Ostensibly, it has to do with the ideals, beliefs, and principles each religion holds as true. Belief is that state of mind in which one concludes that a fact is true. Because from our religion comes our faith, our beliefs, our morals, ethics, behaviour and ultimately, our foundation for life, our logos. What is a word that means belief in the good nature of. My question concerns the infamous and much maligned pascals wager. It makes a big difference, for example, if one has a relationship with god or with the devil. Preston gives good arguments for the christian worldview.
As the second king of israel, david had been anointed king of israel while king saul was still on the throne. If the divine command theory is true, then it is impossible to know what is right or wrong. God the father, god the son, and god the holy spirit are three persons present in one god. Ricky gervais proves a formidable opponent for stephen in a spirited conversation about belief, religion and atheism. Good faeries bad faeries pdf download once upon a time, i thought faeries lived only in books, old folktales, and the past. I view god sort of as neutral in sense not being good or evil. Preston jones greg graffin is belief in god good, bad. Believing in god makes you fearless, free from all the worries, sets you at a level of stability and significantly makes you live the life in a lovely and peaceful way like he wants his children to. The rationality of believing in god part 1 the andalusian. Since they were created 30 years ago, bad religion has had a lot of members come and go. Apr 15, 20 what unites both positions is the idea that belief in god is only acceptable if there is enough evidence. This is not to say that islam doesnt provide any good reasons for belief, but that scholars and academics alike are simply not providing them. They were created in southern california in 1979 by jay bentley bass, greg graffin vocals, brett gurewitz guitars and jay ziskrout drums. Many people have been led to believe that science has shown that god does not exist, or if he does exist, he is irrelevant.
There is a lot of confusion in our society over some extremely important concepts. If the divine command theory is true, then god s commands are arbitrary. If we believe that god wills everything, good or bad, to happen to us, it gives us some temporary relief from confusion and condemnation, but in the longterm, it slanders god, hinders our trust in god. A professor and a punk rocker discuss science, religion, naturalism christianity edited by preston jones. The rationality of believing in god part 1 posted on august 16, 2015 by asadullah ali. Religion versus ethnicity as a source of mobilisation. Given and this is the fundamental thing that gods mercy has no limits, if he is approached with a sincere and repentant heart, the question for those who do not believe in god is to abide by their own conscience. Foundationalism and its rejection the common objection goes like this.
May you be blessed as you hear him speak on a very important subject, is god irrelevant. Preston jones is a history professor at a christian college and a fan of bad religions music. Is faith, as in the belief that a god is real even when. Oxford theologian alister mcgrath will fight back and argue that it. The absence of a human soul with memory, or the ability to hear and see, does not mean that god is dead. It is more of an attitude rather than a belief, claim, or belief system. It is the belief that we are born sinful, yet with enough good in us to accept christ. Was a good read and very cool that they agreed to publish personal exchanges. Some people really do believe in this version of god. Greg from the group bad religion gives good arguments for adopting the naturalistic worldview, and he corrects many of prestons misconceptions.
Many believe their morality comes from their religion. Is belief in god good, bad or irrelevant a professor and. Belief in god the inescapable answer denying belief in god, my bright friend responded, regis, but the speculative theories about the multiverse are there for a reason. Giving price to life doesnt imply the need of a good human nature cf. This disputed question, far from being only of historical interest, has important implications for how we conceive of the role of religion in the. Download is belief in god good, bad or irrelevant a. Edited by preston jones find, read and cite all the research you need on researchgate. In the history of the world, every culture in every location at every point in time has developed some supernatural belief system. Even on this view, of course, god might still serve a useful role as an epistemic authority. God enforces the rule or, if you like, incentivizes us to comply with the rule. Many people dont believe in god but still behave morally.
If this belief is true, then our actions are irrelevant, and our efforts are meaningless. But evidence suggests that peoples opinion of what god thinks is actually what they believe is right and wrong, not the other way around. Request pdf on apr 1, 2007, bradford mccall and others published is belief in god good, bad, or irrelevant. In the greek language the word for belief and the one for faith come from the same root, which means to trust in something. Is belief in god good bad or irrelevant reasonable faith. Indeed, many analyses classify religion either as one ethnic marker. A good god and a bad god the existence of evil in the world is a topic on which much has been written. A professor and a punk rocker discuss science, religion, naturalism christianity. But the goodness of chastity, or honesty, or compassion is still independent of god. Why belief in god is reasonable and responsible, one of the best books at refuting the claims of. The nafs desires are not initially bad and must be. Preston jones greg graffin is belief in god good, bad or. Thus, the volume aims at presentation rather philosophy of religion than critique. Feb 25, 2010 the big man upstairs is getting accolades from mental health specialists who say they are finding that a belief in god plays a positive role in the treatment of anxiety and depression.
An apatheist is someone who is not interested in accepting or rejecting any claims that gods exist or do not exist. One day, on a whim, preston sent greg an appreciative email. The concept of consistency is a good way to begin to judge the truthfulness of any belief system, including the one in which a person is raised. Greg graffin of bad religion sings the national anthem at the reason rally. I really dont understand why people view god as all good. Its easy enough to spark discussion about the problem of evil can you really read the newspaper every day and continue to believe in an allperfect god. Mar 30, 2009 is belief in god good, bad, or irrelevant. Nov 28, 2016 is belief in god a properly basic belief. Again, i dont take the displayed behavior as evidence. One of my jobs as a teacher of bright, mostly catholic undergraduates is to get them thinking about why they hold their religious beliefs. If a belief is internally inconsistent, you dont need to be exposed to any other beliefs to recognize the problems with the inconsistent belief. It is a series of emails between a professor of church history and a punk rocker who embraces naturalism.
That is because, in this view, it is still not god who makes adultery bad or wrong, chastity good or right. If i see someone displaying typical pain behavior, i take it that he or she is in pain. Is belief in god good, bad or irrelevant a professor and a punk rocker discuss science, religion, naturalism christianity by array this informed, entertaining and valuable collection of letters shows that people from two quite differing worldviews can still treat each other with respect as they passionately share their own beliefs and. The idea is that someone is only rational, reasonable or responsible in accepting theistic belief if they base their belief in god on some other belief. Sep 12, 20 you ask me if the god of the christians forgives those who dont believe and who dont seek the faith, the pope wrote. Also 2 i understand that the supernatural defies any attempt to provide material evidence. I believe in god and listen to bad religion, guess that makes me a dualist see. For example, the majority of the population in the u. Religion creates not only a glass ceiling in terms of how good a cohort of people can be, but also a glass basement in terms of how bad its capable of being. Greg graffin is frontman, singer and songwriter for the punk band bad religion. Good and bad reasons for believing, by richard dawkins tell a devout christian that his wife is cheating on him, or that frozen yogurt can make a man invisible, and he is likely to require as much evidence as anyone else, and to be persuaded only to the extent that you give it.
Belief system typically has large categories of concepts defined in one way or another as themselves good or bad, or as leading to good or bad. For those interested in graffins life and personal theories, or those who are looking for a good starting place to a few fundamentals of naturalism or christianity, is belief in god good, bad or irrelevant. The god within malady has infected evangelicals as well, as seen in the socalled prosperity gospel. Sambanis 2001 uses horowitz definition in his contrast between ethnic and non. Have you reflected on life itself its variety, its complexity, and its amazing design.
Aug 16, 2015 the rationality of believing in god part 1. Bad religion is an american band that plays punk rock music. Ricky gervais and stephen go headtohead on religion. This includes selfevident axioms cogito ergo sum and, arguably, directly observed hence empiric.
Because from our religion comes our faith, our beliefs, our morals, ethics, behaviour and ultimately, our foundation for life, our logos we base our lives on our faith or, alternatively, on our. I now have decided that belief in god is irrelevant. Is belief in god good, bad or irrelevant a professor and a punk rocker discuss science, religion, naturalism christianity greg graffin, preston jones subject. If god does not exist, the divine command theory must be false. Action is seen as bringing upon oneself inevitable results, good or bad. Instead, the absence of memory function in a human soul means that the god of christianity, the god of islam, the gods of hinduism, and all other major world religions are simply irrelevant.
Aug 30, 2010 is believing in god evolutionarily advantageous. Belief in god relieves depression washington times. Belief that there is a god or gods, belief in heaven, belief. The same apply to benevolence as it could merely be a learning and not an innate state. Bad religion simple english wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. People think that they brought back punk rock and helped poppunk bands during the late 1980s. The belief in god should always be there whatever the circumstances or situations may arise but you should be clear with that he is there with you. Is belief in god good, bad or irrelevant a professor. Naivety or optimism are subjective and thus are more interpretations than definition of belief in the good nature of humankind. The fact that two people with such completely opposite viewpoints can agree to disagree and have a conversation is proof to me that there is a chance for a better world with or without the divine intervention of a god or whether everyone even agrees on whether a god exists. As an apologetic, this book doesnt come down on either side. The book doesnt offer any startling revelations, but it is welldesigned and is an easy, interesting read.
Fewer people are claiming it, and even fewer of those who claim it actually practice it seriously. He loves rock music and believes that god is not irrelevant. Is belief in god good, bad or irrelevant a professor and a punk. Is belief in god good, bad or irrelevant a professor and a punk rocker discuss science, religion, naturalism christianity. Sure, critics argue, it might be intriguing, but only a. The parents are the visible god and the god is our invisible parent who is always with us in all the circumstances. Have you wondered why everything from atomic particles to vast galaxies is governed by precise mathematical laws. Or a fixed, false belief that is resistant to reason or confrontation with actual fact. Nov, 2007 t onight, at a debate at bristol university, ive been asked to propose the motion that belief in god is a dangerous delusion. While its numbers are growing in latin america and africa, christianity in its historical power bases is in undeniable decline. Is belief in god good, bad or irrelevant a professor and a punk rocker discuss science, religion, naturalism christianity greg graffin, preston jones. My belief regarding the cars color may be mistaken, due to poor lighting. From as far back as ancient times, there have been religions which actually claimed that there are two gods in the universe. I believe that jesus christ is the son of god, and is god, born of a virgin, crucified as punishment for the sins of mankind, resurrected on the third day, ascended into heaven, and is coming back.
Cosmic law of sowing and reaping cause and effect in human life. My reasonings are that the tanakhbible doesnt support the notion that god is all benevolent unless you read the nt, i guess. Learn vocabulary, terms, and more with flashcards, games, and other study tools. A properly basic belief is a belief that one is justified in holding without any external warrant. The law determines the form that will be taken in each new rebirth.
They both cannot be right about the fundamental issues they are discussing. When we ask that question, we are posing in a provocative way the metaethical question of the objectivity of moral values. Jan 11, 2016 we are thankful that dr john lennox was at our church to speak on 28 nov 2015 in partnership with rzim asia. Is belief in god good bad or irrelevant a professor and a. While reading through the religious epistemology section of my copy of philosophical foundations for a christian worldview, i remembered christopher. Like any good jeremiad, bad religion concludes with what evangelicals would. Editors william lane craig and chad meister have assembled a collection of the best scholars in christianity to put together god is great, god is good. T onight, at a debate at bristol university, ive been asked to propose the motion that belief in god is a dangerous delusion. And yes relationships are key, but again, truth matters. He is good to all in that he gives them rain, air, food, and life matt. Its combination of overviews with indepth sections makes this volume a.
Oct 22, 20 a delusion is a belief held with strong conviction despite superior evidence to the contrary. In sum, morality, which concerns itself with good actions and good character,12 does not depend on god. I believe that johns explanation regarding the accident is false. He is good to all in that he provided his son as a sacrifice for sin so that we could escape the judgment to come john 3. National mall, washington, dc, 2012 throughout 2003, graffin was engaged in an ongoing email discussion with preston jones, a historian at the christian john brown university in arkansas and fan of bad religion. Is belief in god good, bad or irrelevant a professor and a. Of course, what may be going on is that the argument is seen as a good argument exactly because it is persuasive or, more importantly, is a debatewinner in other words, many people just dont know what constitutes a good argument. Belonging to a religious group means following its beliefs and practices, which can be difficult. Good and bad reasons for believing, by richard dawkins. Some beliefs are based upon others, so i believe a. These beliefs that we accept without evidence are basic beliefs. This means faith belief is the only thing you can do thats not counted as work. Pascals advice is that the person who wants to believe but finds himself unable to do so should attach himself to a christian community and begin to take part in the same spiritual activities that believers engage in.
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