Jeffonthenet Wrote:Faithnomore, I appreciate the time you took to give a reasoned response. However, I still disagree and let me tell you why. You say that one is justified in saying that there is only one medicine to cure a disease because it can be scientifically proven while mine faith cannot. You say also say, "your religion… cannot be verified, so it must not be believed in."
You seem to be saying that things which cannot be verified by the scientific method should not be believed in. However, this statement itself cannot be verified by the scientific method. Neither can things like the existence of the past, basic logic. And it doesn't follow that these things are irrational to believe in because they cannot be verified by the scientific method.
No problem, and you make an interesting point here that has also been brought up before in other threads. Since I am not educated in formal logic, I do not know how to formally prove my belief that the past is as my memory recalls, however, I personally believe in my memory's validity due to the fact that every time I have acted as if my memory is valid, I have received positive results. So, yes, it would be arrogant for me to claim for certain that my memory is valid, but I'm sure others are able to prove that formally.
Quote:You cannot prove that my God does not exist, so does it follow that atheists cannot "peddle" (using your word) the belief that there is no God?
Correct. I'm sure I have been guilty of this one in the past, but I try very hard to make sure I put the qualifier "I believe" in front of any such statements.
Even if the open windows of science at first make us shiver after the cozy indoor warmth of traditional humanizing myths, in the end the fresh air brings vigor, and the great spaces have a splendor of their own - Bertrand Russell
