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To: Coyoteman; tokenatheist
Because they did not arrive at their beliefs through logic and evidence, they will not abandon those beliefs because of logic and evidence. And they will go to great lengths to twist and distort science until it comes out they way they believe it has to.

How would you describe your relationship with naturalistic explanation of the origins of the universe and life?

Would you say that you see it as certain as gravity, or more of a something that you fully believe but couldn't prove? Or somewhere between -- maybe some parts which you consider yourself to know and other parts which you hope will be proved someday?

For example, here on earth I'd gladly tell anybody that I knew that gravity was still working, and I'd be glad to demonstrate it to anybody. I consider that science. But whenever I'm about to sit down on a chair, I usually believe wholeheartedly that it will hold my weight -- but I don't know for sure until I try it. Somebody could have rigged it in the mean time since I last used it :=) But you see there is a difference between knowing and believing.

If I say "Oh, I believe that chair will hold me" I'm telling you about my belief or faith. But if I say "I tested it, and it did hold me," then I am talking about science and knowledge.

Thus I'm asking how you would describe your relationship with origins -- how much is belief and how much is knowledge?

It looks to me as if you believe quite a lot compared to what you know. But you know far more about yourself then I do, so I am genuinely interested to know how you see it, in your own words.

Thanks,

-Jesse

387 posted on 04/02/2008 12:35:42 AM PDT by mrjesse (I cogito some, but not much and not often, and only as a last resort.)
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To: mrjesse
Thus I'm asking how you would describe your relationship with origins -- how much is belief and how much is knowledge?

Origins? The current scientific hypotheses are plausible, and are based on (limited) evidence. They are arrived at using the scientific method. None yet reaches the level of a theory.

The current religious ideas concerning origins (and there are several thousand internally contradictory ideas worldwide) are based on revelation and scripture and pure speculation -- in other words, nothing.

407 posted on 04/02/2008 8:50:47 AM PDT by Coyoteman (Religious belief does not constitute scientific evidence, nor does it convey scientific knowledge.)
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