tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28676316.post482748518615542951..comments2024-03-26T08:18:06.895-04:00Comments on Moristotle & Co.: Thor's Day: Experiencing JesusUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger5125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28676316.post-987003465835053972015-09-05T12:26:34.620-04:002015-09-05T12:26:34.620-04:00Robert, thank you very, very much for your input! ...Robert, thank you very, very much for your input! I appreciate it. The experiment will try to steer clear of any question of whether Jesus is or is not God. For simplicity (and to try to facilitate our even conducting an experiment at all), we will focus <i><b>only</b></i> on whether or not our human subjects in the experiment have an experience of Jesus and can distinguish whether it was real or only imagined. Also, as scientific investigators, our beliefs about intelligent design, etc. are not relevant or pertinent. In fact, I expect that Chuck Smythe (the actually experienced scientist on the staff of Moristotle & Co.) will advise that the human subjects in the experiment should be "agnostic" in the sense of being open to the question whether Jesus can be actually experienced; that is, they do not claim either to know that Jesus can be experienced for real or to know that he cannot. They are open, and open-minded. They have no preconceived conceptions or prejudices.<br /> As I said in Thursday's post, Chuck Smythe himself meets that criterion for being an appropriate human subject for the experiment. While I am technically agnostic in the sense that I do not claim to <i><b>know</b></i> that Jesus cannot be actually, really experienced, I nevertheless tend to <i><b>believe</b></i> that he can't and that anyone's experience of Jesus is imaginary. Note that I am not <i><b>claiming</b></i> to <i><b>know</b></i> this, and <i><b>I am keeping my mind open</b></i> to the possibility that the experiment will establish that Jesus really, really can be actually experienced by some of the human subjects.<br /> It might be that some people are capable of such experience, and others simply are not, I am willing to accept that some people really experience Jesus, even though I don't feel that I, after years of trying, ever did experience Jesus, not even in my imagination.<br /> Any further advice you have to offer us will be much appreciated. Again, THANK YOU.Moristotlehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02211602374384087074noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28676316.post-85351234946480240362015-09-05T11:42:17.987-04:002015-09-05T11:42:17.987-04:00First it is a historical fact the "man" ...First it is a historical fact the "man" Jesus lived breathed and was crucified and there was an empty tomb. There is plenty of non-biblical evidence by Roman and Jewish historians. Read Bill O’Riley’s book killing Jesus. I believe he used non Biblical references for his book. Jesus being God would be one of the major difference that separate religions. The Jews were looking for an earthly king not a spiritual one. I am not sure how you want to conduct this experiment. I think you would want to change the title to God not just Jesus. It is only Christians that believe Jesus is God. If you believe in intelligent design and God is the designer it would stand to reason his existence would be written in our DNA. How the metaphysical part of our humanity functions has escaped science, how the synopsis of the brain works, I believed this once was referred to as the ID. I would describe communication with God as mind to mind. Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06895671159714415608noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28676316.post-38046155097480413702015-09-03T15:05:09.136-04:002015-09-03T15:05:09.136-04:00Ha, so far the feedback [from Chuck & Ed] isn&...Ha, so far the feedback [from Chuck & Ed] isn't very encouraging. However, one of the several persons to whom I sent a preview yesterday of today's column did reply: <i><b>OOooooooo I love the idea! I foresee it becoming a fun epistemological discussion.</b></i><br /> So...I still hope for something enlightening to come from our attempt to mount an experiment. Or at least something fun. (I, for one, would like to stop sweating all this religion stuff and start enjoying it.)Moristotlehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02211602374384087074noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28676316.post-35125573209508413522015-09-03T12:53:55.623-04:002015-09-03T12:53:55.623-04:00Glendower:
I can call spirits from the vasty deep...Glendower:<br /> I can call spirits from the vasty deep.<br /><br />Hotspur:<br /> Why, so can I, or so can any man;<br /> But will they come when you do call for them?<br /><br />I'll have to wait for comment by those who believe they have communicated with a deity - but I suspect they will say that it takes more than an experimental procedure to make this happen. I believe Kyle was referring to a lifetime of emotional commitment, a horse of a very different color. <br />For what it's worth, I've tried doing what various religions instruct you to do to "summon the spirits"; e.g. reciting the Lord's Prayer with all the humble sincerity an agnostic can manage, or spending an afternoon in the best meditation I can manage without years of training. The greatest challenge was to not make any assumptions in advance about what a positive result would look like. In any case, the result has always been negative. Not a surprise, I grant you, but I feel that intellectual honesty requires that I give it my best shot from time to time.<br />Truth to tell, I suspect that if there is a deity, it won't permit itself to be summoned, but will manifest in its own time and manner.<br />Chucknoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28676316.post-4748862916274281092015-09-03T09:40:32.922-04:002015-09-03T09:40:32.922-04:00How do you prove a feeling is real or not real. To...How do you prove a feeling is real or not real. To the person having the feeling it is very real but to others it is not. Jesus is a belief, millions of Jews and others don't believe there was should a man. Millions more believe there was a Jesus and he is the Jesus written of in the Bible. No matter how you keep asking the question it will always be the same answer---you belief or you don't.Ednoreply@blogger.com