Jamie_L

DD,

It sounds like you are confusing absolute certainty with reasoned knowledge. The two are not the same. No, I cannot say with absolute certainty that Carl Sagan did not have an invisible, fire-breathing dragon in his garage. However, it is reasonable for me to state that he did not have one because there is no rational basis to believe such a creature existed.

If we demand absolute certainty as the criteria for knowledge, then there can be know knowledge. How do we know garden gnomes don't come alive when we are not looking and fornicate in potholes? Where's the proof? Demanding absolute certainty requires us to withhold judgement on everything. Should I believe that the pill sold on late night TV that claims to make you lose 30 lbs. in 3 days works? The shady car salesman that says the Ford with 250,000 miles on it runs like a dream? The guy who wants to sell me a bridge?

We all have a high degree of confidence that Carl Sagan did not have an invisible dragon in his garage. We do not have to prove it.

Jamie

MrDarwin

Creationists, and especially the "intelligent design" crowd, make much of the Cambrian Explosion, when all the modern phyla, with distinct and disparate body plans, supposedly make a sudden appearance, full-blown and without any intermediates between them.

But since they also make much of common design implying a common designer, I've tried to point out to them that distinct phyla with disparate body plans suggest a group of designers. For some reason, they don't take to that idea...

Shadowy Man

Really? You mean they think that it lies in their favor??

When was it supposed to have happened? Some time in the last 5000 years?

hinduwoman

Actually having many different limited gods explains the mess the world is in better than one omnipotent god.

Darth Dane

Is it absolute certainty that the force of gravity is always in play? Or do you reason on what you have observed with what you expect to observe later? Will the gravity continue to work even if I am not here?
Stephen hawking said that even though his theory is correct they will not be able to do an empirical test, because it would need for the entire universe to be tested and observed. So he will never KNOW for sure if his assumptions are correct, but he chooses to believe it is true, because it makes sense to have this unified field theory(or what it is called) So his theory is reasoned knowledge, but not certainty.

True. Ever heard the expression:

"ignorance is bliss"

"what you don't know, won't hurt you"

It is the same with science today. Recently they teleported a beam of light. This was sci-fi some years ago. What we knew, changed because more "evidence/knowledge" was required. So likewise, what we know now, may be void tomorrow, as we don't know what the "future" holds.

"judge not, lest thee be judged"

"your faith will set you free"

No you should not believe what you don't want to.
But if someone said they saw your aura, from what basis can you then say that they are wrong, that what they know is not true.
What evidence/knowledge do you lack to see what they see?

What you believe, is your reality. what others believe is theirs. From what source do you know that you are right and they are wrong?


Now for this to fit in with "one God", then it must stand to reason, that I am not God, but God is me!
I believe I am seperated from everything else. I can't see aura's and wahtnot. But in reality God is doing it all, if we then can choose our reality, then we must be partial co-creators, we can direct the will of God to whatever purpose we want.

"ask and you shall be given"

"search and you shall find" (want teleportation? just search and you will find out how....whoopty we did )

What do you want God to express?


"love thy neighbor as you Love thyself" If you are one with God, and what you see, hear, smell, taste and touch is another aspect of teh infinite, and is one with you in essence.

"thou shall not kill" yeah killing what is in essence yourself seems rather silly.

Am I missing something?





DD - Love