Proof and evidence will always equal Science

[Ferrocyanide]

Thank you for the clarification. I can respect that position while at the same time it seems very counter-intuitive to me. Kinda of like if-the-only-tool-you-have-is-a-hammer kinda way. Most of life's experiences are outside the domain of science, such as the obligations we have to future generations and also only to ourselves, the honor we have for our ancestors, etc. The world of meaning and significance is closed to atheists, though I can tell that some of you still see the Light :-)  

I mean, the "no evidence" bromide is so lame. I don't believe most of you are such sticklers about evidence for everything else in your lives. Something about other people believing in God, which is something normal and basic to many people,...something about people believing in God really bothers a "no evidence" heckler. There's a whole host of basic concepts that most normal people take for granted (like "the Past exists" and "Numbers are immaterial.") and for which there isn't the level of  "evidence" equal to the one demanded by sticklers about evidence for God. Let me tell you what I consider evidence. Evidence is that which is evident. And there are lots of things that are evident about the world...such as the multiple-realizability of meaning...that suggest a totality...a Cosmos, if you will (although the Gnostics called it the Pleroma),...that is much richer, and meaningful than mundane reductionist thinking allows. :-P

Let’s talk about emotions.

My guess is that if you think that you have an obligation to future generations, then this has to do with feelings/emotions.
My guess is that you are a survivalist.
One goal of christianity is to survive death and to avoid hell and to go to paradise.
In paradise, the streets are paved with gold, emeralds and such. It doesn’t exactly spell it out in the Bible, but you can find lines that point to it.
You will also live disease free and see your loved ones, etc etc.
Basically, it is about human emotions.

Hell is about getting burned and tortured and getting covered with element 16.
Basically, it is about human emotions.
Element 16 is suppose to be an antiseptic, a microbe killer. The jews believed that it also cleanses sins. It’s a dual action product.

The logic behind the authors of the Bible is that you will chose heaven, you wish to avoid hell  ===> therefore, you will join their religion.
They know how the machine works. You are the machine. They know what you know. They know that fear will work on you and that sweet stories will attract you.

As for the part about future generations, it is part of the programming of many species to protect their young.
This is about survival, it is about empathy towards your look alikes.
My guess is, we have quite a bit in common with all animals, and so, they have the same emotions as us.

I mean, the "no evidence" bromide is so lame. I don't believe most of you are such sticklers about evidence for everything else in your lives. Something about other people believing in God, which is something normal and basic to many people,...something about people believing in God really bothers a "no evidence" heckler. There's a whole host of basic concepts that most normal people take for granted (like "the Past exists" and "Numbers are immaterial.") and for which there isn't the level of "evidence" equal to the one demanded by sticklers about evidence for God. Let me tell you what I consider evidence. Evidence is that which is evident.

Bromide?

You are correct. I do not give an equal treatment to all claims. It’s the same in courts as well. Some cases, such as murder trial, require a certain amount of evidence while in small claims court, you don’t always need strong evidence (just testimony will do).
If someone tells me he ate a ham sandwich yesterday, I don’t ask for evidence.

But, we aren’t talking about a sandwich. We are talking about spending hours reading the Bible, spending hours at a church, giving money to priests, building billions of dollars worth of buildings. We need to make damn sure that it makes sense.

Do I want a society that worships none sense? Nope.
Are you really telling me, Neo-Scholastic, that it doesn’t matter to you whether something like that is true or false?

I have memories about the past and there are history books, videos, photos, newspaper articles from reputable sources that the 20 th, 19 th, 18 th century happened.
The further back you go, the less organized humans seem to be. It looks like there aren’t newspaper companies and journalists but there have been a few humans that have recorded events. It is part of the human desires to chronicle events bc they want to preserve a memory.

What’s so odd about that?

Numbers are immaterial: Yes, they are immaterial. What about it? We have a few millions books that use numbers. mathematics is useful to get our work done.
Why would I ask for evidence for numbers? That makes no sense.

And there are lots of things that are evident about the world...such as the multiple-realizability of meaning...that suggest a totality...a Cosmos, if you will (although the Gnostics called it the Pleroma),...that is much richer, and meaningful than mundane reductionist thinking allows. :-P”

What’s a multiple-realizability of meaning?