Comments on Faith and Theology: Doodlings piled higher and deeper

Geoffrey, Perhaps you are right that my terminolog...

2012-01-09T14:15:42.253-06:00

Geoffrey,
Perhaps you are right that my terminology might have been more precise, but it was hardly so ambiguous as you suppose.Your choice of the term 'dishonest' seems rather uncharitable.
I wrote of the "life" of an unborn child. This, of course, indicates the process of natural development which will, barring the intrusion of some outside force, produce a being whose value, as the original doodle assumes, preludes even the possibility of morally appropriate torture. It is hard to see how the "life" of a sperm or ovum may be spoken of in the same way. Indeed, it is only insofar as the sperm or egg is acted upon by an outside force that its course of natural development is altered so as to produce anything valuable at all. Such "lives" would not lead to the same infinitely valuable result as a fertilized embryo; thus, they are clearly precluded as alternative interpretations of "unborn child" in my statement. Unless, however, I am being stingy with the term 'life'. Maybe I should begin conducting a short memorial service for the innumerable "unborn children" who whose "lives" are cut short every time I make love to my wife.

I am, however, most curious about this category of "not-yet" thing. Not yet what? Not yet thinking? Not yet developing? Not yet physically self-supporting? Not yet self-determined? What must one do to become a "now" thing, or whatever a newborn child is once it is no longer a "not yet" thing? Do "now" things have more value than not-yet things? Who gets to decide which beings count as which? Why should we trust "now" things, who clearly are in the position of power, with determining who gets to be part of their club? Forgive me, but this sounds very much like the type of dehumanizing grammar which is characteristic of the very mentality condemned in the original doodle. We always have to invent object-terms for humans when we want to treat them as objects.

Actually, to raise the question is to exemplify in...

2012-01-09T12:43:18.557-06:00

Actually, to raise the question is to exemplify intellectual dishonesty. An "unborn child" is a not-yet thing, much the same way an unfertilized egg is an "unborn child", or the sperm released during nocturnal emissions are "unborn children". While I realize you are speaking in re abortion, the way you frame it, at the very least, offers opportunities for others to make this point.

"Is it morally permissible to torture another...

2012-01-09T10:03:06.378-06:00

"Is it morally permissible to torture another human being? Even to raise the question is to be lost."

Yes, but for the sake of symmetry, might we not add: "Is it morally permissible to end the life of an unborn child? Even to raise the question is to be lost."

Mirthful and irreverent as always. I particularly ...

2011-12-07T21:01:50.793-06:00

Mirthful and irreverent as always. I particularly liked, "I reckon that adults should be admitted to the Bible only if they are accompanied by children." Doodle on brother!

That's an interesting insight. I think many pe...

2011-12-05T23:05:13.817-06:00

That's an interesting insight. I think many people would benefit from a proper understanding of Satan's place as creature. Thanks!

Ryan, the devil's power is a creaturely...

2011-12-05T04:08:41.216-06:00

Ryan, the devil's power is a creaturely power, a completely different kind of power than God's. Any comparison is a comparison of incommensurables: there can be no "more" or "less", no sliding scale. Any comparison is, literally, senseless.

I'm curious as to your comment, "Is God m...

2011-12-05T01:41:31.056-06:00

I'm curious as to your comment, "Is God more powerful than Satan? No." I recently wrote a paper on Satan so this one caught my eye, just wondering if you could expand on that.

You noted: "Jesus said that 'you will kno...

2011-12-03T22:10:11.281-06:00

You noted: "Jesus said that 'you will know the truth, and the truth will make you free' (John 8:32). He had obviously never met anyone with Alzheimer’s."
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Actually, as God, he did and does. beyond that Ginkgo has had mixed results in possibly preventing Alzheimer's.