[MD] are theism and mysticism mutually exclusive notions?

[david buchanan]

Case said:
...There simply is no basis for saying that theism and mysticism are 
incompatible. dmb seems to want to define the problem away which is ok, I 
guess, but not really.

dmb says;
No basis? So are you saying that I have misread Pirsig, Campbell, Northrop 
and my Oxford encyclopedia or are you saying that they have no basis? I 
still have lots of unread posts in my mailbox so it may be that you already 
addressed this, but at this point your blanket dismissal seems to have no 
basis. Its just a naked assertion that ignores the sources I've cited in 
making this distinction.

Case asked
I will ask again: On what basis does one decide between Materialism and 
Mysticism and Theism? All of them make unverifiable claims about the 
fundamental nature of reality. You can not decide among them on logical 
grounds. I have said before that accepting one of these systems is an act of 
faith...

dmb says:
Well, this is at the heart of what we disagree about. As I understand it, 
theism makes claims that can't be verified while philosophical mysticism is 
empirically based. This is the distinction I've been trying to get at and 
which is asserted by the sources mentioned above. This is exactly my problem 
with theism; it makes claims about a supernatural being that is beyond human 
experience while philosophical mysticism does not. In the MOQ, for example, 
reality and experience are equated. There is no reality beyond nature or 
beyond experience. Or if there is, there is no way to know anything at all 
about it. Its something we just can't know and so any assertions about it 
are either sheer speculation and/or complete nonsense. What unverifiable 
claim do you think I'm making here? What part of this do you think I'm 
taking on "faith"?

dmb

"Make me ONE with everything", said the Buddha to the hot dog vendor.

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