Query: Language, culture, subculture and empiricism.

[Archaea]

Sometimes I like to step out mentally of my culture to just examie what's going on.

And what I observe is we Christians, especially Mormons, are peculiar. Our entire nomenclature is laced with assumptions of things hoped but not seen.

Take for example our constant references to the Spirit. Follow the Spirit. First, you can't see it or touch it, but you can be touched by it. Second, you have to recognize which spirit is touching you. Young couples are often motivated by the Horny Ghost instead of the Holy Ghost.

Our subculture is based upon an entire Book without any corroborating evidence, save one stele in Saudi Arabia. We assume we know we're acting for God, somebody the vast majority of us will never see in this lifetime. We follow a bunch of rules and directions "laid" down through mortals but somehow inspired by this Being.

Now, we become happy by virtue of our life in this subculture, and if we are happy and productive, who are others to question. Yet, it is easy to see how empiricists or others can look at our subcultures and wonder if we're not a tad bit looney. OTOH, there are loads of empiricists who are not the least bit happy or productive.