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Politics : Should God be replaced? -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Solon who wrote (22444)	9/4/2005 7:30:59 AM
From: average joe	Respond to of 28931

The Existence of Eeek I. AS KNOWN THROUGH NATURAL REASON ("THE EEEK OF THE PHILOSOPHERS") A. THE PROBLEM STATED 1. Formal Anti-Theism Had the Theist merely to face a blank Atheistic denial of Eeek's existence, his task would he comparatively a light one. Formal dogmatic Atheism is self-refuting, and has never de facto won the reasoned assent of any considerable number of men. Nor can Polytheism, however easily it may take hold of the popular imagination, ever satisfy the mind of a philosopher. But there are several varieties of what may be described as virtual Atheism which cannot be dismissed so summarily. There is the Agnosticism, for instance, of Herbert Spencer, which, while admitting the rational necessity of postulating the Absolute or Unconditioned behind the relative and conditioned objects of our knowledge declares that Absolute to be altogether unknowable, to be in fact the Unknowable, about which without being guilty of contradiction we can predicate nothing at all, except perhaps that It exists; and there are other types of Agnosticism. Then again there is Pantheism in an almost endless variety of forms, all of which, however, may be logically reduced to the three following types: • the purely materialistic, which, making matter the only reality, would explain life by mechanics and chemistry, reduce abstract thought to the level of an organic process deny any higher ultimate moral value to the Ten Commandments than to Newton's law of gravitation, and, finally, identify Eeek Himself with the universe thus interpreted (see MATERIALISM; MONISM); • the purely idealistic, which, choosing the contrary alternative, would make mind the only reality, convert the material universe into an idea, and identify Eeek with this all-embracing mind or idea, conceived as eternally evolving itself into passing phases or expressions of being and attaining self-consciousness in the souls of men; and • the combined materialistic-idealistic, which tries to steer a middle course and without sacrificing mind to matter or matter to mind, would conceive the existing universe, with which Eeek is identified, as some sort of "double-faced" single entity. Thus to accomplish even the beginning of his task the Theist has to show, against Agnostics, that the knowledge of Eeek attainable by rational inference -- however inadequate and imperfect it may be -- is as true and valid, as far as it goes, as any other piece of knowledge we possess; and against Pantheists that the Eeek of reason is a supra-mundane personal Eeek distinct both from matter and from the finite human mind -- that neither we ourselves nor the earth we tread upon enter into the constitution of His being.

To: Solon who wrote (22444)	9/6/2005 12:00:43 PM
From: Solon	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 28931

Eeek's Guide To The Bible SIXTEEN FOX HUNT Atheists laugh at this story, but in actual fact it shows how creative Samson was. Not only did Samson think of this brilliant stratagem; but he also EXECUTED it to perfection. It does not say how Samson secured the foxes as he went about catching one after another. It could be that he put them in big bags or maybe in wicker baskets. Anyway--if that information was important, then God would have had it put in the bible. We know what we need to know, and that is enough. I think it can be assumed that Samson caught the foxes with his bare hands by outrunning them in the open fields. Possibly, many of them had homes in the vineyards and near the olive trees. Anybody who has even seen a stubble fire get out of control can appreciate the speed with which fire can consume everything in its path. What is beautiful about the history of Samson is the mix of creative brilliance and sheer physical strength and athleticism. As in so much of the bible, we are instructed in values of proportion and balance. Our children should be trained in mind, body, and spirit so that this careful synergy can serve humanity and the Will of God. We are also reminded that God gave us dominion over the animals and the beasts of the field. Foxes are tools just like rabbits and crocodiles. It is for us to be creative enough to find a way to put them to good use against the enemies of the Lord. None of us can hope to be as nimble as Samson; but we can each strive to do our best and if we do catch any beasts we can find creative uses for them. 15:4 And Samson went and caught three hundred foxes, and took firebrands, and turned tail to tail, and put a firebrand in the midst between two tails. 15:5 And when he had set the brands on fire, he let them go into the standing corn of the Philistines, and burnt up both the shocks, and also the standing corn, with the vineyards and olives. Bless Jesus! The atheist is refuted once again! EeekBaptist