Tuesday, December 2, 2008

Rami: Response to Mike's 12/2 Post

Christianity has no monopoly on circular reasoning. Ask any Jew about the notion that we are the Chosen People. How do we know God chose us? It is written in the Torah. Who wrote the Torah? We did. Duh. Even if your answer to the second question is "God wrote the Torah" the follow up question, "Who says God wrote the Torah?" ends up in the same place. Jews say God wrote the Torah. Even Christians and Muslims who also claim the Torah is divine revelation base their claims on the Jews.

One cannot escape the fact that in the end it is the individual who decides what is true or false for her or himself. Given the fact that we have no objective way of determining this, our conclusions should be drenched with humility.

Anyway, back to our text?

3 comments:

rearden215 said...

Why do Christians feel that they have been 'chosen' for the great commission simply for having been born Christian?

Patti said...

Christians don't believe that anyone is born a Christian. It is a faith based on choosing to believe, not birth right. I am not sure what you mean by "chosen for the great commission." A Christian might believe that fulfilling the great commission by being evangelical is their main purpose as Christ followers. Does this make any sense or approach a possible answer to your question?

Mike Smith and Rami Shapiro said...

This is Rami.

I always wonder about the idea of "choosing to believe." I believe what I do because it seems right to me. I don't believe the Jews are the Chosen People, or that God wrote the Torah even though these are essential pieces of my Jewish heritage. I only believe what makes sense to me.

Given that, I am quite aware that what makes sense to me might very well be wrong. I don't think it's wrong--if I did I would no longer believe it--but I have to admit the possibility. This is something of a ploy, however. While I admit to the possibility of being wrong I really think I'm right. Yet do I choose what I think is right or is it the only option once my reason tells me it is right?