If there are all these valid theories floating around which one is the most probable? That's how science comes to conclusions. "Truth with uncertainty" seems to be a tenent of the scientific method which constantly churns out new often conflictual information. Doesn't Scientific Theory essentially mean "best theory" of an array of plausible options? The options keep flooding in as new data is unearthed.
Your point?
Science utilizes the human trait of faith in order to progress forward.
Stop embarrassing yourself. Stop trying to apply religious ideas to something that is not religious. Believe it or not, some things exist outside the realm of religion and ideas of faith and so forth. Educate yourself, or continue to sound ignorant of the process.
The Disciples of Science care much for the Torah. Look at King Solomon here, trying to say that Genesis cares about photosynthesis.
Sol cares about the Torah. Science does not. Sol does what we all do. He uses the evidence to form opinions, and he forms opinions about some things that really don't effect Science. I have done the same by concluding there is no evidence for a god. Science does not require that I do that, and does not concern itself with the supernatural. Those that take in the information will use it as they see fit.
The evidence is not what makes me uncomfortable it's the people who take that evidence and insist that it disproves anything about God or the Torah.
Why the f*ck should that make you uncomfortable? If you are that fragile, don't engage in the discussion. You insist that there is a god. I really don't care enough to let that make me uncomfortable. Now if you'd like to debate it, then fine. But why don't you stop telling people what conclusion they should reach with the evidence at hand. Why is that offensive? Does certainty make you uncomfortable if it disagrees with you? Too Bad Sab! Get over it. Debate is fine, but you constantly interject how others should and should not use evidence.
People have power in a democratic society, so any kind of insistence of any particular ideal can be dangerous to society at large
That certainly doesn't stop you or other believers, now does it?
The ancient text's approach is to enlighten, not to simply toss out answers. Such a statement would clearly come from someone who has not really given the ancient text's and their adherents enough of a chance.
I. Don't. Care. I can't find 2 believers that agree on anything, and I'm not interested in the debate. It is not my responsiblity to figure out which of you are saying what about it, and then to break it down 1 million times.
I personally have used the Torah to help me in my modern life. It is a "living document" which means it is not just your average collection of words and sentences
Perhaps not for you. It's nothing but dusty old words to me.
Are you admitting that many on this forum are engaing in vanity when trying to discredit ancient text's validity? Is that not applying the scientific method to ancient texts for the purposes of conclusions? Do you not take part in such behavior yourself?
And what of it? I use the evidence at hand to evaluate many things. YOU try to argue against a method that was not meant to accomodate religious or any other bias. Sounds like you'd like for the method to add a little bias to make you comfortable. Like I suggested, that's not the scientific method. Feel free to make up a different method that would give the supernatural some weight.
So the ancient texts were written down to give us warm feelings?
I have no idea, and it is not my concern.
Why do you make such generalizations?
Since I can't find 2 believers that agree on anything, other than fundamentalists and cult members, and then only in certain groups, I am left to generalize. I care not to ask a million people how they interpret it, and then address a million more points. I don't need to go that far. The particulars don't matter to me, because I dismiss the entire premise. I don't believe in alien abductions either, so why would I concern myself that some insist they are doing medical experiments on people of the earth, and others insist they suck us up into UFO's to have sex, while others insist they forcefeed us Pop Rocks and Coke? You lost me at ABDUCTION, so the rest is irrelevant. You lost me at GOD---the rest is just a bunch of people talking about something I don't believe in.
I would say they were written down to induce cognitive dissonance and get the reader thinking about their position in the cosmos. That is not a generally good feeling, but more of an extreme anxiety and strain of the mind attempting to grow beyond what is the conscious and physical world.
Again, good for you. You can ask your doctor for a script if your beliefs cause you too much anxiety, but this means nothing to me. Remember, you lost me at GOD.
