(March 31, 2016 at 1:47 am)Alex K Wrote: Isn't that merely the Christian mind set, that they need, quite literally, arguments from authority?
No it isn't I reject that. Let me ask you this - how many "ethical" vegans do you think I will convert with hard evidence?
Answer: probably no one. But at least I know that I have the evidence - I know what the majority of academic thinking amongst contemporary experts is.
Most people don't care about what professional opinion is when forming their own, even on things like this. That's why we have so many people self-prescribing multivitamins they don't need. It's why there's a market for "toddler formula" which is an entirely unnecessary product that may do more harm than good.
Or the "every child with a laptop" initiative that appears to have done more harm than good for education.
Academic publications are evidence, and they are used in all these areas: nutrition, public health, education, etc. As well as: history/archaeology, sciences, etc. It's not about "arguments from authority", it's about using high quality information based on properly conducted research and investigation.
For Religion & Health see:[/b][/size] Williams & Sternthal. (2007). Spirituality, religion and health: Evidence and research directions. Med. J. Aust., 186(10), S47-S50. -LINK
The WIN/Gallup End of Year Survey 2013 found the US was perceived to be the greatest threat to world peace by a huge margin, with 24% of respondents fearful of the US followed by: 8% for Pakistan, and 6% for China. This was followed by 5% each for: Afghanistan, Iran, Israel, North Korea. -LINK
"That's disgusting. There were clean athletes out there that have had their whole careers ruined by people like Lance Armstrong who just bended thoughts to fit their circumstances. He didn't look up cheating because he wanted to stop, he wanted to justify what he was doing and to keep that continuing on." - Nicole Cooke
The WIN/Gallup End of Year Survey 2013 found the US was perceived to be the greatest threat to world peace by a huge margin, with 24% of respondents fearful of the US followed by: 8% for Pakistan, and 6% for China. This was followed by 5% each for: Afghanistan, Iran, Israel, North Korea. -LINK
"That's disgusting. There were clean athletes out there that have had their whole careers ruined by people like Lance Armstrong who just bended thoughts to fit their circumstances. He didn't look up cheating because he wanted to stop, he wanted to justify what he was doing and to keep that continuing on." - Nicole Cooke
