Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Posting-Version: version B 2.10 5/26/83; site ihuxp.UUCP Path: utzoo!linus!cca!decvax!harpo!floyd!vax135!ariel!houti!hogpc!houxm!ihnp4!ihuxp!jilek From: jilek@ihuxp.UUCP Newsgroups: net.religion Subject: What do YOU think? Message-ID: <437@ihuxp.UUCP> Date: Thu, 9-Jun-83 09:07:00 EDT Article-I.D.: ihuxp.437 Posted: Thu Jun 9 09:07:00 1983 Date-Received: Fri, 10-Jun-83 14:33:24 EDT Organization: BTL Naperville, Il. Lines: 39 I have been reading net.religion with interest over the past few weeks. To stimulate discussion, I would like to pose a very short series of questions to whoever is interested in replying. The topic of interest is how an individual may come to hold a particular religious, or cosmological, or epistemological, (or whatever) belief. Or perhaps, to state it another way, what is the nature of the milieu from which we, as individuals, must deduce our conclusions. I do not limit this process to the mental/logical abilities of man; all human capa- bilities can be considered as input: emotions, intuition, dreams, etc. are just as real as the intellect. The question, then ... 1. Does an individual have the ability to reach some true understanding of the ultimate 'religious' issues (i.e. life after death, the nature of reality beyond the physical world, our role or duty in life, etc.) or is this inherently impossible? If you feel the answer to question (1) is yes, then: 1a. Does such an understanding depend on historical events or is the possibility of achieving such an understanding independent of the time or location that an individual is living in? If you feel the answer to question (1) is no, then: 1b. What does this imply regarding the existence or nature of religions, of a system of ethics or law, or whatever? These questions are not meant to be devious or as bait to later ridicule any responder's beliefs. They are meant to encourage discussion and thus the questions are somewhat imprecise. Please feel free to define the terms as suits your argument. Please do not post replies to me; comments should be sent to net.religion so all of us may share your thoughts. -- Ed Jilek ihuxp!jilek Naperville, Il