Do you believe in God?

[Frogberto]

Originally Posted by wendybeth

Carl Sagan had a dear friend who was a noted theologian and Reverend. (Her name escapes me). One time, he said to her "You're so smart- why do you still believe in God?" Her reply was "You're so smart- why do you not?"

That's not completely an accurate quote, but Reverend Joan Gelbein was very much a friend of his. As a member of the Unitarian Universalist Life church, Reverend Gelbein was both involved in her church and also very close to Dr. Sagan, who had active participations in religious conferences, and at one time or another, had personal audiences with both the Dalai Lama and Pope John Paul II.

To give you an idea of Reverend Gelbein's take on what she defines as "God", consider this quote from her, where she also discusses Carl Sagan at length:

"I draw a word picture of Humanists, of which I am one, as skeptics -- atheists, non-theists, and agnostics -- who do not find much use in the concept of a traditional God. Some think the idea of the existence of any supernatural being to be little more than superstition. Those are your atheists. They often steer clear of organized religion and decry the negative effects of many dogmatic religions on the human spirit throughout the ages. They vigorously question religious authority."

I can't disagree with that.