buy canada goose jacket cheap A theology graduate speaks about our supposed need to learn moar theology before criticizing religion Why Evolution Is True buy canada goose jacket cheap
uk canada goose outlet Caturday felid trifecta: Does God speak through cats?, catmouflage, and cat libraries: check out a cat at work!Yesterday I posted a reader beef from someone named who said that my opinions on God, theology, and philosophy were worthless since I was neither monk, priest, nor philosopher. Be that as it may, we have a comment on the same thread by one who wroteat length, and whose comment I decided to make into a post. It an appropriate reply because it by a canada goose outlet near me theologian with at least some CREDENTIALS! This commenter also has a website, Tree canada goose outlet canada of Talking: uk canada goose outlet
buy canada goose jacket I am a credentialed theologian! At least, that is what I was told after graduating with my BA in theology from St. Gregory University, a Benedictine school in Shawnee, Oklahoma. in other fields. However, I can tell you that my canada goose outlet online store review few years at the undergraduate level was enough to divest me rather completely of the notion that theology was the study of anything solid, that there was an object to this subject. I went in a fairly faithful Catholic eager to uncover the workings of the divine and came out, on my graduation day, with an awareness that I had wasted my time completely. I enjoyed some classes. Studying scripture entailed the heady analysis of texts, while our classes on ethics and morality were headed by a knowledgable and passionate professor who was capable of taking us into some controversial territory. However, any truly challenging discussion always ended with “God said so” or “the Church said so” (both of which are simply restatements of “the Church said that God said so”). How can there be such a thing as a just war but not a just abortion? The Church said so. buy canada goose jacket
canada goose store What I ended up discovering is that there are no actual standards in theology. If there were, then there would be unity in the field, rather than division. Look at biology, chemistry, and physics. We consider them separate fields for the purposes of organizing a university, but they are mutually informative in fact, canada goose vest outlet we can’t really understand biology in its modern manifestation without tackling chemistry and physics. All are subject to the same universal laws because they are studying the same thing, if with different emphases the universe itself, material reality. Contrast this with theology. Your progressive folk will claim that all religions are expressions of the same universal truth, but if so, why do they come to such different answers about the nature of that universal truth? Why, if theologians are approaching the same phenomenon, are there Christians, Jews, Hindus, Sikhs, Muslims, etc.? These are not overlapping disciplines these are mutually exclusive worldviews. Even in the “field” of Christianity, there are exclusive subsets. Your Catholic theologian believes that the bread and wine of the Eucharist become the literal (not figurative) body and blood of Christ, while the Protestant finds symbolism there. If both have open access to the same God, then that God is lying to one group or the other or both. Nothing on which you could hang your hat. Just the promise of some hint at the divine through the contemplation of “mysteries” or absurdities lent an air of sanctity by dint of tradition. Philosophy, on the other hand, I find very useful. My own academic work explores issues of racial violence, and I regularly reference several philosophers, such canada goose outlet as racial theorist Charles W. Mills, or Claudia Card and Arne Johan Vetlesen, who have both done amazing work in fashioning secular theories of evil. But such philosophical work is based upon empirically derived evidence. These philosophers reference historians, scientists, psychologists, sociologists, anthropologists, etc. Theology has no such grounding in the real world. Sure, some theologians have a concern for society, such as liberation theologians canada goose outlet in uk like James H. Cone, who provide genuine critiques of racism and inequality. But insofar as those critiques are based upon reference to some view of the divine, they are refutable by those outside that theological tradition, and thus such debates eventually devolve into arguments over some bit of scripture’s relevance to a modern issue rather than the nature of the issue itself, its real world components. We can only solve problems we experience in this world by reference to the world, not to otherworldly spirits whose existence has never been verified. canada goose store
canada goose coats Yes. In his book, Jerry calls it theological virtues out of scientific necessities. Excellent phrase. canada goose coats
canada goose uk outlet It not enough to reluctantly concede that science is driving your view of God into another direction. You have to find a way that this new version of God is so WONDERFUL that it not new at all, it always was that way canada goose uk it has to be that way or it diminishes God. canada goose uk outlet
Canada Goose Online In fact, it might even someday be seen as not outlandish, as perfectly proper to suggest that it kinda sorta as if it was the other way around and canada goose outlet michigan theology was leading the scientists by the nose. Religion got there first, and science confirmed it. They complements. I mean, they have so much to learn from each other! Canada Goose Online
canada goose black friday sale You have to find a way that this new version of God is so WONDERFUL that it’s not new at all, it always was that way ithas to be that way or it diminishes God. canada goose black friday sale
canada goose Exactly. What do you mean, we haven always been at war with Eastasia? What sort of duckspeak is this nonsense of yours? Why, you might as well claim that our chocolate rations weren raised just this week to three grams, the most ever, from their all time low of four grams last week. Just wait until I tell the Priest about this! He set you straight in Confession; don you worry. canada goose
cheap canada goose uk Sounds a lot like my story, only I took longer to realize that theology was simply canada goose jacket outlet uk the study of conflicting opinions about a nonexistent deity. I received a Master of Divinity degree canada goose outlet location from a Protestant school, graduating with the intent of teaching the theology I was so certain was true. But life happened and moved me in a different direction where I was still involved in the Christian church using my knowledge to others. Finally after about 8 years I began to seriously https://www.canadagoosejacketsoutsale.com question what I was taught and began to read widely in effort to see if my faith could survive an encounter with the real world. Ten years of study led me to the realization that there is no good evidence for the existence of a theistic god. It has been almost two years since I officially came out as an atheist, and sometimes I wonder how I believed all that god stuff for so long. It all seems so completely unbelievable to me now. But it was not a complete waste of time, for I have the credentials of there, done that. The biggest irony of my life has been my friend Greg who is a staunch Christian. He was the guy who taught me to be generally critical of events and statements. He also came to his faith as a young man in college after growing up in a family of casual faith. He bucks the norm as no one else I known. I have lost touch with him lately, just as my knowledge of the trueness of things has grown thanks to Jerry, Richard Dawkins, The Hitch, and many others, but especially Jerry with this essential website, so I haven had the chance to discuss issues with Greg from a more knowledgeable stance. Perhaps someday. cheap canada goose uk
uk canada goose I wonder how I believed all that god stuff for so long. It all seems so completely unbelievable to me now. uk canada goose
Congratulations for having exercised enough wisdom to leave it behind and avoid falling victim to inertia engendered by your costs For all the not a theologian bullshit I hear, I never heard one who recommends that religious indoctrination of children be foregone until the child is mature enough to appreciate all the sophisticated insight theology has to offer. I must admit that the costs fallacy was not a detriment to my deconversion; at the time I had nothing to loose. By the canada goose victoria parka outlet time my search started in earnest, we (my family and I) had moved to a new city and were no longer a part of the church where I had done my theological teaching and where I had served as a pastoral intern and elder on the church governing board. At that church we had many close friends and it felt like family. In our new city we attended several different churches but never developed any close ties or friendships with the people there, always feeling like we were outsiders. Added to that was the fact that my Christian parents had died many years previously and I was in a different city than my extended family, all of which helped to reduce the peer pressure to remain a Christian. I also was no longer thinking about making a living by teaching theology, my career had taken a different turn. So the personal costs of becoming an atheist were not that high for me. There are some close family members that have expressed dismay over my deconversion, but the relationship has not fallen apart.
This is in contrast to a number of my former classmates who have gone on to become pastors, making their living by preaching and teaching the bible. I am in contact with a number of them on Fcebk, debating with them from time to time, canada goose outlet london uk but under no illusion that it will change their minds. Their entire canada goose outlet store quebec identities as well as their livelihoods are wrapped up in maintaining that they have found the Their personal cost of leaving canada goose outlet winnipeg the faith would be much higher than mine was. I just hope that those who are beginning to question their faith might be encouraged to continue the process by reading my story.
canadian goose jacket When I was in high school astronomy appealed to me and I had brief thoughts of studying it in university, if not right after graduating canada goose outlet toronto location then maybe after a year of Bible college. Somehow that year of Bible school turned into a Master degree, as well as being the place where I met my wife of 29 years. They don call them Schools for nothing. canadian goose jacket
I still enjoy reading about cosmology as well as quantum physics and basically any science presented canada goose outlet store uk at an educated lay person level. I also enjoy biology as it ties into my hobbies of bird watching and insect collecting. Field biology would probably be my area of choice if I was able to go back to university and retrain.
canada goose factory sale I bought Dan Barker book a couple of months ago and found it to be an encouraging read; there is hope that even pastors that are completely immersed in Christianity can find their way out of it. canada goose factory sale
Canada Goose Jackets I not from canada goose uk site Oklahoma myself, and never even been there, although I been within five miles while visiting relatives near Paris, TX, and my maternal grandmother and paternal grandfather were both born in Oklahoma. Senate for too many years. Amazingly, one of Oklahoma first Senators, Thomas Gore, was blind but also, according to his grandson, Gore Vidal, an atheist, although I sure he didn publicize that tidbit to his constituents. Canada Goose Jackets
canada goose clearance sale I think, I have two things to say to that. (1) That is not only an excellent response to heavywhatever post but a very appropriate argument against religions. I mean, let compare what useful facts the last 200 years of theological studies have canada goose clothing uk turned up versus what science has produced in that time. (2) I disagree with Jerry that he stands there without any I sure there a significant percentage of theologians with degree who you probably could against the wall (is that a proper expression in English at all?) about Theology. canada goose clearance sale
When younger, my first introduction into Theology was by an instructor whose first words were: the Queen of all Sciences?
What I subsequently learned was the Christian religion was not a monolithic one, but split into numerous competing factions and absolutely not interested in learning any fact through the scientific method if it contradicted church dogma.
canada goose uk black friday The introductory ruse was purposefully employed to blur the line between theological myth and science, a fact I subsequently learned to resent. canada goose uk black friday
As a comic reading geek in the I recall reading a multi issue Captain America story published in 1973 featuring canada goose outlet store toronto a not so subtle parody of CREEP, mainly a sinister group called the Committee to Regain America Principles.
canada goose uk shop such debates eventually devolve canada goose coats uk into arguments over some bit of scripture’s relevance to a modern issue rather than the nature of the issue itself, its real world components. We can only solve problems we experience in this world by reference to canada goose outlet black friday the world, not to canada goose outlet woodbury otherworldly spirits whose existence has never been verified. someone with the same as the commentator, I agree with most of the post. However, I would question the above quote because I not sure it is right. It seems to me religion is, frankly, entirely anthropology. References to the the divine are really references to ourselves. If one takes a Feuerbachian approach, humans aren really referencing spirits, but our own ambitions. Therefore I am not sure the debates are about scripture relevance to modern issues (though I think that in some conservative groups this very well may be the case!). I may be provincial here as I live in England, and very few C of E types really have these types of debates. And I fine with that objection. But in my experience with modern theology, I not sure it really references the as much as it traditionally has, these days. And we have Continental Philosophy to thank for that. (Which on a side note, I think it is shocking that very few (UK) canada goose outlet mississauga university philosophy course teaches Continental Philosophy in their philosophy degrees. canada goose outlet price They seem to be almost canada goose outlet belgium entirely analytic.) canada goose uk shop
Therefore I am not sure the debates are about scripture’s canada goose outlet black friday sale relevance to modern issues (though I think that in some conservative groups this very well may be the case!). I may be provincial here as I live in England, canada goose outlet online uk and very few C of E types really have these types of debates.
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