Comments on: Enough http://www.erinseaboltbond.com/2009/06/30/enough/ Erin Seabolt Bond Wed, 08 Feb 2012 13:50:52 +0000 hourly 1 By: Erin http://www.erinseaboltbond.com/2009/06/30/enough/comment-page-1/#comment-668 Erin Wed, 08 Jul 2009 03:06:08 +0000 http://www.erinseaboltbond.com/?p=356#comment-668 S: I do think atheism and faith in a deity or religion are two brands of the same basic assumption--certainty in something bigger than yourself, or certainty that there is nothing bigger than yourself (or however one might phrase it). Maybe there are also different breeds of doubt, though? It seems to me that the people of greatest faith are not the ones that are the loudest and "surest" of the bunch. I think doubt can play a role in faith (and anyway, if someone is completely certain, then doesn't that eliminate the need for faith altogether? it seems that faith must assume at least some level of doubt). I'm not entirely sure what I'm saying with all of this. Just that sometimes we see doubt as a sign of insincere or faulty faith, and I think perhaps it might be the other way around. And Tellie: I don't personally know the pastor, but I know people who do, and I do believe he was doing the best he could in a very difficult situation. Also, he was abiding by the family's wishes for the service. What bothered me more was the fighting that followed it. I didn't really make that fully clear in the post. Most of the things that were more offensive were said on the discussion board and were between his friends and his family members. Thankfully, eventually some of his friends did stand up and say, hey, can we go back to remembering Dave here and stop arguing? And so, things have calmed down a bit, which is what should happen. I think everyone is just going through such a terrible time right now, and they say and do things they might otherwise not do. S: I do think atheism and faith in a deity or religion are two brands of the same basic assumption–certainty in something bigger than yourself, or certainty that there is nothing bigger than yourself (or however one might phrase it). Maybe there are also different breeds of doubt, though? It seems to me that the people of greatest faith are not the ones that are the loudest and “surest” of the bunch. I think doubt can play a role in faith (and anyway, if someone is completely certain, then doesn’t that eliminate the need for faith altogether? it seems that faith must assume at least some level of doubt). I’m not entirely sure what I’m saying with all of this. Just that sometimes we see doubt as a sign of insincere or faulty faith, and I think perhaps it might be the other way around.

And Tellie: I don’t personally know the pastor, but I know people who do, and I do believe he was doing the best he could in a very difficult situation. Also, he was abiding by the family’s wishes for the service. What bothered me more was the fighting that followed it. I didn’t really make that fully clear in the post. Most of the things that were more offensive were said on the discussion board and were between his friends and his family members.

Thankfully, eventually some of his friends did stand up and say, hey, can we go back to remembering Dave here and stop arguing? And so, things have calmed down a bit, which is what should happen. I think everyone is just going through such a terrible time right now, and they say and do things they might otherwise not do.

]]> By: Tellie http://www.erinseaboltbond.com/2009/06/30/enough/comment-page-1/#comment-667 Tellie Wed, 08 Jul 2009 01:07:16 +0000 http://www.erinseaboltbond.com/?p=356#comment-667 Wow. That was very disrespectful on the pastor's part. I don't understand why people can't let some thing's go. Sometimes I question the views of Christians and I am Christian myself. I just try to live life as best as I can and not dwell on the nitty gritty. Wow. That was very disrespectful on the pastor’s part. I don’t understand why people can’t let some thing’s go. Sometimes I question the views of Christians and I am Christian myself. I just try to live life as best as I can and not dwell on the nitty gritty.

]]> By: Sabrina http://www.erinseaboltbond.com/2009/06/30/enough/comment-page-1/#comment-666 Sabrina Thu, 02 Jul 2009 15:22:13 +0000 http://www.erinseaboltbond.com/?p=356#comment-666 Well, I think faith and doubt sort of have that yin yang relationship, really. However, I've heard the argument before that doubt has to be the opposite of faith because disbelief is really just faith in nothing, which I can see as stronger than general uncertainty. Where atheism offers its own brand of certainty, agnosticism seems far more at odds, if not a perfect opposite to other faiths. I could change my mind about all of that though; who knows? Well, I think faith and doubt sort of have that yin yang relationship, really. However, I’ve heard the argument before that doubt has to be the opposite of faith because disbelief is really just faith in nothing, which I can see as stronger than general uncertainty. Where atheism offers its own brand of certainty, agnosticism seems far more at odds, if not a perfect opposite to other faiths. I could change my mind about all of that though; who knows?

]]> By: Erin http://www.erinseaboltbond.com/2009/06/30/enough/comment-page-1/#comment-665 Erin Wed, 01 Jul 2009 22:01:34 +0000 http://www.erinseaboltbond.com/?p=356#comment-665 The faith v. doubt thing has always intrigued me. Can you have faith without any doubt? Can you have doubt without any faith? (Regardless of the object of the faith.) Maybe they are two points on a continuum and at various times in our lives we find ourselves with varying proportions of both. I don't think doubt is the opposite of faith, but I'm not sure what that makes it, and in general I am finding myself more and more resistant to the whole binary way of thinking about it. The faith v. doubt thing has always intrigued me. Can you have faith without any doubt? Can you have doubt without any faith? (Regardless of the object of the faith.) Maybe they are two points on a continuum and at various times in our lives we find ourselves with varying proportions of both. I don’t think doubt is the opposite of faith, but I’m not sure what that makes it, and in general I am finding myself more and more resistant to the whole binary way of thinking about it.

]]> By: Betsy http://www.erinseaboltbond.com/2009/06/30/enough/comment-page-1/#comment-663 Betsy Wed, 01 Jul 2009 20:53:10 +0000 http://www.erinseaboltbond.com/?p=356#comment-663 Profound post Profound post

]]> By: Sabrina http://www.erinseaboltbond.com/2009/06/30/enough/comment-page-1/#comment-662 Sabrina Wed, 01 Jul 2009 19:18:47 +0000 http://www.erinseaboltbond.com/?p=356#comment-662 Since leaving Baptist school, I tend to avoid weighing in on discussions involving Christianity. Somewhere between the hardcore fundamentalism I was taught and much of what I simply don't believe in anymore, I just never really feel particularly inclined or justified in entering those conversations. I know what faith is, and I don't want to offend anyone who has some. I've got more doubt than anything else, but I respect people who have something else to counterbalance that. But what I really wanted to say is how much I like what you said; the bit about keeping the grass mowed drives your point home. I love how you said none of it would ever be enough because it's not the <i>point</i>. I'd like to think that anyone, of any faith or lack thereof, could agree to the truth in that. Since leaving Baptist school, I tend to avoid weighing in on discussions involving Christianity. Somewhere between the hardcore fundamentalism I was taught and much of what I simply don’t believe in anymore, I just never really feel particularly inclined or justified in entering those conversations. I know what faith is, and I don’t want to offend anyone who has some. I’ve got more doubt than anything else, but I respect people who have something else to counterbalance that. But what I really wanted to say is how much I like what you said; the bit about keeping the grass mowed drives your point home. I love how you said none of it would ever be enough because it’s not the point. I’d like to think that anyone, of any faith or lack thereof, could agree to the truth in that.

]]>