PE:
I can't think of any belief of mine that I decided to hold.
Nor can I.
On the other hand, I can remember occasions where I realized that I no longer believed what I thought I believed.
As do I.
It seems to me that beliefs are less the result of a decision and, following Nietzsche, more the surface expression of a great deal of activity that is going on elsewhere.
I agree with this.
For myself, I often have to work hard to find out what I believe, not necessarily because the issues are complicated but rather it is as though the conditions for my holding a belief are not yet settled.
Ditto.
but a more mundane explanation might be that Paul, for whatever reason, has an epiphany that he no longer believes what he thought he believed.
Well, thank God, I finally get to disagree. Actually, the miracle explanation makes more sense to me. I just can't imagine an epiphany of the scope it would take to redo one's whole purpose in life in one fell swoop. Saul must have been a man of extremes, unless the dear nuns lied to me, Saul was fanatically anti-Christian, and was present at (if not a participant in) the stoning death of St. Stephen. If in fact, he had an extremist personality, that would lend more credence to sudden conversion thesis, but even so, absent a miracle, I just can't believe that he suddenly become Paul, the definer of Christianity without a lot of other issues at issue with him.
Mike Geary Memphis----- Original Message ----- From: "Phil Enns" <phil.enns@xxxxxxxxx>
To: <lit-ideas@xxxxxxxxxxxxx> Sent: Saturday, November 08, 2008 8:00 PM Subject: [lit-ideas] Re: lit-ideas Digest (editing) and Missouri)
Mike Geary wrote: "One doesn't just wake up one morning and say, 'OK, today I'm changing my basic beliefs' (excepting, of course, Paul of Tarsus). It's the incremental realization that a particular belief isn't really working."I can't think of any belief of mine that I decided to hold. On theIt seems to me that beliefs areless the result of a decision and, following Nietzsche, more the surface expression of a great deal of activity that is going on elsewhere. other hand, I can remember occasions where I realized that I no longerbelieved what I thought I believed. For myself, I often have to work hard to find out what Ibelieve, not necessarily because the issues are complicated but rather it is as though the conditions for my holding a belief are not yet settled. I wonder if something similar is occurring in the Paul story. The story makes clear that Paul does not choose to change his beliefs but is, rather, overwhelmed. For Christians, Paul is overwhelmed by a vision of Jesus Christ, but a more mundane explanation might be that Paul, for whatever reason, has an epiphany that he no longer believes what he thought he believed. The relevant Nietzsche quote: "Beware that, when fighting monsters, you yourself do not become a monster." Sincerely, Phil Enns Yogyakarta, Indonesia ------------------------------------------------------------------ To change your Lit-Ideas settings (subscribe/unsub, vacation on/off,digest on/off), visit www.andreas.com/faq-lit-ideas.html
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