| Thanks, Greg, that and the FF Bruce article are interesting pieces of information. There is some irony in Pilate's only extant mentioning being related to the death of Jesus. Evidence only goes so far, as even the oldest bible or any religious literature attests. The real question is one of the will, the heart as Jesus said. It is a question of what one ultimately wants. If one ultimately wants awareness of God, they will not be capriciously prevented from that knowledge. If not, no amount of evidence is worth a hoot and more rational explanations will inform the creed. It is only one part of the discussion, though a necessary and important one. But if belief in god could be proved in a way acceptable to scientists, we wouldn't speak of a "faith" any longer but theorems, hypotheses and experiments, which is not a matter of the heart. So we are at a bit of an impasse in the discussion, and the presuppositions and accepted evidence determines the outcome. I think it is no accident that this is the case, because faith in god makes a claim on the person, and not simply intellectual assent. It requires that we respond in the totality of our lives, and not conceptually or theoretically. History and science, in the end, do not compel a response of faith. Seattle was awesome last week, and I am slow getting back in the routine. Thanks for the posts. |
