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<TITLE>Re: Spiders, Humans, God & 'War</TITLE>
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<FONT FACE="Verdana">I agree with everything you say here, Ted!<BR>
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Joe Campbell<BR>
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On 10/14/05 1:34 AM, "Tbertruss@aol.com" <Tbertruss@aol.com> wrote:<BR>
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Chas et. al.<BR>
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Chas wrote:<BR>
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I have never understood this sentiment.? In your illustration of the<BR>
spider, the spider at least registers that we exist (or so I imagine;<BR>
I've never been inside of a spider's mind, if it has one, to verify<BR>
that this is true).? in the case of humanity assessing God, we<BR>
necessarily invent Him out of whole-cloth, as He has left us no<BR>
inarguable evidence of His existence.? Determining the intentions and<BR>
actions of this possibly/probably fictional entity is the only avenue<BR>
we have available.? It is amazing in the sole sense that attempting to<BR>
fathom the attributes of an invisible pink unicorn is amazing; <BR>
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Chas wrote the above in response to this:<BR>
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This is like saying a spider understand the intentions of a human being doing quantum mechanics.? The spider simply is incapable of understanding in this manner, as human beings, speculatively speaking, very well may be incapable of understanding the intentions and mind of a being that created the entire universe<BR>
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I'm not sure if you are agreeing with the usefulness of my spider analogy or not... What sentiment do you not understand? That I am astonished that human beings believe in incredible and impossible things? Perhaps you think I should not be astonished? Ah, but I am but a new born babe in the woods, wondering, wondering, dazed at the infinite possibilities of the human imagination! <BR>
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I do not agree that the spider registers that "we" exist. I may be nit-picking, but though the spider will respond to a stimulus that you present, it may have no recognition of who or what you are, that you are biped mammal, and not a tree blowing in the wind, and it certainly does not comprehend Quantum mechanics, which was the condition I set for comparing a spider's comprehension of human intellect to the comprehension of the human mind of the mind or capabilities of a being that was capable of creating the entire universe.<BR>
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My comparison in this case was not meant to be precise, nor does it hammer home my point conclusively. Just because a spider cannot comprehend a human being doing Quantum mechanics does not mean necessarily that a being who created the entire universe is completely beyond the comprehension of the human mind. But the image of a spider attempting to understand Quantum mechanics should communicate to the reader the great disparity in intellectual and other sorts of capabilities that might, indeed, would probably be present, between a creator of the universe, and human beings. And that the absolute certainty some fervent believers in God find so easy, that they understand what God wants, is questionable, or should be questioned, perhaps especially when what they believe that God wants is war against other human beings.<BR>
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Ted Moffett<BR>
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