Questioning my assumptions
From Chris A
Since commencing a reevaluation of my beliefs earlier this fall, I've become consumed with doubts, and I was hoping that perhaps some of the former Christians here could give my troubling questions an answer. I would have gone straight to your excellent forums with this, but something seems to have gone wrong with the sign-in process...
As I recall, this ordeal started when, while attempting to improve my debating technique, I decided that a Socratic analysis of my deepest convictions and why I held them might help me reach a better understanding of the art of argument.
This was a mistake, albeit an enlightening one; after some analysis, I had stumbled onto an important aspect of the relationship between the position of atheism, and the position of Fundamentalist Christianity.
As I see it, any atheist position will rest on two or three assumptions, the most common being that human reason is sufficient to determine the validity of any proposition. However, in assuming this, doesn't the atheist thereby admit a prejudice into any argument they might use?
It gets worse, obviously. Once I'd called the reason into question in the name of complete impartiality... Well, you can imagine the nightmares, I'm sure. With no way to reliably measure the likelihood of Christianity's claims, my infrequent thoughts of "What if it is true?" have become full-blown all-consuming fears that threaten to drive me from my comfortable lifestyle and straight to the nearest mourner's bench. My work is suffering, I've made absolutely no progress with my therapist in weeks, and I'd probably be suicidal if I wasn't so afraid of being tortured forever. How many of you have had experiences this terrible? How did you deal with it?
...Thank you for your time.
Since commencing a reevaluation of my beliefs earlier this fall, I've become consumed with doubts, and I was hoping that perhaps some of the former Christians here could give my troubling questions an answer. I would have gone straight to your excellent forums with this, but something seems to have gone wrong with the sign-in process...
As I recall, this ordeal started when, while attempting to improve my debating technique, I decided that a Socratic analysis of my deepest convictions and why I held them might help me reach a better understanding of the art of argument.
This was a mistake, albeit an enlightening one; after some analysis, I had stumbled onto an important aspect of the relationship between the position of atheism, and the position of Fundamentalist Christianity.
As I see it, any atheist position will rest on two or three assumptions, the most common being that human reason is sufficient to determine the validity of any proposition. However, in assuming this, doesn't the atheist thereby admit a prejudice into any argument they might use?
It gets worse, obviously. Once I'd called the reason into question in the name of complete impartiality... Well, you can imagine the nightmares, I'm sure. With no way to reliably measure the likelihood of Christianity's claims, my infrequent thoughts of "What if it is true?" have become full-blown all-consuming fears that threaten to drive me from my comfortable lifestyle and straight to the nearest mourner's bench. My work is suffering, I've made absolutely no progress with my therapist in weeks, and I'd probably be suicidal if I wasn't so afraid of being tortured forever. How many of you have had experiences this terrible? How did you deal with it?
...Thank you for your time.