Saturday, April 06, 2013

That line in the sand …

… How Skeptics and Believers Can Connect - NYTimes.com. (Hat tip, Dave Lull.)


… it was a shock to have my host grill me about the state of my soul. It reminded me that one of the things that makes mutual respect between believers and nonbelievers difficult is that there is a kind of line in the sand, and you’re either on one side of it or on the other. Skeptics do this too, of course. I remember a dinner party where I was explaining my work among evangelicals to a colleague, and her face grew longer and longer until she said, “You talk to them?”

I don't think it is a matter of getting skeptics and believers to connect. I think it is a matter of getting believers and believers  to connect. The militant atheist is as much a believer as any religious fundamentalist. Both have settled views. Those are what get in the way of dialogue. One must learn to be a connoisseur of mystery.

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