Well, sure, until we are able to grasp the very ontological nature of existence itself, everything and anything is up for grabs regarding what we believe.
I just draw the line between demonstrating that, say, it is reasonable to believe that the Catholic church is in fact a Christian denomination, and believing that the souls of those who are not Catholics are at risk on Judgment Day.
[For the Catholics among us: Are they?]
Okay, but to what extent have you grappled with this in order to determine that “I” here is an entirely rational [necessary] frame of mind; or is instead an “existential contraption” rooted more in the particular trajectory [experiences] that you encountered in the course of actually living your life? What I call dasein.
And all I can keep coming back to here is this: that with so much at stake on the other side of the grave – oblivion or salvation – how can you really be certain that your frame of mind “here and now” is not just a psychological device [a defense mechanism]allowing you to embody some measure of comfort and consolation regarding the parts both before and after the grave.
You feel it, I don’t. Good for you.
Maybe. Who am I to say this is not the way it really is? But that still leaves the part where you make choices from day to day that come into conflict with others; if you choose to interact with them socially, politically and economically in any particular community. You have your idea of what constitutes good and bad behavior, they have theirs. But given that God will claim all souls – both the liberals and the conservatives, the believers and the non-believers, the saints and the sinners – does it really make any difference then what behaviors we choose?