Re: virus: Logical beliefs

lamato@activevoice.com
Tue, 27 May 1997 14:37:49 -0700

Of all the mail I have received from this list since I became a virus
voyeur, this inspires my two cents worth. I am.....interested in the
perception that an agnostic bringing faith into his life has
sacrificed integrity for happiness. I would hazard to suggest that
fear of the unknown (commonly referred to here as 'irrational') = fear
of faith = the insistence upon clinging to rationality in an
irrational world. What integrity is this man supposed to have
sacrificed?

______________________________ Forward Header __________________________________
Subject: Re: virus: Logical beliefs
Author: David McFadzean <david@lucifer.com> at inet
Date: 5/27/97 12:49 PM

At 09:12 AM 27/05/97 -0700, Richard Brodie wrote:
>John Williams wrote:
>
>>The only entirely rational, entirely logical position is
>>that of the Agnostic.

This statement is simply not true.

>OK, here's a spanner in your cog. I have a rational, logical friend who
>had an AWAKENING. He had been raised an atheist, lived an agnostic, but
>one day he looked around and saw that religious people had something he
>didn't have. He didn't know what it was, but he saw that they were
>happier than he, enjoyed life more, had more friends, and so on.
>Suddenly he had a very logical, rational thought: if I were to adopt
>this irrational, insupportable belief, chances are, I would be able to
>share in this joy. And you know what? He did choose to believe. And he
>did share in that joy.

I can believe it. Some people (most?) are willing to sacrifice integrity
for happiness.

--
David McFadzean                 david@lucifer.com
Memetic Engineer                http://www.lucifer.com/~david/ 
Church of Virus                 http://www.lucifer.com/virus/