Thursday, June 10, 2010

50 blogs on disbelief - Cold Comfort

50 Blogs on Disbelief
My thoughts on the book, 50 Voices of Disbelief, Why We Are Athiests, edited by Russell Blackford and Udo Schuklenk. Written as I read them in no particular order. The page number of the essay is provided at the top of each entry.
p. 177 Ross Upshur – Cold Comfort

I’m almost through all 50 essays, and I continue to find something new. Ross presents no arguments at all. He remembers being an atheist as early as age 5. This despite being brought up in a family with one Catholic grandmother and one Anglican vying for his soul. His parents encouraged his scientific interests and later philosophy and politics. His atheism continued throughout his undergraduate study, although he did cultivate some appreciation for the importance of theology through the studies of Hume and Spinoza.

In adulthood, he married a woman who was brought up in the “gentle, open-minded, social-justice oriented United Church of Canada.” To support her and their daughter, he returned to church service. He bides his time reading the Bible and is tolerated by the other members. He has found the experience worthwhile as his understanding of literature, architecture and symbolism has improved.

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