Reply #77: pink unicorns [View All]

[Ando]

Yes, you can suggest your pink unicorn. Then write a book telling me how the pink unicorn created the world and saved humanity. Build a church to your pink unicorn and convert the world. Come back to me in another 2,000 years and I'll let you know if your pink unicorn is as valid as the concept of Christianity. You will of course call this an argument ad populum, I could care less. The ideas worth keeping stand the test of time and weather the storms with ease. Why does Christianity persevere? It is because Christianity presents to many the epitome of idealism. The rationalist forms his world on the basis of what he can test and see, the Christian builds his world on what he feels and dreams. The rationalist sees the church of the pink unicorn as equally absurd as the church of God. I think history shows us that not all ideas of theism are equally absurd. I refuse to sacrifice the miraculous and the beautiful at the altar of the intellect.

The historic case against miracles is also rather simple. It consists of calling miracles impossible, then saying that no one but a fool believes impossibilities: then declaring that there is no wise evidence on behalf of the miraculous. The whole trick is done by means of leaning alternately on the philosophical and historical objection. If we say miracles are theoretically possible, they say, "Yes, but there is no evidence for them." When we take all the records of the human race and say, "Here is your evidence," they say, "But these people were superstitious, they believed in impossible things."

Even what we call our material desires are spiritual, because they are human. Science can analyse a pork-chop, and say how much of it is phosphorus and how much is protein; but science cannot analyse any man's wish for a pork-chop, and say how much of it is hunger, how much custom, how much nervous fancy, how much a haunting love of the beautiful. - G.K. Cheaterton

My faith is not untestable, I have tested it and found it to be firm, comforting, and powerful. I have friends who have tested my faith and found it to be truth as well. You have tested it and found it wanting. I believe we are just testing with different aspects of ourselves. I have tested rationalism and secular humanism and found them both wanting. My contention is that logic is not the only test of validity.