david@cvl.UUCP (David Harwood) (03/26/85)
Dave, I have doubts about many things, as I always have, for example about the popular understanding of Christianity. But obviously I'm willing to wager my good name, as well as my time, saying what I believe ~is~ true: there is God, HethatIs, who created Heaven and the Earth, and that if this is so, then Jesus must be the Christ, the one chosen to lead mankind from self-destruction. This belief is very unusual among my peers, but I have no doubts about these two things. You are welcome to my reading list. I remember that a Jew posted to the Net, saying that he/she was considering conversion to Christianity. I honestly don't believe this is necessary, if we intend to live charitably without violence, as Jesus did. I cannot imagine Jesus insisting that his own people should completely renounce their tradition, but should ~live~ by according to the truth. Our traditions are not always faithful to the truth, but are often self-serving. Nevertheless, there are some examples of Jewish women, who having tried "religious" materialism, in the form of Marxism or psychoanalysis, eventually became Christians: two very brilliant women who come to mind are Simone Weil, and Joy Davidman, the wife of C.S. Lewis. Even though you are not a Jew, you might also want to read what they say. Frankly, today there are some trained computer specialists who are hacks of impressively large and unsound databases of popular positivism and amateur psychology, but who haven't the slightest idea what they are talking about. Reading their "replies" reminds me of the famous dialogues with "ELIZA", the programmed "psychiatrist". It's as if the Turing test has been turned on its head -- who can best retort like a mechanical toy? But there is no point in talking to someone who has no real desire to consider what you say, except that they may enjoy belittling the "superstitions of the natives." Nevertheless, I believe you are not like them.