Adamah, If Cofty had experienced the things I have he/she would attribute them to an intelligence beyond ours and beyond the main premise that physics relies on, cause and effect. This is because it would be the only thing that would explain the strategic nature of what I experienced and that of others. I try to be very careful with my wording but I am talking about myself as well as others I know or have heard of when it comes to such experiences.
The reason I haven’t given more specific examples from personal experience is because it would be to invite abuse as fadetogrey has already resorted to. I prefer a calm environment to debate in reasonableness as opposed to what passes for debate here often times. Saying that, I do feel you are a reasonable guy to debate with.
Your point about “accounts of personal experiences are considered to be amongst the weakest forms of supportive evidence available” I agree with. Here is the problem I have. Some of the experiences I could relate include also witnesses to the events in some cases, which are a better form of evidence; that I could not reproduce on this forum. I would be accused of making them up or worse, the witness statements of corroboration. The only way the evidence could operate would be if you knew me personally and my friends, so you could make your own judgments better as to the authenticity. This may sound like a copout but it is the truth. I could well be mentally ill or some charlatan and I cannot prove otherwise here for obvious reasons. That said I can’t deny what I have seen and experienced either, so there is a bit of an impasse here. I would hope though that some might `see` from how I write that I am at least honest but people make their own minds up regardless sometimes. Credibility is a very vital commodity when it comes to written information in the form of points of view and making a case, particularly when science is not the criteria for testing such claims as the supernatural as only science can be reproduced is such ways. What credibility would I ever have on a board with such outspoken atheists? My world view is seen as the enemy and by extension me also. I don’t think you see it that way but some do unfortunately.
As to your point about the Turin shroud, I understand and agree that it doesn’t prove it is genuine. I will go one further and say no test can ever prove it is genuine, even if it is because no miracle can be proven via a scientific test. The best it can do is strengthen the case in the minds of those open to the possibility of science not being the answer to all things. However my point with the shroud is only to correct those who say it has been proven a fake, as it has not been. I appreciate you are better informed than some, which frankly is a delight including your lack of abuse or attitude.