Posted by Jason on May 24, 1999 at 12:37:45:
In Reply to: A middle ground posted by rpcman on May 24, 1999 at 10:38:13:
: : the nonbelievers simply dismiss out of hand the notion that religion can be useful and fulfilling.
: I'm not sure if this is the case. Nonbelievers, myself included, find most religions to be non-useful and unfulfilling ***for themselves***, but certainly wouldn't claim that all religions are completely useless for everyone at all times.
It is the case with the people that I'm around. I suppose I should try to look past the mindset that the utility I get out of religion must be validated by or acceptable to the nonbelievers in my life. I find the scoff-factor hard to handle (and, I must admit, hard to resist when I hear something I think is silly).
: : Is there a middle ground?
: I find UUism to be sometimes useful and fulfilling. You need not believe in any mythology, but if you do that is OK too. Christians, Buddhists, Pagans, Atheists, Deists, Jews, and the rest are all welcome.
I think I'll check it out. I've been wanting to but haven't had the nerve to bring it up yet. My wife's taking the kids to her folks for a few weeks soon and I'll have a period of time where I could do it (I don't have to do it surreptitiously, but it makes it easier for now). We're attending a Methodist church now and we like it (Lutheran + ex-Catholic/ex-Mormon = pseudo-Methodist). My wife has recently told me that she appreciates my outlook and believes it's a healthy way to practice religion. I had always worried that she'd react badly when she learned that I was not only rejecting mormonism but also the fundamental tenets of traditional christianity. She didn't but that worry still kind of lingers, I guess.
When I ask the question, "is there a middle ground?", I'm asking the question to myself as much as to the rest of my world. Is there a middle ground in myself where I can reconcile my doubts (and outright cynicism, at times) and my hopes? I can see that they can coexist in theory... I wonder if they can coexist inside *me*? I suspect that it may never be reconciled... thanks for the link. I'll look for one in OKC.