Penn on Agnosticism vs. Atheism

This brought to my mind and interesting point; You will believe, or know something, if you are given sufficient proof. You can know it if it's in your hand, but you have to believe it if you put it down and walk out of the room. So, the belief and knowledge of God, or gods, as a concept dependant on what you accept as proof of their existences, or lack thereof. For some people, it's as simple as accepting that life in this universe, much less the planet is proof enough. For others it's the testimony of prophets or clergymen in the form of biblical texts or sermons. For still others, including atheists, there is proof of non-existence, which is at some point proving a negative, which in itself ultimately depends on belief.

However, more to the final point Penn made, he accepts a concept of god as one you cannot defy. Defiance of the gods' will is a historical theme in religions. Gilgamesh rejected the advances of Ishtar. Odysseus went to Thrace in defiance of Poseidon's will. Regarding Lot's wife, Genesis says she looked back at the wicked city and was turned to a pillar of salt, despite the warning of God's angels, (where Jesus, in the new testament, uses Lot's wife as a reminder to never return to wicked ways, or sins, and the Quran already accepts Lot's wife as on of the people who would not be saved). Thor will meet Jörmungandr in battle at Ragnarök, despite the Eddas that he will die thence.

Stories. Situations that by definition are impossible. People are safe from the gods because they are legendary, and inspirational.

We cannot ignore the story of Abraham, and God's test, chiefly because that version of God, in his wrathful prime, still stayed Abraham's knife BEFORE he killed Isaac. From Wikipedia:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Isaac#Jewish_tradi…
“In the early Christian church, Abraham's willingness to follow God's command to sacrifice Isaac was used as an example of faith (Heb. 11:17) and of obedience (James 2:21)”

This example shows the virtue of Abraham, which stands far in excess of the common man, by some perspectives. By others he was fooled by Satan.

Either way, I know I wouldn't need to go to the altar with a knife in my hand to wait for other beings to spare my child. But that's just me. And non-faith healers, which comprises of a greater part of the whole of all religious followers.

No one can beat Abraham, in this respect. Hey, he made it into the Bible, the Torah, and the Quran for a reason. For those not in the “first world”, this reason is still relevant as they apply themselves to the organization appealing to them to build their nations up from the edge of squalor, civil strife, and meager survival.

-=T=-