Skepticism

We're crypt, what do you call that?

Cryptics?

Cryptics.

Help! Skeptics.

Skeptics.

Fingers crossed we're back next week.

We're going to leave you like we always do with the Skeptic's Creed.

Credulity is not a virtue.

It's fortune cookie cutter, mommy issue, hypno-Babylon bullshit.

I'm not telling you, Mr. or Mrs.

Skeptic, that you can just pick and choose to believe whatever you want.

No.

But what I am telling you is that if the doctrine of eternal torment is a barrier that you can't cross in order to embrace Christianity... you'll be happy to know that there are many well-respected, well-educated, thoughtful Christians who hold to a different view.

I'll just give one example.

Greg Boyd, who I'm no small critic of for a number of reasons, but that's not the point.

The point is, he published a book a number of years ago called Letters to a Skeptic.

And it's an exchange between him and his atheist or skeptical father.

We have a revelation.

Skepticism is not a permanent resting place for human reason.

the knowledge that there is bad money in circulation does not make us fling our purse into the gutter or refuse to replenish it when empty the sceptic tries a coin before accepting it but when once he puts it in his pocket his appreciation of it is for that very reason all the more intelligent and full a convinced doubter makes the best believer as lord kelvin declares scientific thought is compelled to accept the idea of creative power with an open mind therefore and unwavering confidence the true sceptic acknowledges the beneficent creator of the universe and in no grudging spirit but honestly and fully he will own the obligations and relationships which this involves Religion is implied in the acknowledgement of God, and further this acknowledgement removes every a priori objection to the idea of a revelation.

It creates indeed a positive presumption in its favour.

nor am i attempting to prove the inspiration or even the truth of scripture my aim is merely to beat off attacks i hold myself clear of the sin of uzza i am not putting my hand upon the ark as dante pleaded i am dealing with the oxen that are shaking the ark unintelligent creatures who have no sense of its sanctity or even its worth and here i am reminded of huxley's words that it is vain to discuss a supposed coincidence between genesis and science unless we have first settled on the one hand what genesis says and on the other what science says this is admirable let us distinguish therefore between what genesis says and what men say about genesis and let us not be either misled or alarmed by attacks upon the mosaic cosmogony based on the merest sunday-school exegesis on the one hand or on the theories of science on the other the facts of science in no way clash with scripture and as the prince of living scientists declares i quote lord kelvin's words again scientific thought is compelled to accept the idea of creative power of the origin of our world the first chapter of genesis tells us nothing save that in the beginning whenever that was god created it it may be as tyndall said in his belfast address that for aeons embracing untold millions of years this earth has been the theatre of life and death but as to this the mosaic narrative is silent it deals merely with the renewing and refurnishing of our planet as a home for man and this moreover to prepare the foundation for the supreme revelation of redemption let the authority of scripture be undermined and the whole fabric of the christian system is destroyed but in these easy-going days the majority of those who profess and call themselves christians being wholly destitute of the enthusiasm of faith are helpless when confronted by the dogmatism of unbelief It is a day of opinions, not of faith, and widespread apostasy is the natural result.

The natural attitude of a thinking mind toward the supernatural is that of skepticism.

Skepticism, not agnosticism.

The skeptic halts at the crossroads to take his bearings, but at sight of a crossroad, the agnostic gives up his journey altogether.

I'm stunned.

Skeptic.

For sure.

We've likened it to, what was that? The show that we liked before it became Watcher on YouTube.

One hundred small ideas from five old traditions of thought.

They come from Stoic teachers, Taoist storytellers, Buddhist discourses, Epicurean gardens, and Confucian classrooms, with a few wandering voices from the Cynic and Skeptic schools.

We will begin with the gentlest ones, ideas you may already half know.

Then, level by level, they will grow quieter and stranger, until the last few stop resolving altogether.

[laughs]

... skeptic? Skeptic.

Yeah.

That's, that's really skeptical.

Fortunately, couple years back, I met a skeptical professor up in the area where I live in northern Arizona, and for four months...

Skeptic.

I met him in an all-day skeptics event.

[laughs]