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comment by goobster
goobster  ·  3042 days ago  ·  link  ·    ·  parent  ·  post: What consists of a "higher power"?

Well, it was kantos original post that established the idea of "gaps" in my head. So what I read him as saying is that there are worldviews that require leaps of logic - Noah's Ark, for example - that provides a very real "gap" between the average everyday experience of humans in the world, and a world in which penguins walk from Antarctica, through Africa, and get on a boat, and that's why they exist today.

A logical person is welcome to believe whatever they want, but at some point logic is going to dictate things happened one way, while their belief dictates they believe things happened a different way. This is the "gap" that I believe kantos was referring to in the initial post. At least, that's how I interpreted it.

And that's why I commented. This "gap" idea was a new way for me to consider how others view the world, and how they come to insert magical thinking into the gaps in their particular worldview and narrative.

Religious people aren't dumb or ignorant of the facts, or whatever. They aren't idiots with blinders on. (Generally speaking.) Religious people just have a particular worldview, and it requires more machinery than my worldview. They fill the "gaps" they see with gods, miracles, whatever.

I, having a different worldview, don't see the gaps they see, and therefore have no need for those other bits of machinery.

Neither is right or wrong. It's just sort of a mechanistic explanation for a different set of perspectives.

Did I explain that clearly, or completely muck it up?





user-inactivated  ·  3042 days ago  ·  link  ·  

I don't think you mucked it up in the slightest. I think for the most part, we're in complete agreement. :)

user-inactivated  ·  3041 days ago  ·  link  ·  

    That's not to say that their aren't gaps and that we actively try to fill them, but I think the gaps that we're trying to fill are our longings for happiness, belonging, and purpose. Obviously, how we view the world has a strong influence on how we go about filling in those very real, very important gaps.

While this is perfectly stated on what my own thoughts started out as with regards to these "gaps" (for some reason I couldn't put into words), your POV, goobster, of these gaps expand upon and enrich the theory by extending to the appeal to logos here:

    A logical person is welcome to believe whatever they want, but at some point logic is going to dictate things happened one way, while their belief dictates they believe things happened a different way. This is the "gap" that I believe kantos was referring to in the initial post. At least, that's how I interpreted it.

If anything, I'm voicing my agreement with rd: very well stated and just as relevant. Appreciate y'all's contributions.

goobster  ·  3041 days ago  ·  link  ·  

Cheers, man.

Geez... I love Hubski... a place on the internet where we can have a polite discussion on differing religious beliefs. Amazing...

user-inactivated  ·  3041 days ago  ·  link  ·  
This comment has been deleted.