rlr@pyuxd.UUCP (Rich Rosen) (10/21/84)
> You say that Ken Nichols assumes a god that he wishes existed, > and then performs whatever mental gymnastics it takes to continue believing > in this god. I seriously doubt that this is a god that Ken actually *wants*, > and I have a different theory about the motivation for the efforts Ken must > make to keep believing. > At some point, Ken has been told that the all-powerful god (who can blow us > all away with a shrug) will damn anybody to eternal torment who does not > accept Jesus Christ as his saviour. Possibly his parents told him at a very > early age. Young children don't usually question what their parents say. > Once somebody accepts such a belief, it is next to impossible to convince > him otherwise, since *belief* is *required* to avoid doing eternity in Hell. > Ken Nichols is absolutely certain of his beliefs, because he is *scared* to > doubt. [DAVID CANZI] True. Parental influence at a young age can have terrifying results on the adulthood of a child exposed to irrationality as "the only way". But I, for one, don't DOUBT that Ken really wants god to be as he describes it. One might say "How could anyone *want* anything so awful?" Take, for example, masochists, who can only gain physical relief/satisfaction through experiencing pain. Do they really *want* pain? I'd say that yes, they do; they've been conditioned (not necessarily by a willful conditioner with a specific intent, but simply as a result of life experiences) to associate physical satisfaction with pain. I'm not saying that Ken is a masochist, but what I am saying is that just because we can't imagine someone wanting something because we find it repugnant doesn't mean that it can't be so. It seems that Ken's weltenschauung which involves a deep hatred of the human race (for whatever reason), a desire to see a specific brand of justice "meted out", etc. results in his view of god simply and plainly; god can be NO OTHER WAY, as long as you make the assumptions that Ken has made and apparently *wants* to make. -- Now I've lost my train of thought. I'll have to catch the bus of thought. Rich Rosen pyuxd!rlr