virus: Joan Osborne

Eric Boyd (6ceb3@qlink.queensu.ca)
Sat, 13 Dec 1997 19:15:56 -0500


Hi,

> "would you want to see, if seeing meant that you would
> have to believe in things like heaven and in Jesus and
> the saints and all the prophets"???
>
> What if God was one of us?>>
>
> I must confess that song holds some fascination for me even
> as (or maybe especially as) an atheist.
> I find myself wanting to add in more lyrics.

Especially has my vote -- I know that certain groups of Christians I grew
up around do not allow their children to hear this song. I'm really not
sure why -- although admittedly the song is written from an atheistic
standpoint, it is considering questions which are very important to
theists.

The "would you want to see" question really hits the very bottom of the
freewill defence for the existence of God (you understand the Christian
God's existence has been DISproven with the argument from non-belief right
here:

http://www.infidels.org/library/modern/theodore_drange/aeanb.html

) and one of the KEY defences is the freewill argument -- that God chooses
to hide himself in order to ensure that we *freely* believe in Him. This
question hits the very bottom -- that if we could *see* God, we would
really have no rational choice. "Would you want to see?" is a question
about how WILLING an atheist is to admit the evidence for God.

I answer yes -- if God wants to show himself, I'll believe.

Hello? God??? Anyone out there?

Not today, I guess.

ERiC