ufolo,
It's not that I missed your Special Pleading, it's that I don't agree with it.
This is getting old.
"Thousands upon thousands of seemingly credible and respectable witnesses" is evidence, just not the kind of evidence you want. Why? Because if you did accept it you'd have to admit that witches are real and you can't do that. So you dismiss human perception and memory even though it provides evidence for many things on a daily basis. In fact it is so important and works so well that without it we could not survive.
...
With respect to witches, the Spanish Inquisition and the Salem reports determined that it is a virtual certainty that witches are extraordinary objects. Therefore it is reasonable to pursue further knowledge about them, and in doing so propose possible explanations. Because there is nothing scientifically impossible about witches on planet Earth and because it is a virtual certainty that the phenomenon is real, witchcraft offers a perfectly reasonable direction for further investigation. Beyond that we have our personal opinions and many of those, including mine, are based on firsthand experience and observation.
So please review ... I have never claimed to possess demonstrable proof of witches, only that I and many other people have a personal belief in them, and that the significant number of people who have had a witchcraft experience constitutes enough evidence to warrant further investigation. In this effort there are surely many other explanations for witch reports other than actual witches, and what I was hoping to do here is network with skeptics who can supply mundane explanations for witch reports without resorting to ridicule, mockery and changing stories to suit themselves. Such would involve pointing out logical inconsistencies, mistakes, faulty reasoning, serious and applicable credibility flaws of those who make or provide reports ... and so on, and lastly to keep those evaluations in proper focus and context. If anyone here is interested in actually doing that by all means please let me know.
-----
"Thousands upon thousands of seemingly credible and respectable witnesses" is evidence, just not the kind of evidence you want. Why? Because if you did accept it you'd have to admit that Jesus is real and you can't do that. So you dismiss human perception and memory even though it provides evidence for many things on a daily basis. In fact it is so important and works so well that without it we could not survive.
...
With respect to Jesus, the thousands of sightings and visions, and organized religion itself mean that it is a virtual certainty that Jesus the son of God walked the earth and exists in heaven. Therefore it is reasonable to pursue further knowledge about Him, and in doing so propose possible explanations. Because there is nothing scientifically impossible about Jesus visiting planet Earth and because it is a virtual certainty that the phenomenon is real, Christianity offers a perfectly reasonable direction for further investigation. Beyond that we have our personal opinions and many of those, including mine, are based on firsthand experience and observation.
So please review ... I have never claimed to possess demonstrable proof of Jesus, only that I and many other people have a personal belief in Him, and that the significant number of people who have seen and felt His presence constitutes enough evidence to warrant further investigation. In this effort there are surely many other explanations for Christianity other than Jesus and God, and what I was hoping to do here is network with skeptics who can supply mundane explanations for religious beliefs without resorting to ridicule, mockery and changing stories to suit themselves. Such would involve pointing out logical inconsistencies, mistakes, faulty reasoning, serious and applicable credibility flaws of those who make or provide reports ... and so on, and lastly to keep those evaluations in proper focus and context. If anyone here is interested in actually doing that by all means please let me know.
It's not that I missed your Special Pleading, it's that I don't agree with it.
This is getting old.
"Thousands upon thousands of seemingly credible and respectable witnesses" is evidence, just not the kind of evidence you want. Why? Because if you did accept it you'd have to admit that witches are real and you can't do that. So you dismiss human perception and memory even though it provides evidence for many things on a daily basis. In fact it is so important and works so well that without it we could not survive.
...
With respect to witches, the Spanish Inquisition and the Salem reports determined that it is a virtual certainty that witches are extraordinary objects. Therefore it is reasonable to pursue further knowledge about them, and in doing so propose possible explanations. Because there is nothing scientifically impossible about witches on planet Earth and because it is a virtual certainty that the phenomenon is real, witchcraft offers a perfectly reasonable direction for further investigation. Beyond that we have our personal opinions and many of those, including mine, are based on firsthand experience and observation.
So please review ... I have never claimed to possess demonstrable proof of witches, only that I and many other people have a personal belief in them, and that the significant number of people who have had a witchcraft experience constitutes enough evidence to warrant further investigation. In this effort there are surely many other explanations for witch reports other than actual witches, and what I was hoping to do here is network with skeptics who can supply mundane explanations for witch reports without resorting to ridicule, mockery and changing stories to suit themselves. Such would involve pointing out logical inconsistencies, mistakes, faulty reasoning, serious and applicable credibility flaws of those who make or provide reports ... and so on, and lastly to keep those evaluations in proper focus and context. If anyone here is interested in actually doing that by all means please let me know.
-----
"Thousands upon thousands of seemingly credible and respectable witnesses" is evidence, just not the kind of evidence you want. Why? Because if you did accept it you'd have to admit that Jesus is real and you can't do that. So you dismiss human perception and memory even though it provides evidence for many things on a daily basis. In fact it is so important and works so well that without it we could not survive.
...
With respect to Jesus, the thousands of sightings and visions, and organized religion itself mean that it is a virtual certainty that Jesus the son of God walked the earth and exists in heaven. Therefore it is reasonable to pursue further knowledge about Him, and in doing so propose possible explanations. Because there is nothing scientifically impossible about Jesus visiting planet Earth and because it is a virtual certainty that the phenomenon is real, Christianity offers a perfectly reasonable direction for further investigation. Beyond that we have our personal opinions and many of those, including mine, are based on firsthand experience and observation.
So please review ... I have never claimed to possess demonstrable proof of Jesus, only that I and many other people have a personal belief in Him, and that the significant number of people who have seen and felt His presence constitutes enough evidence to warrant further investigation. In this effort there are surely many other explanations for Christianity other than Jesus and God, and what I was hoping to do here is network with skeptics who can supply mundane explanations for religious beliefs without resorting to ridicule, mockery and changing stories to suit themselves. Such would involve pointing out logical inconsistencies, mistakes, faulty reasoning, serious and applicable credibility flaws of those who make or provide reports ... and so on, and lastly to keep those evaluations in proper focus and context. If anyone here is interested in actually doing that by all means please let me know.
Last edited:
