Christ, and restore creation. This also rejects theological and philosophical explanations within defences and theodicy. 

I can reason that some critics may conclude that my example assumes an informal and not formal fallacy. But, the existence of problems of evil does not logically cancel out the existence of God.

Denying the antecedent: Logically fallacious 

References: Kiersky, J. H., & Caste, N. J. (1995) Thinking Critically: Techniques for Logical Reasoning, West Publishing Company.

Cited

'Logical Form:

If P, then Q.

Not P. 

Therefore, not Q. 

Example #1: 

If it barks, it is a dog. 

It doesn’t bark. 

Therefore, it’s not a dog.' 

CONWAY DAVID A. AND RONALD MUNSON (1997) The Elements of Reasoning, Wadsworth Publishing Company, New York.

DAVIS, WAYNE A. (1996) ‘Counterfactuals', in Robert Audi (ed.), The Cambridge Dictionary of Philosophy, Cambridge, Cambridge University Press.

FOULKES, FRANCIS (1989) Ephesians, Grand Rapids, Inter-Varsity Press.

HASKER, WILLIAM (2003) ‘Counterfactuals and Evil’, in Philosophia Christi, Volume 5, Number 1, pp. 235-249. La Mirada, California, Biola University.

LANGER, SUSANNE K (1953)(1967) An Introduction to Symbolic Logic, Dover Publications, New York. (Philosophy)

PIRIE, MADSEN (2006)(2015) How To Win Every Argument, Bloomsbury, London.

Logically fallacious

Denying the antecedent: Logically fallacious 

References

KIERSKY, J.H. & Caste, N. J. (1995) Thinking Critically: Techniques for Logical Reasoning, West Publishing Company.

Aren't all prayers accepted by God no matter what name we use?

Lake Okanagan

SMED, JOHN F. (2016) God In the Conversation, Prayer Current, Vancouver.

I am working with a parachurch, prayer ministry and reading through materials. My former pastor relates an interesting story.

He was in discussion with a person and was asked: 'When someone prays, does it really matter what they call God? Aren't all prayers accepted by God no matter what name we use?' (12).

My former pastor at a later point in time, intentionally addressed this person with the wrong name.

This person, in reply, sounded a 'bit miffed.' (13).

He asked:

'Why does it matter which name I use?' (13).

'It matters to me.' (13).

Stated the person.

Further my former pastor stated:

'God doesn't go by just ant name. God has an identity...His name reveals who he is. It matters to him what you call him - just like it matters to you.' (14).

I favour philosophy of religion as an academic discipline for philosophically reasoning out religious truths. These truths fit under the category of 'All truth is God's truth' even if not directly verified by scripture. In fact, I think it is an intellectual handicap to not combine philosophy of religion with theology and biblical studies. Therefore, my academic approach up to my PhD and following.

But apart from a reasonable exegesis of scripture, accurate theology and regeneration by the Holy Spirit (John 3), God cannot be known, relationally. For example, Romans 1: 17 explains that the righteousness of God is revealed to those in faith. Jesus Christ's righteousness is imputed to those legally justified in Christ. This would not be deduced through reason alone. The gospel message is revealed and cannot be merely speculated upon accurately to know God, personally. This is due to the finite nature and sinfulness of humanity. Sin in particular, corrupts human understanding.

God is infinite and can technically hear all prayers, but simply praying to a generic God, does not make it prayer to the actual biblical God. These prayers are technically heard but are dealt with outside of relationship.

Prayer Current.com