The Derb and Seablogger on Faith.

Two of my favorite writers and opinionizers are the Derb (John Derbyshire) and Seablogger (Alan Sullivan). Both are conservative, though the Derb is more a paleocon and his position on the Iraqi War was that Bush was right to get rid of Saddam, but that the occupation was a waste of time. Seablogger is more libertarian and he decries Bush's compassionate conservatism but supports the Iraq War. Anyway, I am always interested to hear their take on events and I will agree with them at least 95 percent of the time.

Their views on religion and faith interest me extremely. Here are the Derb's. And here are the latest musings from Seablogger. One link chronicles a loss of faith though not a profession of atheism; the other is maybe the gaining of. Both entries have things to say about evolution. To the Derb, evolution is an established fact. To David Warren (quoted in Seablogger), evolution is a plausible idea, but the idea of God is more plausible.

What influence do their views about faith and religion have on my mine? They both agree with mine in a way that I can reconcile though I don't know if I can adequately explain how to you. There is a paradox in existence that both articulate. The question of whether the resurrection really happened is one that I wish I could answer in the affirmative but can't confidently. But the secularist humanist view is not satisfying to me either emotionally or intellectually. Religion answers a human need in a secular manner so that I can never be a militant atheist. But religion stripped of having some basis in truth is weak gruel indeed. It would make more sense if it were true, which is a trite thing to say, but the trite can having meaning. And there lies the paradox which explains why I am sympathetic to both positions.

I am for practical purposes like the Derb wishing I can make the Seablogger leap.