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Quote:
But sanctify the Lord Christ in your hearts, being ready always to satisfy every one that asketh you a reason of that hope which is in you. But with modesty and fear, having a good conscience: that whereas they speak evil of you, they may be ashamed who falsely accuse your good conversation in Christ. ( 1 Peter 3:15-16).
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Yesterday on my
Equus nam Veritas blog, I wrote about
epistemology, belief, and faith, and how these things are related to each other. In writing that piece, I wrote that many people who are unbelievers simply choose not to believe--that their lack of faith is an act of the will as much as of the intellect--but noted (in the footnotes) that the opposite charge may be fairly leveled at believers:
[quote]To be fair, the opposite charge may sometimes be fairly leveled at believers. As I've said before, apologetics alone isn't enough to make a person into a believer or a disbeliever. What may be convincing one way or the other to one person may be utterly unconvincing to another. I see evidence of God's providence working in my life and the lives of those around me; others disregard this evidence, or try to explain it away. In any case, I've met my share of believers who have reasons to believe, and unbelievers who are really convinced that there is no God; I've also met a handful of "believers who do not believe that God exists, as well as some atheists who seem more convinced that He does.[quote]
I have faith that God exists, which means that I have seen some evidence of His existence in my own life, in the lives of others, and in the world around me. This evidence is best explained by lines of reasoning which point to God. The evidence and the arguments I find to be convincing may not be so convincing to the average skeptic--or for that matter to the average Christian or even Catholic--but they are convincing to me. The converse may also be true, that evidence which has an atheist convinced may be irrelevant to my own faith.
In entering into a discussion with an atheist, I can ask him what evidence he needs to see--and doesn't yet see--to be convinced that God exists. Presumably there is some criterion which might be met and which hasn't been to his satisfaction which would convince his intellect (if not his actual will). So far, so good, but the atheist might ask the opposite question of me: what evidence do I need to see (and haven't) to convince my intellect (if not my will) that God does not exist? Such a
question is asked in reply to a similar question when tangentially discussed by
Mr Mark Shea*.
Read the rest on my Nicene Guys site.
Tags: Apologetics Philosophy Faith-and-Reaso N Epistemology
