Hi there again,
I tried it one more time, this time using the ‘Preview’ feature. It worked. The system uses captchas.
Cheers,
Matt

I tried to post a comment after I logged on, but I got this message: Your request could not be processed. Please try again. This is what I wrote:

Thanks for setting up this forum and inviting me to participate. It’s great that we met on www.fluther.com but the complexity of the spiritual crisis requires a separate forum to discuss the great many aspects in more detail. I will reply to your initial post ‘Where Do We Begin?’ more thoroughly the next time I log on. I totally agree that the world requires healing and I’m convinced that atheists, agnostics and free-thinking theists should join forces inventing strategies to reverse this unfortunate trend.

Before we begin, maybe we can try to agree on some basic terminology. I think everyone is pretty clear about the meaning of atheism, agnosticism and humanism. I would like to present a four-layer classification of theism (using Christianity as an example) and how I understand it.

1) Deism

A divine entity created the multiverse and its physical laws. Religious beliefs are optional. There is a theistic and atheistic interpretation of the multiverse. The existence of a deity is not a scientific question.

2) Enlightened Christianity

The divine entity called God also sustains the physical laws. The creation has a purpose and a deeper meaning. The orderly, biophilic universe is the result of a deliberate act. God is beyond nature and should not be viewed as a god of the gaps. Science cannot explain the world, only phenomena which are observed within the world i.e. our multiverse. There is no magic within our world (the supernatural doesn’t exist). Natural sciences are consistent with both atheism and religious belief. Rationalism, critical thinking and spiritual progressiveness are core values of enlightened Christianity.

The Christian religion has many levels of meanings and the belief in God is only one of them. Jesus Christ being the son of God has a symbolic meaning. Prayers are a form of meditation supporting our spiritual growth and finding our strengths. Dogmas arise in a social context and when the context changes, dogmas should change too or even be given up. Rituals are seen as a means to strengthen social groups. Christianity must not claim exclusive rights in defining truth and it is only one world view among many. Enlightened Christians share many values with other belief systems and world views such as liberalism and humanism.

3) Conservative Christianity

God has the capability to directly intervene in world events and He does so from time to time. Dogmas lie at the heart of Christianity and they should be upheld. Dogmas and rituals are a direct consequence of divine revelation. Prayers are directly answered, sometimes by direct intervention. Christianity is superior to all other faiths. Believing in Jesus Christ is the only way to be saved.

4) Ultra-conservative Christianity

The whole Bible is literally true and a direct result of divine revelation. Scientific findings must remain consistent with teachings of the Bible. Christianity is the only true faith. Muslims and Jews and followers of other religions as well as atheists are infidels and they will be punished by God.

What are your thoughts about the four levels?

Well, I think when we discuss religion in crisis, we should be clear what forms of religions we are talking about.

Happy Christmukkah!

Thank god you’re here.

If I was gay, we’d totally get married. Nice answers!