From: "Erik Reuter" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
> On Tue, Jul 08, 2003 at 08:48:07PM -0600, Michael Harney wrote: > > > Wrong, that's faith based as well. The problem with that wording > > is that there *is* evidence of a god. Documentation and reports of > > apparitions, stigmata, healing of "uncurable" conditions through > > prayer, other miracles, personal revelations, etc. How *credible* > > the evidence is is a value jugdement. Someone saying their is no > > evidence of a god is is making a faith based declaration saying that > > the evidence is invalid or fabricated without prooving it invalid or > > fabricated. > > Fine, add the word scientific before evidence. The evidence you are > talking about is not something that can be empirically verified by > anyone -- it is really poor evidence, if it is even evidence at all. I'd > call it anecdotes, but I don't want to argue semantics, so just add the > word scientific. > Ok, add the word scientific: "There is no scientific evidence that the any god exists, therefore anyone who believes in god is deluding themselves." The statement is flawed. Saying a person is deluding themself simply because the evidence they make their judgement on is unscientific is wrong. If an atheist wants to say "There is no scientific evidence of any god therefore belief in god is *unscientific*". That is a valid statement that is not based on any faith. Turning unscientific to delusional changes the meaning significantly though. Unscientific simply means the belief is not based in science, delusional means the belief has absolutely no basis in reality whatsoever. So again, someone who says "everyone who believes in a god is delusional" (regardless as to what precedes the statement to qualify it) is making a declaration of faith. But all this is arguing semantics and getting away from my original point. Basically the line between logic based and faith based athiesm is between one who says "I don't believe any god exists." and one who says "No god exists". The first being a statement of opinion based on that person's judgement, and the other being a statement of deffinity, declaring an unprovable belief to be certainty. Michael Harney [EMAIL PROTECTED] "Man had always assumed that he was more intelligent than dolphins because he had achieved so much... the wheel, New York, wars, and so on, whilst all the dolphins had ever done was muck about in the water having a good time. But conversely the dolphins believed themselves to be more intelligent than man for precisely the same reasons." - Douglas Adams _______________________________________________ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
