Rick Asks About Unitarians and Unitheism, Are They Similar? If So, In What Ways?--FREEDOM & FAITH IN ACTION Options

[Lindsay]

Rick, I have a great respect for the Unitarian philosophy of religion: Here is a brief outline. Perhaps we could invite a unitarian to join the dialogue here.

http://web.mac.com/mgienke/iWeb/BSEUnitari...%20beliefs.html

BTW, over the years, I have been invited to speak at several Unitarian churches in the Toronto area. I usually use the topic: WHY I COULD BE A UNITARIAN, BUT I AM NOT.

My short answer is: Because the United Church of Canada is so inclusive in matters of theology and faith that I have all the freedom of belief I need within it. The UCC is more into orthopraxy (the practice of agape/Christian/Love--Like the Democrats are supposed to be, Rick) than in orthodoxy
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Meanwhile, Check out: http://www.scienceagogo.com/forum/ubbthrea...32917#Post32917

There I am carrying on a lively dialogue with several atheists/agnostics in a thread by Socratus. I think he is a physicist and a Russian Orthodox. The following is the latest post I made to his thread.

Where and Who is God ? .......

Good dialogue, everyone. If the following comment on the topic is a repeat, I apologize:

Socratus, I know you mean well in raising this question, but, for me, it is a question that I, as a unitheist, would never ask. http://www.unitheist.org

IMO, GOD is not a some 'who' who exists some 'where', like you and I exist. For me, to think of divine Being, the infinite and eternal Now in this way, is to create an idol with the mind.

When Richard Dawkins asks theists: "What and where is your evidence for 'God'" he is asking the same kind of question we have as the title of this topic. In effect he is asking: "Who is, and where is, your God? Introduce me!"

If he asked me this, my answer would be: "Richard your question is like that asked by very young children: 'Daddy! Mommy! If God made us and the world, who made God?'

"Children need to be more mature before they can even ask mature questions and understand mature answers. I trust you are mature and know what I mean when I say: GOD, like the whole of Nature, or Reality, is the every Who and the every Where in which you and I exist.

"Now, as a mature thinkers, surely we can turn on all our physical, mental and spiritual senses. Therefore, to you I say relax, enjoy--and as the scientist you are--continue to help all of us explore this self-evident panentheistic truth. If you prefer to call this truth Nature and/or Reality, go ahead. In addition, I like to use the succinct term GOD. I give you the same freedom of the use of language that I ask of you."
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If anyone has Richard Dawkins e-mail, I would love to hear his response to the above.
BTW, I firmly feel that we all have the right to define GOD, God , god, whatever, ion our own terms.

[Lindsay]

Dear Max The Thinker:

You say you are a thinker. It is good to dialogue with a thinker. I, too, like to think of myself as a thinker.

With this in mind, before we go further, can we agree on the following:

1. We are not here to win a debate with a view to converting one another to The Truth, or The One True Religion, or Faith. Religion can be, but it is not necessarily a dirty word. The same if true for atheism and agnosticism.

2. While respecting the scientific approach, we make no claim to having access to The Infallible Truth.

3. We agree that, without overdoing it, it is OK, now and then, to quote authors and their books and to give links, as long as we do not use them as clubs to bash one another. Flaming, shaming and blaming is definitely out.

4. We agree to have a Socratic kind of dialogue with no ad hominems--no personal attacks. We agree to stick to the issues.

5. We agree to be flexible and to give one another the right to be wrong. We will respect the beliefs, opinions and definitions of one another.

6. We agree that it is OK to change ones mind, to agree to disagree, agreeably, and to have a sense of humour about all issues, no matter how serious.

Feel free to revise the above and let me know how you feel. I just read the above to Jean, my wife. She approves. Therefore, it must be The Truth