[Vision2020] Certainty Of Belief And Playing God

[Tbertruss at aol.com]

Jim Meyer wrote:

"Any human being, who claims to know the one and only truth is either 
mentally challenged, a self delusional sycophant, oblivious, or a charlatan.
(Men are not God. Men are flawed. It is most unwise to put more faith in 
a man or men, than God)"

I do not know ANY human being who claims "to know the one and only truth."  
Belief in "truth" is spread out over a variety of differing statements of 
"truth," for anyone I have ever met.  But perhaps Jim Meyer merely misstated his 
intended meaning.  

Did Jim Meyer mean that anyone who claims to know the one and only CENTRAL 
and ESSENTIAL truth from which they derive the other critical truths by which 
they live "is either mentally challenged, a self delusional sycophant, 
oblivious, or a charlatan?"  

Assuming this interpretation, his statements result in a rather negative view 
of the beliefs of the majority of human beings here in the USA, and indeed, 
the whole world, while he also appears to contradict himself. 

The majority of human beings on this planet, including the Biblical scholars 
who are believers in Christianity, regardless of other truths upon which they 
may disagree, are monotheists, who believe in one and only one God.  All 
Christians and Muslims are monotheists, believers in one and only one God.  We can 
put the complications of belief in a "Triune" God aside for the moment, with 
the apparent contradictions of splitting a monotheistic God into parts.  For 
more on this, read Nick Gier's debate with Christ Church's Doug Jones on the 
Trinity:

www.class.uidaho.edu/ngier/trinity.htm.

In this belief in one and only one God, the fervent believer in Christ or 
Mohammed DOES claim to know and insist upon the absolute truth of their belief in 
one and only one God.  Without this firm belief, they could not assert they 
are a follower of the religion involved, said religion defining the most 
important truths that follow from this firm belief in one and only one God, 
regardless of the other differing beliefs between these two religions.

Therefore it appears that Jim Meyer is asserting that everyone who fervently 
believes in one and only one God, as a central tenant of their faith, from 
which their entire religious approach to life is derived, "is either mentally 
challenged, a self delusional sycophant, oblivious, or a charlatan."

Of course, he seems to be contradicting himself when he added in a 
parenthetical phrase "(Men are not God. Men are flawed. It is most unwise to put more 
faith in 
a man or men, than God)"  How can a "flawed" mind know anything with 
certainty?  Including knowing the truth of this absolutist statement, covering every 
human being in existence:

"Any human being, who claims to know the one and only truth is either 
mentally challenged, a self delusional sycophant, oblivious, or a charlatan."

Jim Meyer is apparently playing God here.  His mind is not so "flawed" as to 
not be able to assert with certainty the truth of such a sweeping statement 
about the psychology and/or intentions of others.

How does a person believe in one and only one God, asserting with certainty 
that the existence of one and only one God is a central and essential truth 
that they base their life upon, without becoming, as you so tolerantly (NOT! ) 
phrased it, "mentally challenged, a self delusional sycophant, oblivious, or a 
charlatan?"

Ted Moffett

-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: http://mailman.fsr.com/pipermail/vision2020/attachments/20050611/38beafb3/attachment-0001.htm