A great intellectual feast during Nativity Fast (which, for the sake of honestly, I am not observing strictly).
The part of the conversation concerning the cruelty of the New Atheism resonated very strongly with me. At the end of last year, I was feeling really desolate because of the death of my father and was looking desperately for any sort of confirmation, solid theory or even unreliable accounts about a sort of an afterlife where I will be able to see him (a non-christened man) again. And I was exasperated to find that even mild suggestions in the popular liberal media (because this is what I read) about a reality allowing for such a happy event were countered with ferocious materialist resistance. An article in The Guardian where the author professed his faith was met with hundreds of comments ridiculing him or his religion. Numerous studies were carried with the specific purpose to prove (despite their declared lack of bias) that thousands of cases of near-death experience are nothing more than neurological aberration. God was routinely referred to in social media as “a magical friend”.
In this dark hour a friend of mine, quite a religious person, recommended me a book called Atheist Delusions (which, to my shame, is the only DBH’s book translated in my country, while we have already been plagued by seven Richard Dawkins’s translations, some of them with several editions already). He warned me that the author is extremely intelligent and impossibly well-read, but I might be scandalized by his somewhat argumentative style. Man, I had not read a book with such glee in a very long time. I was giggling like a bashful maid while DBH was destroying with great panache the flimsy materialist fortresses. Needless to say, since then I read a lot more of his works. And this conversation just reminded me that, for some reason, I have criminally neglected Roland in Moonlight, which resulted in immediate Kindle purchase (no way I am waiting for a physical delivery. I intend to finish it by the end of the week).
P.S. It was very nice to hear the reference to Aunt Susie at the end. It is one of my favorite stories of yours. I actually asked my little daughter to read it some months ago as it is actually a kind, honest, and yet quite a persuasive way to show a child the life of faith (though, of course, the story is much more than that).
Thanks for introducing me (us?) to Goddard - and, previously, for drawing attention to Stephen Clark's Cities and Thrones... - - Whoa! -- And yes! pre-order the second edition of your NT translation (I just did).
Thank you Tariq. The mystery of the Our Father has disrupted my prayer life for some time now. Your question about prayer and the exchange that followed in the final 40 minutes will continue to stimulate. Bless.
Thank you so much to DBH and TG for this conversation, which I thoroughly enjoyed.
Your discussion of art and transcendence brought to mind Sylvia Plath's "Black Rook in Rainy Weather" and especially the lines: "Miracles occur, / If you care to call those spasmodic / Tricks of radiance miracles."
I find the problem of evil to be an almost daily challenge to faith, and it was reassuring to hear you grapple with it. I'm tempted by this issue (more frequently and severely than I care to admit) to turn away from faith entirely or to turn to something like the reasoning of Charles Hartshorne in his Omnipotence and Other Theological Mistakes. I'm 71, and I haven't gone down either of these roads yet--which I can't really explain, except to say that beauty and love have been part of my experience of life and somehow my experience won't allow it.
What a great conversation! Tariq asked so many of the questions I would ask you if I had the chance (Don't you worry though Mr. Hart. I have loads more.)
Like your guest, I also studied philosophy in the pursuit of... rational certainty I guess. But I went in as a Christian. I was embarrassed to have to rely on faith for my beliefs and desperately wanted to ground them in something like irrefutable reason. But I learned over time that to make one's religious beliefs (like belief in God) dependent on rational argument is really to put your faith in the argument and not in God. And then your faith is only ever as strong as your argument. I pretty quickly gave up seeking philosophical *certainty* for my beliefs, and have grown much more comfortable relying on the evidence of my senses and experiences to build up my faith.
In reference to our pre and post-trump era politics, I have absolutely no problem believing that it’s properly demonic. At least in part.
A great intellectual feast during Nativity Fast (which, for the sake of honestly, I am not observing strictly).
The part of the conversation concerning the cruelty of the New Atheism resonated very strongly with me. At the end of last year, I was feeling really desolate because of the death of my father and was looking desperately for any sort of confirmation, solid theory or even unreliable accounts about a sort of an afterlife where I will be able to see him (a non-christened man) again. And I was exasperated to find that even mild suggestions in the popular liberal media (because this is what I read) about a reality allowing for such a happy event were countered with ferocious materialist resistance. An article in The Guardian where the author professed his faith was met with hundreds of comments ridiculing him or his religion. Numerous studies were carried with the specific purpose to prove (despite their declared lack of bias) that thousands of cases of near-death experience are nothing more than neurological aberration. God was routinely referred to in social media as “a magical friend”.
In this dark hour a friend of mine, quite a religious person, recommended me a book called Atheist Delusions (which, to my shame, is the only DBH’s book translated in my country, while we have already been plagued by seven Richard Dawkins’s translations, some of them with several editions already). He warned me that the author is extremely intelligent and impossibly well-read, but I might be scandalized by his somewhat argumentative style. Man, I had not read a book with such glee in a very long time. I was giggling like a bashful maid while DBH was destroying with great panache the flimsy materialist fortresses. Needless to say, since then I read a lot more of his works. And this conversation just reminded me that, for some reason, I have criminally neglected Roland in Moonlight, which resulted in immediate Kindle purchase (no way I am waiting for a physical delivery. I intend to finish it by the end of the week).
P.S. It was very nice to hear the reference to Aunt Susie at the end. It is one of my favorite stories of yours. I actually asked my little daughter to read it some months ago as it is actually a kind, honest, and yet quite a persuasive way to show a child the life of faith (though, of course, the story is much more than that).
Thanks for introducing me (us?) to Goddard - and, previously, for drawing attention to Stephen Clark's Cities and Thrones... - - Whoa! -- And yes! pre-order the second edition of your NT translation (I just did).
Thank you Tariq. The mystery of the Our Father has disrupted my prayer life for some time now. Your question about prayer and the exchange that followed in the final 40 minutes will continue to stimulate. Bless.
Thank you so much to DBH and TG for this conversation, which I thoroughly enjoyed.
Your discussion of art and transcendence brought to mind Sylvia Plath's "Black Rook in Rainy Weather" and especially the lines: "Miracles occur, / If you care to call those spasmodic / Tricks of radiance miracles."
I find the problem of evil to be an almost daily challenge to faith, and it was reassuring to hear you grapple with it. I'm tempted by this issue (more frequently and severely than I care to admit) to turn away from faith entirely or to turn to something like the reasoning of Charles Hartshorne in his Omnipotence and Other Theological Mistakes. I'm 71, and I haven't gone down either of these roads yet--which I can't really explain, except to say that beauty and love have been part of my experience of life and somehow my experience won't allow it.
Thank you both again.
What a great conversation! Tariq asked so many of the questions I would ask you if I had the chance (Don't you worry though Mr. Hart. I have loads more.)
Like your guest, I also studied philosophy in the pursuit of... rational certainty I guess. But I went in as a Christian. I was embarrassed to have to rely on faith for my beliefs and desperately wanted to ground them in something like irrefutable reason. But I learned over time that to make one's religious beliefs (like belief in God) dependent on rational argument is really to put your faith in the argument and not in God. And then your faith is only ever as strong as your argument. I pretty quickly gave up seeking philosophical *certainty* for my beliefs, and have grown much more comfortable relying on the evidence of my senses and experiences to build up my faith.
Gracias
The discussion on Dawkins and the refusal to accept mystery reminded me of this excellent ghost story by MR James
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TAuvasKBNic
Many thanks - looking forward to listening / watching this offering. Gratias