The Question of God: Science or Revelation, The Exalted Father, Miracles, and WHy I believe

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Recommended: Compare religion and science

In my courses while here at State University, I do not think that God has been as incorporated or more thoroughly intwined with my major than in this class. I ave been forced to compare and contrast different views as well as re-evaluate some of my own. The four topics that interested me the most were the question of Science or Revelation, The Exalted Father, Miracles, and Why Believe.

In the discussion of Science or Revelation, Freud is quoted in saying “ The scientific method is our only source of knowledge”. This is a hard statement to understand because if all true knowledge must pass the scientific method, then a lot of “facts” that I consider to be true may not pass the test. I really enjoyed the discussion when one of the people in the video talked about how we may all be looking at the same reality just through different windows.

So many times in my life I know that I think that I understand and comprehend where people are coming from and how they are seeing the situation when in all reality I have no idea. This is an important view to keep in mind. Each person has a different world view and how we have experienced the world before will impact how we see the world now. What is true for me may not be what is true for someone else.

Explaining my religious experience and emotions through that experience to someone does not prove or will not necessarily convince them that my faith or religion is true. Saying that “I felt God’s presence” does not affirm that there is a God. It all comes down to openness and experience for each individual.

In the same manner, no one can disprove my experience because they were not there to experience or witness it themselves. This is one of the puzzles that is often frustrating to those wh...

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...ifferences in beliefs. I know that to each is their own and that just because I have swayed one way or another does not mean the same rings true for everyone else I may come into contact with.

References

Brothers, B. J. (1991). Virginia Satir: foundational ideas. New York: Haworth Press.

Nicholi, A. M. (2002). The question of God: C.S. Lewis and Sigmund Freud debate God, love, sex, and the meaning of life. New York: Free Press.

Satir, V. (1972). Peoplemaking. Palo Alto, CA: Science and Behavior Books.

The Question of God . In Their Own Words | PBS. (n.d.). PBS: Public Broadcasting Service. Retrieved May 1, 2011, from http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/questionofgod/ownwords/index.html

The Question of God . Nine Conversations | PBS. (n.d.). PBS: Public Broadcasting Service. Retrieved May 11, 2011, from http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/questionofgod/nineconv/index.html

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