Comments on: What Does Karla McLaren’s Conversion to Skepticism Mean?

By: Yosh

Yosh — Wed, 24 Aug 2011 23:19:21 +0000

You cannot be neutral when you are in judgment, as your judgment skews all of your perception and ability to see the truth. You can use discernment and logic in neutrality, without being in judgment.

By: Mia

Mia — Sun, 03 Jul 2011 01:31:10 +0000

I’m new to Karla McLaren’s stuff (currently getting LOTS of helpful stuff from her Energetic Boundaries audio presentation) but not to spiritual exploration, study of all great world religions, and others’ discomfort with belief. Maybe this in and of itself explains what it is to BE a mystic, but I keep coming back to this: until/unless one can admit that there are things “of this world” that absolutely defy human categorization, realities that cannot be explained by mere reason, experiences that transcend any human’s ability to understand, they will never “get” faith/belief — whether it’s AA or Anglicanism, New Age or the ancient burial rites of Stonehenge. (Maybe that’s why Christianity, at least–albeit frustratingly–describes faith as a “gift,” not something one can simply will into existence.) There’s a healthy humility to classic spiritual belief: to realize that mere humans are not the “end all and be all” of all creation, not its author, not its most wise commentator, not its ultimate judge. Unfortunately, tho, many of us moderns–soooo marinated in Western mechanistic/rationalistic/scientific thought that we are uncritically accepting of its own basic premises –are not “wired” to accept the ambiguity that’s necessary for sincerely mature belief — the mystery of evil, why God (as you understand him/her/it) lets good people suffer, etc. As for me (someone who has suffered greatly, by the way; someone who is likewise an inquiring mind and ever-curious scientific academic), the world is absolutely dripping in Divine Presence — ala Gerard Manley Hopkins or Mary Oliver, or the ancient Hebrew psalms–and mysticism (brilliantly! blessedly!) is as much about beholding the beloved face beside us (even if momentarily marred by anger or arrogance) as believing in a universal Beloved whom we tend to believe is somehow “beyond” this world.

By: chris

chris — Tue, 31 May 2011 23:40:26 +0000

@Ramji: I agree that critical thinking is a valuable skill to learn. It helps you discern the scientific from faith-based ideas. But I also feel that faith-based ideas have a legitimate place in the lives of many. Yes, it’s possible to live a life only acknowledging the scientifically proven, but there is a whole ‘nuther side that many feel enhances their lives. And both sides need to be open to adjusting their understanding as needed.

By: Ramji

Ramji — Tue, 31 May 2011 21:41:39 +0000

I know Karla. I too went from supernaturalist to skeptic and naturalist. yes, I’m atheist, but I don’t like that word … it says what one is not, rather than what one is. I believed in the supernatural all of my life … I’m 55 years old. A study of critical thinking was helpful in questioning my beliefs. It taught me how easy it is to fool myself into believing things that have no basis in reality. Look up critical thinking and become familiar with it.

By: Bill Brainerd

Bill Brainerd — Mon, 23 May 2011 22:55:25 +0000

Perhaps it’s best to research the origins of skeptics. Ancient Greeks, they essentially refrained from decisions because they doubted that they had all the information regarding what they observed. Does not this attitude compel non judgement.
That being said, I like this site. I also look forward to reading Karla’s book, hopefully with an open mind.