Re: [MLUG - DISCUSSION] [RELIGION] Evolution and religion

[Stephen Montgomery-Smith <EMAIL:PROTECTED>]

Mike Miller wrote:
> On Mon, 6 Nov 2006, Stephen Montgomery-Smith wrote:
>
> > Mike Miller wrote:
> >
> > > This is one of the fundamental problems of religion -- it is not 
> > > possible to distinguish those who truly believe from those who are 
> > > faking it. Worse, it is not even possible to *define* what it means 
> > > to truly believe something.
> > >
> > > A related issue is that people are not good at detecting lying, so 
> > > people can be fooled, and often are fooled, by liars.
> >
> >
> > But why is this an issue about RELIGION?  You seem to be implying that 
> > if we get rid of religion, then suddenly politicians won't have a 
> > platform to use for lying to people.
> >
> > This isn't a fundamental problem about religion.  It is a fundamental 
> > problem about human nature.

http://taxa.epi.umn.edu/rmnews/2006/msg00202.html

What you wrote here is about your epistemology, that you believe that 
the scientific method is the only way of obtaining truth.

But here...

> It is a fundamental problem with religion, and with many other things in 
> social life, not just religion.
>
> One of the key ideas here is about piety.  Once someone or something is 
> deemed sacred, we aren't allowed to question them or their sincerity. 
> This is a problem and it is especially common in religion.

... you write a bunch of pseudo-scientific nonsense.  Where do you get 
this idea that one of the key problems with society is piety, which you 
are not allowed to question?  At best, this is hob-knobbling some 
pseudo-historic notions together!!

Now I don't necessarily mind this kind of argument, but I cannot accept 
it from a person who has limited his knowledge to the scientific method 
alone.

Stephen

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