Great to read this new installment, and glad to hear of the new pursuit, Jon.
I guess I had a somewhat similar trajectory, some time back. Although I hadn't been going to church since my teens, I was never, I guess an unbeliever (I just didn't like church). It wasn't for lack of trying, as I read all the "New Atheists" and then some...Dennett, Dawkins, Harris, et al. I wanted to read all the arguments and understand their "belief."
It just never took. I could comprehend the reasoning, but never "felt" it. And that's the conclusion I came to: you can reason about faith (and I do believe hardline atheism is a faith, rather than just a bundle of provisional "credences," in materialist talk), but you can't reason your way to faith.
It really is, in the end, a question of the heart (not the literal organ, of course, but its spiritual proxy). Faith is immediately apprehended, not through the brain, but through the heart (or as the Desert Fathers might say, the "intellect," the seat of the soul). Mistranslation or no, the Kingdom of Heaven (or its opposite) indeed is within.
What a fantastic piece. Thank you for vulnerably sharing your journey and reflections. Can’t wait to hear more! Also, think Jesus would like being compared to a whack-a-mole!
Love this! Thank you!!!
Great to read this new installment, and glad to hear of the new pursuit, Jon.
I guess I had a somewhat similar trajectory, some time back. Although I hadn't been going to church since my teens, I was never, I guess an unbeliever (I just didn't like church). It wasn't for lack of trying, as I read all the "New Atheists" and then some...Dennett, Dawkins, Harris, et al. I wanted to read all the arguments and understand their "belief."
It just never took. I could comprehend the reasoning, but never "felt" it. And that's the conclusion I came to: you can reason about faith (and I do believe hardline atheism is a faith, rather than just a bundle of provisional "credences," in materialist talk), but you can't reason your way to faith.
It really is, in the end, a question of the heart (not the literal organ, of course, but its spiritual proxy). Faith is immediately apprehended, not through the brain, but through the heart (or as the Desert Fathers might say, the "intellect," the seat of the soul). Mistranslation or no, the Kingdom of Heaven (or its opposite) indeed is within.
Look forward to reading more.
What a fantastic piece. Thank you for vulnerably sharing your journey and reflections. Can’t wait to hear more! Also, think Jesus would like being compared to a whack-a-mole!
Well said, and mirrors much of my journey.
Thanks for sharing, Jon! I read the whole thing- glad you're writing again