> Chris Hind is wondering why Christians claim to "seek the truth", when they
> really don't.
> Remember, most people are very concerned what others think and say about
> them, and they are quite motivated to receive approval from others. This
> desire for approval leads people to do and say that which is fashionable,
> regardless of whether they believe in what they do or say.
I think they do believe what they say. But their willingness to
believe it is coerced by their need for approval. Most
people feel good when they are not alone in a belief system (the
author included).
> seeker of truth is simply a fashionable thing to do; if a Christian claimed
> that they weren't a seeker of truth, they would be severely ridiculed, by
> other Christians and by non-Christians. They claim to "seek the truth" simply
> to look good, not because they really mean it or even understand
> what it
> really means to seek the truth.
I have a huge problem with what REALLY is the truth, mainly because
REALLY is a subjective term.
> Their blatant dogmatism is evidence that they
> don't seek the truth,
No. It is evidence that they don`t seek your truth. From what I`ve
heard from many christians is that they have found, and are very
happy with, "the" truth.
> but it would be very bad for their image to admit that.
> Most people, Christians included, have no understanding of the intense
> personal discipline required in seeking the truth,
Your truth.
> and very few people are
> willing to discipline themselves so severely. To continually question and
> doubt one's assumptions, to continually keep oneself open to seeing things
> clearly, and to continually refine one's thinking skills are not easy
> processes to maintain, and they require an extreme devotion to understanding
> how things are.
> To accept some nice, cozy belief system is much easier, but
> is also much less rewarding.
It would be less rewarding for _you_ to accept such a cosy system,
some people need the security.
You can`t ever escape a belief system, even if your belief is to shun
beliefs...Aaaaahhhhh, I've spun a strange loop and can't get out.
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Stephen de Vries phen@wwg3.uovs.ac.za
www.geocities.com/athens/7415
"Nothing is true. Everything is permitted" - Hassan i Sabbah