On 11 Feb 96 17:19:52 EST you wrote:
[...]
TM>This is actually the reason Provine happily claims he'll go to hell
if
>there is a god. By doing so, it takes away the ability for an
>"opponent" to threaten him with hell. It's disarming to simply agree.>>
>
>So if Provine happily claims exactly what Gordie and I maintain--if he "simply
>agrees" with us, "disarmingly" so--how can it be distasteful to agree with
>Provine?
>
>As Yul would say, "Is a puzzlement." No threats were made.
Agreed. Tom can check out what Provine said about Hell in an extract
of his debate with PJ at:
http://www.mrccos.com/arn/orpages/or161/161main.htm
Here is what Provine said about Hell:
"When you die, you're not going to be surprised, because you're going
to be completely dead. Now if find myself aware after I'm dead, I'm
going to be really surprised! But at least I'm going to go to hell,
where I won't have all of those grinning preachers from Sunday morning
listening. Let me summarize my views on what modern evolutionary
biology tells us loud and clear -- and these are basically Darwin's
views. There are no gods, no purposes, and no goal-directed forces of
any kind. There is no life after death. When I die, I am absolutely
certain that I am going to be dead. That's the end of me. There is
no ultimate foundation for ethics, no ultimate meaning in life, and no
free will for humans, either."
Far from being threatened by being told he is going to Hell, Provine
agrees he is if Christianity is true! Indeed, somewhere else I have
read that Provine is critical of some of his Christian colleagues who
have not tried to warn him of Hell. If they were consistent, they
would have, reasons Provine.
God bless.
Stephen
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