Exactly.
So either we actually know what we know, or in fact we don’t know anything. I tend to choose the former because if it IS the latter, then it doesn’t matter what I believe.
‘Them’? Surely, you mean ‘us’.
Mongke Khan made that observation to representatives of King Louis IX, who had threatened the Khan with war, if he did not convert to Christianity (his empire then extending over Christians, Muslims, Jews, Buddhists, Taoists, Hindus, as well as his own shamanic animistic people). Or rather, he bade them to make war against him, but that if they did so they did it against God, not for God. Evidently, Louis agreed.
Nevertheless, I take it to mean simply that, if God does exist, as I believe, and if he is omniscient, omnipotent, everywhere and in all things, and moral, He is too big and too great for man to comprehend, being barely higher than primordial sludge as we are. Therefore, we have many religions to ponder our existence and to understand our relationship with Him, each suited uniquely to the culture that birthed them and each suited to someone, somewhere on this planet (and eventually, God-willing, in this universe), at sometime.
They are a blessing and a curse, as is everything that God has allowed us, from free-will to space flight.
But to attempt to establish the primacy of one of these many self-contradictory religions over the others because you feel that because it it right for you, so too must it be for all others is egomania and blasphemy: You mistake your will for His.
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Yup. Once was enough for me. Staying out.
The Khans did this: They held a debate between a Muslim cleric, a Christian priest, and a Buddhist monk. Rituals were the same as for traditional Mongolian wrestling: In between rounds, everybody drinks.
If memory serves, the debate ended when everybody was too drunk to carry on. The Khan judged that no one had won, although I believe that he decided that the Muslim and Christian were tied ahead of the Buddhist… but not by much.
To be blunt, I find your arguments to be both contradictory and incoherent. First off from your previous posts you say morality can be fixed but gave no firm reason why it’s fixed. You merely asserted that murder was evil based on some sort of consensus. There is no consensus in the world about even murder and it’s been that way throughout history. People have and do redefine murder into some sort of justified killing and the proceed.
Secondly, in your latest arguments pertaining to God and His know ability you assert that God is so transcendent and we are so lowly that even God can not overcome the gulf. Yet, proceed to tell us that God has given us all kinds of religions to communicate something of Himself to us. So in all these religions God has told us He is one (theism), many and separate (Hinduism, Mormonism, and just about every ancient pagan religion), and finally, actually non-existent (Buddhism). You even say that these religions are self contradictory. So evidently one of the attributes of this deity(s) is a consistent propensity to violate the logical law of non contradiction.
Thirdly, you go on to tell us that only egomaniacs would dare say that the religion they hold is the only true religion. How do you know that somebody else hasn’t found the truth. It sounds like your position is that if YOU haven’t found it nobody has. And while you assert this all the while you tell us about the religion you’ve invented, your own personal religion, I’ll call it Fjallhrafn-ism, with it’s own rudimentary theology. Really, who is the egomaniac? The proof is in the pudding. Can you build a rational, comprehensive worldview based upon your personal religion? One that encompasses morality, politics,purpose, anthropology, redemption, psychology to name a few things? I can, and it’s not because I am superior to anyone else. It’s because the Bible is so superior.
Let me explain just one of the things that continually drives me back to the God of the Bible. Orthodox Christianity is the only religion of pure grace. Yet every single other religion teaches and promotes salvation (however it’s defined) by human effort, every single one. The Bible teaches that God does the saving----Alone. All others are religions of works. I can do something to save myself, and the sad thing is that this idea has polluted even Christianity. It shows its ugly head in “free willism”. Free willism says I’m the master of my own destiny, not God. Oh, we may let God set the ultimate limits Heaven or Hell, but it’s up to my autonomous will which way I go. It’s nothing but a form of spiritual pride. I chose wisely where as my poor stupid neighbor chose foolishly. Libertarian free will is a Greek notion, not a biblical teaching. It’s never used as a category to explain anything in the Bible. It’s in every other religion though, either explicitly or implied by their works based salvation. It’s in almost all of evangelicalism, Romanism, Eastern Orthodoxy, Buddhism, Islam and Fjallhrafnism you name it, it’s there. The first appearance was at the fall of man in the garden. Finally you mention that “if God is omniscient”. If omniscience is true then free willism can not be true. If God knows the future, then every detail is fixed. Including every detail of yours’ and mine life. Nothing is contingent.
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It may be a mystery to you but not to me. Not only does the Bible teach that God knows the future, but He degrees the future. If God knows from all eternity that Belloc is going to shoot a particular AR today using a particular ammo standing on particular dirt, knowing every one of his thoughts while he is doing this, can it be any different? There are many many many verses in the Bible that deal with this. But here’s one, Isa 46:10-11. When religionists talk about free will, what they really are talking about is freedom from God. The same thing Adam and Eve lusted after in the garden
I would add, the Bible teaches that God’s sovereignty is exhaustive. Being exhaustively sovereign, then nothing is out of His absolute control, not only that but He is the metaphysical cause of everything, Heb 1:3. When God judged King Nebuchadnezzar did He not completely suspend his rationality and will? Dan ch 4. One of the strongest set of verses against free will are found in Rom 9:11-24.
You can give me your best verse(s) establishing free will and I will take a look at it.