He is trying to prove his point by requesting me to tell him a belief of mine that I do not also think I know. Do you know any examples I can give him?
The appropriate example is believing something someone else has told you, that you accept you do not know yourself, but you think you know the one who spoke. For instance, a person could be blindfolded yet drive a car safely at slow speeds, provided he has an articulate coach beside him. All Christianity is like this, believing Jesus’ promises.
Unfortunately, as I’ve pointed out
elsewhere in this forum, Jesus never directly spoke the standard Christian doctrine of a trip to Heaven after one lifetime on Earth. Instead everyone is trusting Paul and others as interpreters of the Lord. Granted, Jesus spoke vaguely enough to allow this interpretation.
How does authority really come into the world? How do the “knowers” know, when someone who knows more is near? This subject has never been approached in religion! Instead we have what amount to unusual and poetic statements, the mere elegance of the poetry and the ancient nature of the text, amounting to sufficient proof to the adherents. There’s even more danger, that reading “you” on a page, does not necessarily mean you.
