January 25, 2007
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interesting quote
"Even though American atheists might have trouble winning elections, Americans are fairly tolerant of us unbelievers. My many good friends in Texas who are professed Christians do not even try to convert me. This might be taken as evidence that they don't really mind if I spend eternity in Hell, but I prefer to think (and Baptists and Presbyterians have admitted it to me) that they are not all that certain about Hell and Heaven. I have often heard the remark (once from an American priest) that it is not so important what one believes; the important thing is how we treat each other. Of course, I applaud this sentiment, but imagine trying to explain "not important what one believes" to Luther or Calvin or St Paul. Remarks like this show a massive retreat of Christianity from the ground it once occupied, a retreat that can be attributed to no new revelation, but only to a loss of certitude."
-- Stephen Weinberg, atheist, physicist, recipient of the Nobel Prize and US National Medal of Science, etc.
He's right, imho...
Compare the above with this quote from someone who thought that "what one believes" is very important indeed:
Then Jesus again spoke to them, saying, "I am the Light of the world; he who follows Me will not walk in the darkness, but will have the Light of life....
...unless you believe that I am He, you will die in your sins.
...Truly, truly, I say to you, if anyone keeps My word he will never see death."
The Jews said to Him, "Now we know that You have a demon. Abraham died, and the prophets also; and You say, 'If anyone keeps My word, he will never taste of death.' Surely You are not greater than our father Abraham, who died? The prophets died too; whom do You make Yourself out to be?"
Jesus answered, "If I glorify Myself, My glory is nothing; it is My Father who glorifies Me, of whom you say, 'He is our God'; and you have not come to know Him, but I know Him; and if I say that I do not know Him, I will be a liar like you, but I do know Him and keep His word. Your father Abraham rejoiced to see My day, and he saw it and was glad."
So the Jews said to Him, "You are not yet fifty years old, and have You seen Abraham?"
Jesus said to them, "Truly, truly, I say to you, before Abraham was born, I am."
Therefore they picked up stones to throw at Him, but Jesus hid Himself and went out of the temple.
Comments (4)
once again, very sobering. wow.
sometimes all we can say is "lord, we believe. help thou our unbelief."
Humans are so . . . odd. Even when we believe that the right way to go is laid down directly before us, still we are doubtful and still we bicker. I wonder how right Freud was about Thanatos.
That's to say nothing, of course, of how confused the rest of us get, but I almost prefer not knowing exactly what's going on at times.
~Sol
I think that most non-believing Americans know the Gospel and they are waiting to see it lived out by the "Christians" around them. Is the Gospel more convincing when someone knows you are a believer because you have told them so, or when someone knows you are a believer because they guessed it by your daily walk with the Lord?
I have a lot of axiomatic respect for Weinberg... did you read his book, "Dreams of a Final Theory"? Excellent read, wherein he lays bare his naturalistic assumptions.
What is Christianity about, if not Truth?
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