Ironically/coincidentally/providentially (your choice!), the quote of the day on my iGoogle home page today is this from Bertrand Russell:
If a man is offered a fact which goes against his instincts, he will scrutinize it closely, and unless the evidence is overwhelming, he will refuse to believe it. If, on the other hand, he is offered something which affords a reason for acting in accordance to his instincts, he will accept it even on the slightest evidence. The origin of myths is explained in this way. That would seem consistent with David Masci's new piece from the Pew Forum on Religion and American Life dealing with "How the Public Resolves Conflicts Between Faith and Science" (available at http://pewforum.org/docs/?DocID=243). At a glance, it looks like Pew's research backs up Russell's assertions to some extent (except maybe for the comment about myths at the end of the quote), though it also suggests that even overwhelming evidence may not be enough for some folks. Oh, well. Anyway, maybe it's time to move on from parsing proselytize/evangelize/whatever and get back to "Law & Religion issues for Law Academics." Bill Wildhack Member, Florida Bar and bar of the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Florida Minister of Word and Sacrament, Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) Commander, Chaplain Corps, U.S. Navy Reserve
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