(October 17, 2012 at 8:34 pm)Stimbo Wrote: It's only when science is at odds with what they consider to be the purview of their favourite holy book that's when the problems start.

Yes, but when they start they cannot not stop.

There is nothing keeping scientists from believing in religion (not just limited to God you know) and many scientists do in fact actively follow a religious belief system.

The difference is most will not devote any time trying to prove the existence of their beliefs to others; to them it is more personal and not to interfere with their academic pursuits. I had a Christian friend leave a class (History of Ancient Israel taught by Professor Eric Cline) because she could not do so.

see ......

(October 17, 2012 at 9:25 pm)Polaris Wrote: The difference is most will not devote any time trying to prove the existence of their beliefs to others; to them it is more personal and not to interfere with their academic pursuits. I had a Christian friend leave a class (History of Ancient Israel taught by Professor Eric Cline) because she could not do so.

I know Eric Cline. He's a great professor and lecturer. Teaches at my alma mater, George Washington University. We are talking about the same Eric Cline, right? He does archeological digs in Israel.

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And Polaris has gone offline... really? Sorry, I'm just incredulous at this point.

(October 17, 2012 at 11:20 am)Mister Agenda Wrote:

(October 11, 2012 at 8:42 am)Akincana Krishna dasa Wrote: Is it that God doesn't help them understand anything that they're perceiving?

You hit the nail on the head.

So what about the zillion things they can't explain? Why rule out god if you don't have answers?

As a wise man once said, "To the rational mind, nothing is inexplicable; only unexplained." The thing about claiming that science can't explain certain things is that the claim carries with it an unspoken "yet" suffix. Many things about the Universe were considered unexplained at any one time. Rainbows, lightning, what the Sun and Moon were made of - the list of explained unexplained phenomena goes on.

(October 17, 2012 at 10:12 pm)Akincana Krishna dasa Wrote:

(October 17, 2012 at 11:20 am)Mister Agenda Wrote: You hit the nail on the head.

So what about the zillion things they can't explain? Why rule out god if you don't have answers?

Nice god-of-the-gaps you've got there. I swear there's a handbook for this...

(October 17, 2012 at 10:12 pm)Akincana Krishna dasa Wrote:

(October 17, 2012 at 11:20 am)Mister Agenda Wrote: You hit the nail on the head.

So what about the zillion things they can't explain? Why rule out god if you don't have answers?

Why introduce an arbitrary barrier to scientific progress? If god is supposed to be the deepest, most hidden level of science, and the point at which he exists seems to be regressing infinitely, why suppose that you're heading for god at all?

The problem is that science doesn't work to rule out god. It's there to figure things out. The god hypothesis has no basis in evidence and doesn't help us figure ANYTHING out.

(October 17, 2012 at 10:12 pm)Akincana Krishna dasa Wrote:

(October 17, 2012 at 11:20 am)Mister Agenda Wrote: You hit the nail on the head.

So what about the zillion things they can't explain? Why rule out god if you don't have answers?

Why rule it in?
We as humans rule shit out every second of our lives because they don't fit in with the rational picture we have spent a lot of time building up. Why rule out fairy's, leprechauns and unicorns? Because they don't fucking exist, that's why. Your sky daddy is in the same category.

(October 17, 2012 at 9:45 pm)festive1 Wrote:

(October 17, 2012 at 9:25 pm)Polaris Wrote: The difference is most will not devote any time trying to prove the existence of their beliefs to others; to them it is more personal and not to interfere with their academic pursuits. I had a Christian friend leave a class (History of Ancient Israel taught by Professor Eric Cline) because she could not do so.

I know Eric Cline. He's a great professor and lecturer. Teaches at my alma mater, George Washington University. We are talking about the same Eric Cline, right? He does archeological digs in Israel.

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And Polaris has gone offline... really? Sorry, I'm just incredulous at this point.

Yes. I took a couple classes from him while at that university. I would have wanted to take more, but he was not in my actual discipline(s). I am also connected with him on Facebook and maybe even Twitter still, but I almost never use that anymore. Of all atheists I have met, I respect him the most.