Agnosticism, ethics
Submitted by Aschenbach on 2002-06-10 22:04:09, Monday
In reply to Re: Agnosticism (nt) submitted by Spirit on June 4 2002 00:22:23
|
(It's about time we got the (nt) out of the subject line.) Hello, Spirit, and thank you for your thoughtful and friendly letter. You're probably right; if you define agnosticism as "not knowing whether or not God exists," I am an agnostic. Believing is hard. It takes an effort convincing myself that something is true when I can't see it, hear about it, or reason it. Like I said, Christ became superfluous because he didn't explain anything for me that couldn't be explained better using reason, or that couldn't be better answered "I don't know." Though I envy the security felt by believers, I fear believing something just to feel better. It's like being a boylover (finally something on topic! ;). I would like to be normal and spent several years trying to be, feel, and think straight. But in the end it was just better turning to an explanation that, though unpleasant, much more thoroughly fit the world I was experiencing. Now on to your question. What biblical principles helped me teach ethical principles to the world? The world, in my case, would be my classmates. When I was a Christian, I would try and maintain a "Christian image." Unfortunately, I think I rather came across as being a prude. Despite that, I think the power of example is great, if you also are able to keep humility and admit imperfections. Indeed, the imperfect model still trying hard would probably be ideal. The specific principles I valued most were respect and fairness towards one another. I tried to show respect to God by not swearing, respect to teachers by doing as they said, and respect to classmates by listening to them and considering their words. I attempted fairness by giving everyone a chance to explain themselves in a conflict. As for having known me intimately, who knows? If you know any 19yo Norwegians, you're most likely spot on. But spiritual questions are very commonly asked today, especially by young Christians. My situation is not unusual. Hugs & handshakes, Asch |
Follow ups: