[Vision2020] Re: Certainty Of Belief And Playing God

[Jim Meyer]

Ted,
You miss the point. I am not objecting to belief in God. I am objecting 
to uncritical belief in a man or men  who profess but fail to be godly. 
Wouldn't you feel kind of stupid uncritically following a flawed man to 
damnation?
You can take damnation literally or figuratively depending on your take 
on the subject.

Jim Meyer






Tbertruss at aol.com wrote:

>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
>
>
>  
>