[MD] The End of Faith

[Ham Priday]

Hi Platt --


> You assert:
>
>> Faith is belief in anything without empirical evidence, and that includes
>> the MoQ which carries its own baggage of dogma.
>
> What is the empirical evidence for your belief that faith is what you say
> it is? Seems to me you are asserting a premise that is 
> self-contradictory --
> a premise unsupported by empirical evidence -- and thus is based on faith.
> Your assertion seems to carry its own baggage of dogma.

The empirical evidence for the meaning of a word is its use in communicating 
a thought or concept to others.  Dictionaries define common word usage. 
According to my Websters New Collegiate Dictionary, Faith is "1a: allegiance 
to duty or a person, 1b: fidelity to one's promises; 2a: belief and trust in 
and loyalty to God, 2b: firm belief in something for which there is no 
proof."  So I don't see how you can challenge what you or I, Steve or Ian, 
mean by Faith.

The point I was trying to make is that faith itself is not a bad thing, and 
that ending or eradicating it would be denying the spirituality of man upon 
which all conviction and trust is based.  Thus, if you believe in individual 
freedom, patriotism, the sanctity of human life, and moral goodness, they 
are part of a faith-based philosophy which makes Platt Holden a man of 
integrity and moral character.

On the other hand, if you are indoctrinated into a culture that subordinates 
your freedom and behavior to the will of a divine being which demands total 
submission to the words of a 7th century prophet, you have lost your 
individuality as a rational, self-directed human being.  As Hirsi Ali says, 
"that is immoral".  That, my good friend, is the evil we are fighting in the 
Islamic world.  We should not conflate it with "faith", "theism", or even 
"religious intolerance" which is really a form of discrimination.

Incidentally, while I've got your attention, you haven't responded to my 
off-line request for your home address so that I can send you the book I'd 
promised.  In case that message wasn't received, you can contact me at 
roseandham at verizon.net.

Best regards,
Ham