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Wednesday 23 November 2011

You've Gotta Have Faith ...

The real lesson I got from reading Richard Dawkins' God Delusion is that agnosticism is not a valid position. Whatever you do in life, you have got to make choices. Just as it is better to have loved and lost, than to have never loved at all, it is better to take wrong choices and to be prepared to fess up your wrong choice when it is found out, than to never make any choice at all.


I found a simple example, which on the face of it seems to be a very low risk choice for me. A shop keeper in the USA displayed a sign in his window offending atheists. He later apologised (twice). Should I accept the apology?

Blaghag says yes: an-apology-to-skepticon-from-gelato-mio
Pharyngula says no: fair-weather-atheists-and-sunshine-skeptics

Come on, no agnostic type crap, it's all too far away, I never saw the sign, I'm an atheist but not really. Make a choice.

At some point in life you will have to take things on faith. To live a good life, you have to assume what other people say is being made in good faith, unless you have strong reasons for believing otherwise. I have no particular reason to believe of disbelieve what Gelato guy says is true. Live well, make that leap of faith, and trust him. I may live to proved to be wrong. Well just face up to that challemge when it comes.

I chose yes, and indicated as such on each blog. Now it's your turn to make a choice!


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