Mortal Man wrote:for what it's worth, I wouldn't look at it this way. Our missions and service to the church were not and are not a waste of time. They helped make us who we are. I still believe that missions build character and I look at opportunities to help people move etc. as good ways to help me get outside myself.
A couple nights ago I watched a Stephen Hawking episode on the meaning of life. I was quite pleased that he concluded with a thought that I came to about a year ago, which is that each of us creates the meaning of our own lives; i.e., the meaning of life is whatever we choose it to be. Humankind has not yet uncovered the Ultimate Truth, until we do, we can create meaning by applying ourselves to whatever we feel is right and good, even if the object of our service is wrapped up in mythology.
I'm saving this post, because it's exactly how I feel but better said than I could.
The challenge would be a series of math problems and perhaps some well known algorithms. The goal would be to find out if the esteemed Dr. Gee is able to produce the correct result by sight and without the use of a computer or calculator
Hi Mledbetter,
An excellent suggestion but some more context is needed. The math problems need to be provided by an atheist who claims that math proves there is no God. If Gee cannot solve some sophisticated topological proof, then this proves he is not qualified to enter the discussion. And the null hypothesis of the dicussion is that there is no God thanks to math. And that means there is no God, unless the null hypothesis is overturned, but this can't happen until a participant demonstrates enough expertise in ultra-hard math to have is voice heard. And this means, effectively, there is not God.