Humpty Dumpty Sat On A Fence

Totally random thoughts to sort of go along with the spiel entitled "Paradox"...

There was a book I read once....kind of....that bears the title "Does God Exist?" One guess as to what it's about.
Basically what it consists of is a debate between atheist Kai Nielson and theist J.P. Morgan, and even in the very preface one can find an intriguing thought...

"The desire behind this book's undertaking was to bring to your attention many of the critical and life-changing issues that surround the question of the existence of God. We hope you will weigh the "pros" and "cons" carefully and rationally. Then make a decision--to choose a position or to engage in more reflection and study. But whatever you do, we hope you don't put the matter aside and press on with your life. This question is too great, too fundamental, too all-impacting to set aside. Indeed, to ignore is to decide--to decide how you will think and live...."

Then also later....

"Sigmund Freud's argument, though often shocking to believers, is consistantly logical: If religion is an illusion, it is the greatest of all illusions, in fact, a species of collective insanity, like the imaginary friend of a child who never grew up. The same is true, of course, about atheism if theism is true: It is the child's denial of the parent's existence."

And to wrap up something that may or may not really have anything to do with this...a little story to help you sleep at night

There was a large group of people. On one side of the group stood a man, Jesus. On the other side of the group stood Satan. Separating them, running through the group, was a fence.

The scene set, both Jesus and Satan began calling to the people in the group and, one by one - each having made up his or her own mind - each went to either Jesus or Satan.

This kept going. Soon enough, Jesus had gathered around him a group of people from the larger crowd, as did Satan.

But one man joined neither group. He climbed the fence that was there and sat on it. Then Jesus and his people left and disappeared. So too did Satan and his people. And the man on the fence sat alone.

As this man sat, Satan came back, looking for something which he appeared to have lost. The man said, "Have you lost something?" Satan looked straight at him and replied, "No, there you are. Come with me."

"But", said the man, "I sat on the fence. I chose neither you nor him."

"That's okay," said Satan. "I own the fence."

Originally Posted 4/17/08