MPat, my dear sir or madame, I’m finding your tone tiresome.
Sorry about that. I’d be happy to hear any tips to improve my tone, from you or anyone else.
You’ve accused me of lying when I was speaking in general terms about the impact of science on superstition.
No, I said that you presented a fictional story as true. I didn’t say you understand how fictional it is. It is not lying if you think you are telling the truth.
By the way, it looks like you think we do exactly the same thing with the Bible.
You continually critique my word choice when I need to use the terms I do to express my point of view on the subject, and now you’re attempting to trap me with semantics.
I am not sure I understand you completely here… Some examples would have been helpful…
I attempted to justify my humanist perspective rationally by pointing out that our consciousness appears to be the most wondrous thing in the universe. Therefore, we are the most important thing in the universe. It is consciousness itself that is inherently valuable, because it is through consciousness that everything else is experienced. Indeed, as you pointed out earlier, It’s possible that it is the only thing that exists.
It still does not explain why we should care about that “most important thing in the universe”.
Anything is possible if you allow for miracles.
No, not anything. The Church maintains that logical contradictions (“Square circles” are a common example) are impossible even with miracles.
Therefore, when someone says something is impossible, you can assume the ‘without magic’ part. I added it just to reinforce the point that the resurrection and many of the other claims in the Apostles Creed require allowing for miracles. I suspect you and I agree on this.
Yes, Catholicism obviously includes belief that miracles are possible.
That’s why it was strange to get a request to explain Catholicism without miracles, as if that would make the faith more reasonable.
Therefore they are impossible.
That doesn’t follow.
If magic exists we can retire the word impossible, because nothing is. We can also retire reason, because the truth can change at any moment. I have no interest in living in a world where magic exists.
Do you think the world cares that much about our wishes…?
But anyway, if you simply do not want Catholicism to be true, then there isn’t much left to discuss…
