Exactly right. We must not make the mistake in conflating all philosophy into a single unit. There are different kinds of philosophy and different approaches. They all have a single aim: the pursuit of truth. But we must avoid broad generalizations such as “philosophy contradicts religion.” Sure, some philosophy might, but other kinds of philosophy most certainly do not.
kicking a toddler down the stairs for fun would be morally
for someone who took philosophy classes,WindHair, I find it odd that you keep denigrating any philosophy that comes from a presumaqbly Christian source (such as when you dismiss those of us who took philosophy and assume it was at a Christian school). Might I point out that this begs the question. You are trying to prove that Christianity is antithetical to philosphy, and yet you start out by presuming what you are attempting to prove: that philosophy from a Christian source is not real philosophy. Of course if you start with that assumption, then the only philosophy you have left is that modern philosophy that is antithetical to religion. You still haven’t given any good reason as to why that’s the case.
By the way, half the philosophy classes I took were at a public state university and two of my professors were atheists. Does that change anything for you? One of these philosophy classes was on the morality of abortion and the professor was an atheist. The first three weeks he spent totally demolishing all the arguments that the pro-choice people use. The only way he was able to build his case for abortion being acceptable was because he “disproved” the Cartesian notion of the soul and thereby deduced that the soul does not exist, and, therefore, God does not exist. Of course, just because Descartes’ dualistic notion of the soul is wrong (and most Christians would agree that Descartes is wrong) does not therefore mean the soul does not exist. My professor did not explain that leap in logic, though. And his whole argument for the rest of the semester was based upon that leap.
It seems like you have a lot of incorrect preconceived notions of “religious people” that you would do well to rid yourself of in order to approach the whole subject more objectively.
Of course Christians do not have a monopoly on morality. Morality is rooted in the natural law, which means it can be arrived at through the use of reason. Of course, Christian revelation supports and does not contradict the natural law.
Even if you can imagine a society where torturing toddlers for fun would be a laudable practice, you would still say that such a practice might be morally right for them? You don’t have any children, do you?
Philosopher Peter Kreeft has an excellent refutation of moral relativism on his website (in audio or text format). It’s similar to the book he wrote on the subject: A Refutation of Moral Relativism. I highly recommend checking them out for a more in depth discussion on the logical pitfalls of relativism (and there are many).
Have you taken any philosophy courses? You quickly dismiss those of us who have, but I have seen little evidence that you are familiar with even the basics of logic. I say this not to insult you, but only to point out that I have not seen you utilize any terminology commonly associated with logic and philosophy. Since you seem to be keen on placing your own philosophical prowess above that of everyone else, I find this fact somewhat disconcerting.
you stated that torturing babies wasHave you taken any philosophy courses? You quickly dismiss those of us who have, but I have seen little evidence that you are familiar with even the basics of logic. I say this not to insult you, but only to point out that I have not seen you utilize any terminology commonly associated with logic and philosophy. Since you seem to be keen on placing your own philosophical prowess above that of everyone else, I find this fact somewhat disconcerting.
I’m beginning to think that this discussion is a waste of both our time.
If happiness is a waste of time,
why do u ask me my understanding of catholic culture?
Sorry, I must not have been clear.
you seem to be fixated on torturing babies and children and circumcision.
Of all the unanswered questions on this thread, *this *is the one you fixate on?
you just proved my point. people who torture children sayOf all the unanswered questions on this thread, *this *is the one you fixate on?
I wasn’t trying to duck the issue, I just didn’t feel like following yet another red herring to move us even further from the central discussion. I was also venting my frustration that you never seem to answer any of the questions I pose or respond to the points I make.
If you really want to know, circumcision is not torture. Not all things that cause pain are torture. My daughter doesn’t enjoy getting shots or taking medicine, but that doesn’t mean I am torturing her by giving her those things. When I use the term torture, I’m not using it in this way. But again, this is really peripheral to the discussion and beside the main point we were discussing, which was relativism. Relativism is a logical contradiction. On this point, you have yet to respond.
You made lots of statements on this thread and given us nothing to go in terms of why these statements are true or how you went about determining they are true. This makes it very difficult to have an honest conversation.
i said it contradicted christianity, not necessarily religion.
Grammar has to be logical to be understood,
for your information windy hair, many, many years ago, when i was in college my minor was religion. i had to study all world religions, not just christianity.