Assigning the Deity

Connor L. wrote: Do you think it's ok to say: "Jesus would not approve", when you aren't Jesus?

Yes. I have this nifty little book of His teachings that tells me what He would and wouldn't approve of. Handy, that.

:dry: Too bad we don't know enough about the Bible to make that call.

Connor L. wrote: :dry: Too bad we don't know enough about the Bible to make that call.

The point is that your deity either exists in a form you can verify, or does not. If your deity does exist in a form you can verify, then you can speak for them rather clearly, as you would be able to learn about their personality. If your deity does not exist in a form you can verify, then you have to take what you can of that deity's personality from the tales woven around them, which will (again) lead you to a pretty thorough understanding of said deity.

The first instance is like ordering for your friend at a coffee or ice cream shop. The second is the same as explaining how a fictional character would act in a situation that isn't directly presented by the writers. Both are done on a daily basis with an alarming degree of accuracy.

I got your point. You're still making assumptions. Which, is assigning the deity.

Connor L. wrote: I got your point. You're still making assumptions. Which, is assigning the deity.

But take a religion such as Islam, Muhammad's decisions are thought of as being directly inspired by God. In these cases interpretations for modern times are also seen as binding. An example might be someone stealing a cart, but nowadays people steal cars etc, the Qur'an and whichever Hadith is prominent is consulted to determine the correct course of action.

The assigning the deity argument really just boils down to the extent to which you can justify your opinion etc...

The assigning the deity argument really just boils down to the extent to which you can justify your opinion etc...

That's exactly right. My assertion is that you can never justify your opinion using religious sources.

Connor L. wrote:

The assigning the deity argument really just boils down to the extent to which you can justify your opinion etc...

That's exactly right. My assertion is that you can never justify your opinion using religious sources.

Indeed, but my point was that in some circles it is perfectly possible to do so and they have no issue against it.

When it really matters is when they try to justify it outside of their group...

I know it happens, and it's perfectly ok to do so. Unfortunately, I think they're wrong. hahaha. :evil:

If I was a Christian, I would never assume anything about Christ. I would indeed look to the source material to find guidelines, but I wouldn't go so far to say: "oh, this thing I'm doing... it's justified by this passage: __". I would think it's healthier to live the life emulating the teachings... but not to morally justify them. That way, if you are less than perfect, you are still beautiful and potent.

Connor L. wrote:

The assigning the deity argument really just boils down to the extent to which you can justify your opinion etc...

That's exactly right. My assertion is that you can never justify your opinion using religious sources.

I disagree rather completely. It's no different than justifying your opinion using other sources you didn't author.

Not really... But, ok.