quote:
I specifically told you not [to] believe me. I told you to check out Jesus.
Do you know the bible and all that it is?
All the answers you seek are in the bible, and in your own heart, not mine.
—riverrat
Just thought I would jump in with my own two cents. I think this quote gets to the heart of the matter. Riverrat doesn't seem to be saying that he has found a universal truth within christianity, but instead he has found a personal truth that only he is able to experience. Due to the subjective nature of his experiences, and lack of objective proof, riverrat is only able to describe what he feels. Riverrat does believe that his religious experiences can be felt by other people, but only by other people subjecting themselves to similar spiritual openness that he has gone through.
At the same time, riverrat should recognize that people have also found personal truth within different religions and philosophies. For him, christianity and the teachings of Jesus are the be all, end all. Judging by how this has affected his life, I am glad that riverrat has found this path in life. Happiness is a hard thing to find sometimes, and people shouldn't be discouraged for finding this happiness. However, at times it seems that adherents to religious sects (christianity among them) claim that they alone hold the path to spiritual salvation and total happiness. In my opinion, this just doesn't make sense given the number of non-christians and non-religious people who have fulfilling and happy lives.
Sometimes I find myself putting more emphasis on objective evidence and objective experience when judging subjective issues. I have found over time that sometimes subjective judgements aren't weak at all, just incapable of making people come to an agreement on bigger issues and questions of philosophy. It is only when subjective judgements impinge on objective truths that the laws of logic and reason step in, such as in describing the natural world around us. I am not trying to push my personal philosophy onto anyone (including Schraf and riverrat), just trying to explain my own philosophical stance in this little corner of the internet in the hopes of expanding this discussion.
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