RE: Muhammad the Greatest: A Comparative Study
December 9, 2012 at 4:47 pm
(This post was last modified: December 9, 2012 at 4:54 pm by DeistPaladin.)
(December 9, 2012 at 3:24 pm)Al-Fatihah Wrote: Response: Yet the reporting of scientific information can only be reliable if the source is trustworthy. So the character of being truthful is essential. Even your claim that Isaac Newton made contributuins to physics is based on relying on the reports that say so, meaning those who reported it must be truthful for your claim to be credible.
Wrong! Wrong! Wrong!
Science does NOT rely upon the say-so of credible people. It relies upon the process of peer review which involves checking the work of those who post their findings. Scientific findings are recorded and then those who read these findings are free to conduct their own experiments to repeat the results. This is what "show your work" means. You don't just post your findings but also the manner in which you acquired the data so that anyone else can follow along and verify for themselves.
If anyone could go into the same cave that Muhammad meditated and prayed in and have the repeatable experience of speaking with the angel Gabriel and receiving divine revelation, that would be credible evidence for Islam. That some guy, even a nice, trustworthy and honorable guy, said he had that experience over a thousand years ago is not evidence that Islam is true. The data can't be confirmed and the experiment is not repeatable.
(December 9, 2012 at 3:31 pm)Al-Fatihah Wrote: Response: It does, since islam is based on the teachings and character of Muhammad.
And hence the reason that it fails to meet the burden of proof as established by the extraordinary nature of its claims.
If I tell you I had lunch with my wife today, this claim is sufficiently mundane for you to accept just on my say-so as someone you trust.
If I tell you I had lunch with my father today and by the way, he's been dead for over 10 years but he's back from the grave, having reconstituted his body from his cremated ashes, and feeling much better now, you would not believe me just on my say-so no matter how much you trusted me.
In the second case, you'd demand hard evidence. Any say-so by the most honorable person would not be sufficient.
Atheist Forums Hall of Shame:
"The trinity can be equated to having your cake and eating it too."
... -Lucent, trying to defend the Trinity concept
"(Yahweh's) actions are good because (Yahweh) is the ultimate standard of goodness. That’s not begging the question"
... -Statler Waldorf, Christian apologist
"The trinity can be equated to having your cake and eating it too."
... -Lucent, trying to defend the Trinity concept
"(Yahweh's) actions are good because (Yahweh) is the ultimate standard of goodness. That’s not begging the question"
... -Statler Waldorf, Christian apologist
