From: "Santosh Helekar" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
"God is not a fact in the world, as though God could
be treated as one thing among other things to be
empirically investigated, affirmed or denied on the
basis of observation."
.......Cardinal Murphy-O'Connor
Any objective person reading the above would recognize
that I used the phrase "as Cardinal Murphy O'Connor
might say" in relation to the tea pot and other
supernatural entities because the Cardinal had not
actually referred to the orbiting tea pot in his
speech. He had only referred to God in the speech. The
certainty of his reference to God as not being "a fact
in the world" is clearly evident from his own words
quoted above.
***I cannot see why Dr.Santosh is misunderstanding what the Cardinal said:
It is not a fact in the world,
to be empirically observed and affirmed. I have been telling it from the
beginning that
God is not object of empirical observation and proof.
But the Cardinal affirms the existence of God revealed by Jesus Christ.
The Cardinal, therefore, does not say that God does not exist.
God cannot be perceived by empirical experiments.
The first part of his speech affirms his existence as a Person, who loves
the world.
Therefore, Dr.Santosh is truncating the thought of the Cardinal and making
him say what he does not say...
He affirms the existence of God. How can a Christian Cardinal deny the
existence of personal God?
I have been repeating it from the beginning in all discussions that God
cannot be object of empirical science.
Science is neutral. But God does exist as a Being revealed in the history
and believers do believe in the historical God.
In summary: Accepting the quotation of the Cardinal--that God is not object
of empirical observation--, I do not accept that God does not exist.
The Cardinal does not say that. In fact, Dr.Santosh is quoting a piece of
text, misinterpreting it and concluding against the Cardinal's speech.
The Cardinal tells the believers to respect the atheists.
I hope that Dr.Santosh understands it.
Regards.
Fr.Ivo
