Quote:
Originally posted by ANDY-J2
Finally there is testimony from spiritual teachers (Yogis) who claim to have a recollection of their former incarnations and therefore have some insight into the workings of Karmic law. Of course it is a matter of personal choice how much credence one attaches to the testimony of an eastern mystic but given that they eschew all material possesions and live an ascetic lifestyle they have no reason to lie-they cannot profit materially from giving a false testimony.
|
I would make the same argument as to why we should accept the testimony of the Old Testament prophets and Jesus' disciples. They did not benefit materially from proclaiming God's Word. In fact, they got nothing but persecution and death.
Quote:
Originally posted by ANDY-J2
Christians base their beliefs solely on the third of the above mentioned criteria-testimony and that is the testimony contained in a holy scripture which was written over two thousand years ago and is largely of uncertain authorship.
|
Not quite. Christians base their beliefs on all three. The personal experience comes from prayer. Christians feel the Holy Spirit working in their lives, and God's laws written on their hearts. Christianity is also a logically and philosophically coherent belief system. Much of it is non-rational, but none of it is irrational. That's where reason comes in.
If you allow for the possibility of the existence of an omnipotent God, it follows that said God would interfere in the natural order every once in a while, for the purposes of demonstrating His existence and rewarding His followers(miracles). Is there evidence of this interference? Absolutely! While none of it meets David Hume's standards for evidence, most of it meets the norms of historical evidence, if not the norms of legal evidence.
http://www.geocities.com/meta_crock/other/Miracles.htm
Quote:
Originally posted by ANDY-J2
Substitutionary atonemnent and material rewards in an illusory afterlife are mere deluded fantasies-there is no logical reason to believe that they have any validity.There are no deluded fantasies in Buddhism,only coherent and logical beliefs which are perfectly in harmony with the findings of modern science.
|
As I have said before, I don't believe in Substitutionary Atonement, favoring rather "Christus Victor" and Anselm's Satisfaction theory.
And again, you are confusing the Christian Heaven with the Muslim heaven, as the rewards in the Christian heaven are not material but spiritual.