I think I consider myself a 3 or 4 on the Dawkins Scale, spiritual in my belief of God, but not fanatically so. I like this thought experiment, but I do have one question: Can it be determined that the message isn't of an alien origin? I know that technology can do things that may seem supernatural at first but has a natural explanation. For instance, perhaps the aliens used a device that manipulated the brain waves of those 200 individuals to write down those statements.
If not, I would argue for an alien origin before arguing for a supernatural origin.
If so, I would have to say that point A wouldn't bother me so much since even though I do consider myself Christian, I might best be described as Christian light as I am willing to consider the ideas of other religions.
There is one circumstance that would make a difference. It's like when Lisa Jr. asked Homer which was the one true faith and Homer replied
quote:
Well, not the Unitarians. If that's the one true faith, I'll eat my hat.
I would have to say that if the right religion is one that deals in pain and suffering, I'll eat my hat.
Point B wouldn't affect me much either simply because my religious beliefs are just standards for which I can try to become a better person. Beyond that, I try not to use my beliefs to explain the natural world. I let science do that.
Wow, I am quite boring when it comes to religion...
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