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You can't have perfect knowledge through science

bobhikes

Nondetermined
Premium Member
Another analogy:

There was a frog who was trapped in a well. Dr Frog. One day another frog jumped into his well. This frog was from the ocean. Dr Frog was an expert in his well, so asked the new frog how big is the ocean is it 10x the size of my well 20x, 30x. In this way Dr Frog could never really understand what is the size of the ocean.

In the same way we are trapped in our well of perception and we try to understand Reality in relation to our limited perception. The only way we can really understand Reality is to hear from Higher Authority.

We are not only limited by our perception but by our experiences as well. This is true of everyone. Why are your perceptions and experiences to be trusted by me. Am I supposed to just take your word that your an expert.
 

skydivephil

Active Member
Another analogy:

There was a frog who was trapped in a well. Dr Frog. One day another frog jumped into his well. This frog was from the ocean. Dr Frog was an expert in his well, so asked the new frog how big is the ocean is it 10x the size of my well 20x, 30x. In this way Dr Frog could never really understand what is the size of the ocean.

In the same way we are trapped in our well of perception and we try to understand Reality in relation to our limited perception. The only way we can really understand Reality is to hear from Higher Authority.

But you have to assume that a higher authority exists, it might not.
You have to assume that you can correctly identify the higher authority, you may not be able to .
Your original post is a straw man, science does not claim perfect knoweldge. Never the less ,its the best method we have to assess objective claims of the universe, your method is simply trust someone who claims to be a guru. Good luck in that.
 

I-Ching

Aspiring to Transcendence
But you have to assume that a higher authority exists, it might not.
You have to assume that you can correctly identify the higher authority, you may not be able to .
Your original post is a straw man, science does not claim perfect knoweldge. Never the less ,its the best method we have to assess objective claims of the universe, your method is simply trust someone who claims to be a guru. Good luck in that.

If there was no God then science would be the best method. Unfortunately His existence is quite obvious to those that are pious. His Knowledge is infinitely superior to ours.
 

I-Ching

Aspiring to Transcendence
We are not only limited by our perception but by our experiences as well. This is true of everyone. Why are your perceptions and experiences to be trusted by me. Am I supposed to just take your word that your an expert.

As I have already said Guru, Sadhu and Sastra. You verify my word by checking with these three sources.
 

darkendless

Guardian of Asgaard
If there was no God then science would be the best method. Unfortunately His existence is quite obvious to those that are pious. His Knowledge is infinitely superior to ours.

Or those who see what they want to see :rolleyes:

I also notice that you like to speak for your God and attribute humanistic characteristics to him. How curious.
 

Revoltingest

Pragmatic Libertarian
Premium Member
Summary:
I have perfect knowledge. I know & communicate with God. He gives me his perfect truth.
Disagree? Then you're not just wrong, you're an utterly inadequate delusional reprobate.
How do I know this? Pay attention this time....I have perfect knowledge & commune with God.

At least I & my fellow losers have a lot of company.
 

PolyHedral

Superabacus Mystic
To be fair, I have perfect knowledge (given time) as well, though the domain is somewhat more limited than what I-Ching is claiming. :D (And I didn't talk to God to get it.)
 

9-10ths_Penguin

1/10 Subway Stalinist
Premium Member
You either have to have in your senses or faith in God. I prefer God, since my senses are limited and faulty.
Except the only way you can gain knowledge of God (or anything else) is through your senses, so you still have to have faith in your senses to have faith in God.
 

I-Ching

Aspiring to Transcendence
Except the only way you can gain knowledge of God (or anything else) is through your senses, so you still have to have faith in your senses to have faith in God.

I think we've already been through this. The theist sees through his ears by hearing from Sastra. Just like you hear from your mother who is your father. This superior to trying to test every man to detect who is you father. But you have to accept the axiom that God exists.
 

Revoltingest

Pragmatic Libertarian
Premium Member
In Revoltifarianism, the whole idea of "perfect knowledge" is a dangerous illusion.
It leads to the greatest of human faults, ie, certainty. One's hubris & faith prevent
learning & the changing of one's mind when necessary.
No one has to accept the axiom that God exists. That is your burden alone.
 

9-10ths_Penguin

1/10 Subway Stalinist
Premium Member
I think we've already been through this. The theist sees through his ears by hearing from Sastra.
Baloney.

You get told (i.e. hear through your ears) or read (i.e. see through your idea) about religious ideas. You then think about them and decide whether to accept them or not. Later on, you think about them more and come up with inferences by which you apply the concepts you were taught to things beyond the immediate subject matter.

This is how all learning works, including religious learning.

And it's got the same problems that you identified in the OP:

- our senses our limited and imperfect, but we're dependent on them to learn things, including religious things.

- we have to rationalize and make intelligent inferences in order to apply what we've learned, but we sometimes do this improperly... even for religious beliefs.

- even if we do all of the above flawlessly, our beliefs are still dependent on their source: maybe the person who taught us was lying. Maybe our teacher was honestly mistaken.

Just like you hear from your mother who is your father.
:areyoucra

My mother is not my father. Regardless, I have mis-heard both my mother and my father on different occasions.
 

idav

Being
Premium Member
A Guru is by definition empowered by God and therefore not subject to the defects of ordinary human beings.
If the Guru is human then they are limited by the same senses the rest of us humans are limited to.
 
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