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From: rlr@pyuxn.UUCP (Rich Rosen)
Newsgroups: net.religion
Subject: Re: Scientific vs religious "belief"
Message-ID: <409@pyuxn.UUCP>
Date: Wed, 11-Jan-84 10:43:43 EST
Article-I.D.: pyuxn.409
Posted: Wed Jan 11 10:43:43 1984
Date-Received: Fri, 13-Jan-84 04:47:09 EST
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After making some points (which concurred with) about the evolutionary nature 
of evidence in evaluating beliefs, Greg concludes:

    Therefore, evidence should not be the sole criterion
    for forming a belief, and lack of evidence should not be the sole
    criterion for rejecting one.

I always thought that lack of evidence was a pretty good basis on which to
judge the validity of a belief.  But now I believe in Ubizmo (oh, no, here he
goes again!) and his Word, the Book of Ubizmo, which he passed on to his profit
--excuse me, prophet--Malla Temprana Yofi, over 42,000 years ago in a cave
outside what is now Pittsburgh.  Though the only existing copy of this book
says "(c) 1972 by the Left Rev. Willy Edgar Dipnowitz" on the frontispiece, I
have faith that Uncle Willy is right despite the lack of evidence pointing to
an earlier copy or earlier believers (except in the book itself, which clearly
describes George Washington and Benjamin Franklin as practitioners of
Ubizmatism).  Thanks to Greg for agreeing with me that this lack of evidence is
no reason not to believe.  (Who says I don't agree with anybody in this
newsgroup?)  Gravity?  Now that's another story.  Don't expect me to believe
that hogwash just because there's evidence for it!  The Book of Ubizmo says...
(You get the idea.)

"Yes, I wrote all of Shakespeare's plays and my wife wrote all of his sonnets."
"I see.  How old are you?"
"42."
"I see.  And are you aware that Shakespeare died over 350 years ago?"
"Yes, I am."
"Then how could you have written things that were known to exist before you
	were born?"
"Ah, well I was hoping you wouldn't ask that question, sir, as it puts a large
	unfillable hole in my argument."
-- 
					Rich Rosen    pyuxn!rlr