Religion or Science - How do they compare?

Why not? Isn't no unicorns the default position? Isn't no fairies the default position? Isn't innocent until proven guilty the default position?No is always the position until there is some reason to think yes.

Same with god. Many people are wrong. On the contrary, most Gods "in the popular imagination" are not your God. Unicorns, fairies, dragons and such imaginary creatures are probably just as common "in the popular imagination" as your imaginary God - and more consistent. I've asked you this many times and I really wish you would answer it before spouting the same nonsense over and over again: If you can communicate with your God, why is there no sign of the wisdom He's supposedly imparting to you? It's not a referendum. We don't need a majority of opinions to decide whether the earth is flat or round.The default answer is always No. It is in your own mind too, if you stop and think about it. If I claim that flerbend exists, you won't believe it unless I can show you some reason to believe.You're welcome to your beliefs. Just stop trying to pretend that they "make sense". I agree. Idiotic conspiracy theories aren't dying any time soon either. Anti-science sentiments aren't dying any time soon. They should, but they're not.Humans have a two tendencies that are often in conflict: they're curious but they're lazy. They want to know the origin of species but they don't want to put the time in to understand it, so they jump at the chance to "know" that Goddidit. Feel free to show us that evidence. That may be true but that has nothing to do with a "need" for God. I's about fear of reality. It was fear of reality that got us into this situation and some people think that more fear will get us out.But of course, religion has failed consistently throughout history to solve our problems, hasn't it? Then it's their demands that are wrong.

That's my question to you. If you can't demonstrate the source, how can you decide whether you have "more" wisdom with it than without it?

It's about erring on the side of caution. You don't go rushing out of the house every morning because it might be on fire. If there is any sign of fire you don't want to ignore it but you don't want to spend your entire life running away from something that doesn't exist either. I think most people tend to be hard-wired for jumping to conclusions. In our primitive state that was necessary for survival. But now that we have division of labour and better instrumentation we can afford the time to figure out the right answers.

Yes, it's probably a mistake to enter a foot race when you don't have a leg to stand on. You contradict yourself. How would you even know what a Messiah was without the Old Testament?The New Testament without the Old is like The Return of the King without The Fellowship of the Ring. You'd be asking yourself, "What is this Ring and how did a hobbit even get it?"

If I have a need for a time machine, does that mean I have access to one or that one even exists?

That, of course, is nonsense. If it was true, the USS Enterprise would be parked in orbit above your house and Frodo would be knocking on your door asking for directions to Mordor. What I said was, "If I have a need for a time machine, does that mean I have access to one or that one even exists?" My question was not about the theoretical possibility of time travel. It was about whether or not I can get a time machine at Wal-mart.The same applies to your "need" to believe. The need may be real but that doesn't mean the belief is.

Anybody can author a story. Look at the two examples I gave you.And it doesn't take a "Creator of all seen and unseen" to create things. Any advanced alien civilization could create things that we can't even imagine.As for ex nihilo, that has nothing to do with anything I've said.

Haven't you heard that there are more religious people in prisons?

If somebody is fat, is it rude to call them fat? Maybe. But they have no right to be insulted.

So... if the conclusions you derive are false, which they are, then your belief must be wrongly invested in a false God.

Vested interest.

It's amazing how "the Fall" can be made up out of thin air - and in complete contradiction to what the Bible actually says.

Of course it does:

quote:

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Genesis 3:22 And the Lord God said, Behold, the man is become as one of us, to know good and evil....

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Becoming like God is not a fall.

The Bible does say that. I quoted it. You can believe that it doesn't mean what it says but don't pretend that it doesn't say what it says.There was no "original condition" that changed. The story explains why human life is what it is. It's about growing up. The "original condition" that you idolize is a state of infantile dependence.Yes, growing up is an improvement. We didn't. The whole Bible is the story of people being in touch with their Creator. Satan doesn't exist. That's just a copout, passing the buck, an excuse for not taking responsibility for our own actions. On the contrary, I accept the Bible (and appreciate it) for what it is and for what it says. It's your perversion of the Bible that makes it meaningless. The only meaning you find in the Bible is made-up dogma. The important thing is that God does. I quoted Him.