tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9031852996869768738.post14779286104474538..comments2024-03-28T08:30:20.260+01:00Comments on The Ugley Vicar: Religion, ideology and the problem of evilAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03590979027426082714noreply@blogger.comBlogger9125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9031852996869768738.post-89161565351680398382010-03-25T11:17:43.624+01:002010-03-25T11:17:43.624+01:00Tim Keene said
Stanley Fish, not a normal authorit...Tim Keene said<br />Stanley Fish, not a normal authority for Christians, in a blogging article in the New York Times on 22nd Feb reviews a book by a professor of law Steven Smith “The Disenchantment of Secular Discourse.” The thesis of the book, which Fish cites approvingly, is that secularists are quite unable to offer any reasons from within secularism for doing anything at all. They can offer descriptions, an 'is', but they cannot say why we should do anything about them without appealing in some way to something outside secularism, they cannot coherently supply 'oughts'. Thus secularism has to piggy back of religion despite its frequent claims to make religion redundant. I find this thesis as compelling as Fish evidently finds it. It also might act as a damning indictment of Hari's views.<br /><br />It might permit us however to accept a chastened form of secularism, a secularism that accepts that it does not have the answers to everything and in particular depends on others for its moral underpinning.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9031852996869768738.post-85321570632613418852010-03-24T07:23:39.132+01:002010-03-24T07:23:39.132+01:00Well, now you have at last an Affirming Anglican b...Well, now you have at last an Affirming Anglican bishop in Chelmsford. <br /><br />What will this portend?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9031852996869768738.post-6394332520375359732010-03-23T20:30:06.156+01:002010-03-23T20:30:06.156+01:00Apropo not a lot... I had to look up 'Fisking&...Apropo not a lot... I had to look up 'Fisking' and was then reminded that I once met his aunt when she worked as a shorthand-typist temp in London.<br />Tiring and boring as it sometimes is, I do think is is sometimes worth taking on the opponents fo religion - but I have now drawn a line in the sand with certain contributors to the debate on the grounds that they do not listen, so I won't waste my breath. I'm glad someone carries the baton.Heleganthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10284019891901006663noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9031852996869768738.post-13933577582918510802010-03-22T17:29:13.772+01:002010-03-22T17:29:13.772+01:00John/Stuart - I also do not know what "fiskin...John/Stuart - I also do not know what "fisking" is. Ok, I know we have to look at "some of the opponents of religion"; but they can become mindlessly vacuous sometimes (I'm reminded of C. S. Lewis's descriptions of hell/devils - grey, boring, lifeless), not all, but ... As long as you don't get sucked in (you say you didn't spend long, John) ...John Thomashttp://www.affirmingthefaith.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9031852996869768738.post-36991108066559864692010-03-21T05:31:41.472+01:002010-03-21T05:31:41.472+01:00This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9031852996869768738.post-66282656387451260142010-03-20T16:21:21.859+01:002010-03-20T16:21:21.859+01:00John, it didn't take that long! And as Stuart ...John, it didn't take that long! And as Stuart says, I think it is (well) worth looking at what some of the opponents of religion are saying, particularly when it comes to the application of their own viewpoint. To Stuart, I had to look up the meaning of fisking!Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03590979027426082714noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9031852996869768738.post-798330351120229502010-03-20T15:59:28.668+01:002010-03-20T15:59:28.668+01:00@ John Thomas. I disagree. It is worthwhile "...@ John Thomas. I disagree. It is worthwhile "fisking" the MSM.Stuarthttp://blog.echurchwebsites.org.uk/noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9031852996869768738.post-72878916350846649222010-03-20T15:35:03.215+01:002010-03-20T15:35:03.215+01:00Er ... what wories me, John, is that you spend so ...Er ... what wories me, John, is that you spend so much time on an article by a writer who (you seem to show) is biased/one sided, confused as to exact meanings of what he claims to espouse ("What exactly does he mean by 'inherently'?"), and ultimately circular in argument (human imagination > religion > violence > human-ness). Such writers are never going to change their stance anyway. I'm sure there are better things to do/write about.John Thomashttp://www.affirmingthefaith.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9031852996869768738.post-5707270621154908012010-03-20T13:26:59.727+01:002010-03-20T13:26:59.727+01:00Absolutely spot on, superb analysis. May I cross-p...Absolutely spot on, superb analysis. May I cross-post?Stuarthttp://blog.echurchwebsites.org.uk/noreply@blogger.com