Let's do The Fast Track (or: Getting There in 7 Right Answers) Metaphysics & Life Quiz, OK?
QUESTION 1
There is a thought, a design in the Universe.
A. True
B. False*
There is a thought, a design in the Universe.
A. True
B. False*
If you chose B, you're an idio**... pardon: the Scriptures impose certain political correctness here: you're a "fool".
If you went for A, you're right and can proceed.
QUESTION 2
Behind a design, there is a designer.
A. Ermm... let me think about it... ;-)
If you chose A ("Obvious"), go on.
QUESTION 3
(Here, we leave the philosophical path and take a pragmatic one - but every bit as rational).
Is it likely that the designer, apart from hints in the Universe itself, has got through to us more directly?
A. Yes, it is
B. No, it isn't
If you chose B, you're not gonna have it easy. It's a difficult, respectable and wrong position, so carry on your cross (but you can read on, it may help)
If you chose A, you're right and can go on.
QUESTION 4
How could the designer have got across what he wanted us to know?
A. Through a person, or persons.
B.*** Through some (preferably ancient) messages, which - although technically passed on by someone - have qualities that seem to transcend the usually unknown (except very few cases; one of them discussed below) human messengers.
C. Directly to you.
If you chose C, there's no arguing with that. You know what you know and you're either already there, close to there or at the opposite end - but anyhow, you get my drift. But you can read on.
If you chose B, see above.
If you chose A, go on.
QUESTION 5
If it's a person, it would surely be someone extraordinary and trustworthy. Who's on the short list****?
E. Your grandma, perhaps
D. Budda Siakjamuni
C.Jewish prophets
B.Socrates
A.Jesus Christ
Your grandma has never claimed that she was the designer's messenger. If she has, she must have claimed it by proxy pointing to someone else from the list. (If she didn't and claimed to be one of a kind - and you believed her, see the comment to Q5, Answer B).
Budda was definitely on to something, but he never mentioned the designer, so he'd be disqualified at the second hurdle, Question 2. And even if we turned a blind eye to that (and we are not), he encourages us to stop being ourselves (achieving the 'emptiness' of 'I'), so his message, at a crucial stage, seems... not to refer to us. With all due respect then, we leave him out.
Jewish prophets look fine, but - taken as a whole; and they did want to be taken as a whole - they clearly pointed to someone else from the list; to someone who would connect all their dots (plus do some other extremely important stuff, but let's leave religion out of this). So let's focus on that person, when we've found who it is, in a moment.
Socrates understood that there was a designer and understood a lot about him, but never said that he actually spoke on his behalf.
That leaves us with Jesus Christ.
QUESTION 6
If Jesus, an extraordiary and trustworthy person by all accounts, is the designer's messenger, what he says is:
A. True
B. False
If you chose B, you make no sense.
If it's A, you're there!
If it's A, you're there!
*saying you can't see a thought when you look around the Universe, is like saying: "A lot of interesting stuff there, quite a few colourful characters and an intriguing conclusion, but no trace of thought. So, here is your copy of Sypmosium. And could I borrow Phaedo now?" (Which would be especially sad, because, as it happens - and I'd thought of this title as an example, before I realised this - the thought is the same both in the book and in the Universe: Love
**forgive me. But you know I call you idiots for your own benefit.
***If you believe that both whatever messages you adhere to and Jesus of Nazareth are trustworthy, they should be compatible. And let me suggest that a person with a message trumps a text with a message, so whenever they semm to be incompatible or when you're in dobut, follow the man! NB I meant to include somewhere Krishna, Vaishnavism and the incredible Bhagavad Gita, but through sheer forgetfulness I left them out. I'll make no comment then, as I wouldn't know what to say about them apart from the fact that they're awesome!
****for some reason I didn't find Muhammad completely trustworthy; I think most of us here will agree.
*****I thought of this helpful quiz on the day of that recent Feast.
******Because there's no time. Can't you feel it running down your spine: the URGENCY? No? Ah, the young ones?
