The distance between Christianity and the 4 Gospels

[Doctor CamNC4Me]

A LOT of strength and conditioning exercises consistently practiced over time have brought me a fair degree of limberness and flexibility in the way I view the world, etc.

-_-

April Fool’s is five months away, bro.

- Doc

[Res Ipsa]

LOL. At least he stuck the flounce.

Honor, I apologize for saying what I did. I may consider you somewhat arrogant, but you are not a bastard. That was beneath me to use that language and not fair to you.

Chances are if we actually knew each other in real life, we could even go out to lunch and enjoy each other’s company. I might even be able to convince you that I’m not quite the moron you think I am.

Anyways, thanks for the conversation. This particular topic is an important one as a LOT rides on it.

Regards,
MG

Funny, I don’t think anything rides on it, especially for you. I’m puzzled by why you think evidence is important on the question of the existence of God. Let me use Jersey Girl as an example. She’s a believer based on faith. It works for her, and she believes it helps her be a better person. And I don’t have a problem with that. Who am I to tell her that her life would be better off without her religious beliefs. How could I possibly know that? And my lack of belief doesn’t seem to bother her. I don’t think my absence of belief makes me better than her or smarter than her. And I think she feels the same way — or if she does, she hides it really well. So, what does this quest for evidence give you that Jersey Girl doesn’t already have? Seriously, I just don’t get it.

I mean, you are perfectly content with not knowing the details of your whole afterlife is going to work. You don’t say “times up, God. If you don’t explain the details of the process you use to put spirits into bodies, that means a super God must have done it.” You’re content to wait and find out when you find out. What’s so different with this issue? For you, nothing rides on it. Even if science gave us a detailed roadmap from the beginning of the universe to right now, the most that would tell us is God is not necessary. So? Not necessary doesn’t mean doesn’t exist. So why is anything riding on this question for you?

As for me, there’s nothing riding on the answer. Because the chances that anyone could actually prove the impossibility of a non living chemical process evolving into what we consider life is so vanishingly small that it’s not worth thinking about. And there is no reason for me to expect how long it should take to figure out how things got from a to b. So, it’s not a question with only two alternative: nature or God. “We don’t know yet” is a perfectly good answer too.

Look, you got snookered by a charlatan. Embarrassing for anyone, but it can also happen to anyone. Chalk it up to experience, lick your wounds, learn from your mistakes and move on. You’re only human, right?

If you’re going to rely on science, take some time to learn how to not get snookered by a guy with credentials telling you what you want to hear. There are scientists who do good science and there are scientists who do bad science. And there are scientists who are pros in their area of expertise and terrible scientists outside their field. And even a lay person can learn to spot the difference. It doesn’t require technical expertise to learn how to spot bogus arguments. Those of us who followed the creationist war on evolution got a pretty good look at what terrible anti-naturalism arguments look like.

A scientist isn’t a prophet and what she says isn’t revelation. Faith in an individual scientist is always misplaced. And when the scientist is outside of his field of expertise and refuses to publish, it’s just crazy to take his word for anything.

I did a bit of reading and saw an interesting perspective. Having a special term for this transition may in and of itself be misleading. Just like Macroevolution isn’t any other than longer periods of evolution, the term abiogenesis may imply some kind of special event when in fact, the change is so incremental it’s hard to even identify the moment when “it” happens. When you don’t know what you’re looking for, it’s not surprising that getting to the answer would involve lots of fits and starts, false leads and detours, and may take a while.

[Jersey Girl]

Honor, I apologize for saying what I did. I may consider you somewhat arrogant, but you are not a bastard. That was beneath me to use that language and not fair to you.

Chances are if we actually knew each other in real life, we could even go out to lunch and enjoy each other’s company. I might even be able to convince you that I’m not quite the moron you think I am.

Anyways, thanks for the conversation. This particular topic is an important one as a LOT rides on it.

Regards,
MG

Funny, I don’t think anything rides on it, especially for you. I’m puzzled by why you think evidence is important on the question of the existence of God. Let me use Jersey Girl as an example. She’s a believer based on faith. It works for her, and she believes it helps her be a better person. And I don’t have a problem with that. Who am I to tell her that her life would be better off without her religious beliefs. How could I possibly know that? And my lack of belief doesn’t seem to bother her. I don’t think my absence of belief makes me better than her or smarter than her. And I think she feels the same way — or if she does, she hides it really well. So, what does this quest for evidence give you that Jersey Girl doesn’t already have? Seriously, I just don’t get it.

I swear, something made me look in here. What quest for evidence? Evidence for what? Who is on a quest for evidence and why?

[Res Ipsa]

Funny, I don’t think anything rides on it, especially for you. I’m puzzled by why you think evidence is important on the question of the existence of God. Let me use Jersey Girl as an example. She’s a believer based on faith. It works for her, and she believes it helps her be a better person. And I don’t have a problem with that. Who am I to tell her that her life would be better off without her religious beliefs. How could I possibly know that? And my lack of belief doesn’t seem to bother her. I don’t think my absence of belief makes me better than her or smarter than her. And I think she feels the same way — or if she does, she hides it really well. So, what does this quest for evidence give you that Jersey Girl doesn’t already have? Seriously, I just don’t get it.

I swear, something made me look in here. What quest for evidence? Evidence for what? Who is on a quest for evidence and why?

MG and evidence of the existence of God.

[Jersey Girl]

I swear, something made me look in here. What quest for evidence? Evidence for what? Who is on a quest for evidence and why?

MG and evidence of the existence of God.

You mean he's looking for it? Like what, science or what?

[Res Ipsa]

MG and evidence of the existence of God.

You mean he's looking for it? Like what, science or what?

Yes, that’s what I understand. The issue is abiogenesis, and he described whether it is possible by natural means is a very important issue for him. But I’m mystified as to why.

[Jersey Girl]

You mean he's looking for it? Like what, science or what?

Yes, that’s what I understand. The issue is abiogenesis, and he described whether it is possible by natural means is a very important issue for him. But I’m mystified as to why.

What flippin' difference does it make to God belief or faith or whatever?

[Res Ipsa]

Yes, that’s what I understand. The issue is abiogenesis, and he described whether it is possible by natural means is a very important issue for him. But I’m mystified as to why.

What flippin' difference does it make to God belief or faith or whatever?

I don’t know either. I don’t think it’s based in Mormon theology. I hope he’ll drop by in the morning and clue me in.

[Jersey Girl]

What flippin' difference does it make to God belief or faith or whatever?

I don’t know either. I don’t think it’s based in Mormon theology. I hope he’ll drop by in the morning and clue me in.

Yeah, I don't get it. At all. I'll try to remember to look in here tomorrow. Maybe. Don't count on it.

[Res Ipsa]

I don’t know either. I don’t think it’s based in Mormon theology. I hope he’ll drop by in the morning and clue me in.

Yeah, I don't get it. At all. I'll try to remember to look in here tomorrow. Maybe. Don't count on it.

I’ll try to remember to remind you. No promises though.