No Sacred Cows: An Exchange Between an Atheist and a Person of Faith

Excellent share brother Chip, thank you

Excellent. chip. Thanks for sharing

Interesting. I particularly appreciated "Billy's" detailed dissection of morality as essentially a contractual agreement rather than an existential property...I disagree with him; but appreciate how he clearly articulates his position. My faith comes from equal parts experience and sentiment. Truly, given my background and present surroundings; it would appear the "easy" choice...but that negates the fact that for the last twenty-five years or more of my life, I've made intentional decisions that have found me in those surrounds-the opposite would certainly have been available to me had I desired it. For me, the key to faith is best described as an analogy most "religious" people may dislike. "Sin" (or if you prefer, the "Curse") is akin to a poison that acts more swiftly on the body with rapid movement, and "faith" is an antidote that only works if you truly believe it will work. Many seem to believe that sin and faith are irrelevant, merely because they are unwilling to believe they are already "poisoned"...or similarly, able to be "cured". If, for example, a doctor informed me that I would perish unless I slowed my heart rate to 65 BPM... I'd be foolish to go run a marathon simply to "get it over with". The other difficult aspect of accepting this analogy is to believe that "living" is a concept that extends beyond what can be experienced in this mortal body.