What are the FACTS that support your religion?

[Bathsheba]

Here's a FACT about my faith. You can't prove I'm wrong.

I have no idea what your faith is but I can tell you that faith in anything can be determined to exist on a probability continuum. Here is an example of what I mean, there is a higher probability that the popular notion of Santa Clause (ie. Santa can make to everybody’s chimney in one Christmas Eve) is not based on reality. Can I prove that Santa doesn’t exist? Who gives a crap, the probability that he isn’t real is high enough for me to say that Santa doesn’t exist because of the probability that St. Nick can’t physically make it to every good girls house in one fricken night. The same thing goes for the tooth fairy. The tooth fairy has a very low probability of being real, based on that very low probability I don’t believe in the tooth fairy.

Based on the natural world, supernatural claims have a lowered probability, and the lower the probability the less some claims should be respected. For example, there is a low probability that a stone statue can cry blood; generally these claims are viewed as possessing very low probability. Faith based on a personal witness claims (I feel it is true, I’ve been taught it is true, it seems right to me, my intuition informs my belief, the books says it is true, you can’t prove me wrong, etc.) have a lower probability vs. say the empirical evidence for the binary state of pregnancy.

 

[MoonWater]

I have no idea what your faith is but I can tell you that faith in anything can be determined to exist on a probability continuum. Here is an example of what I mean, there is a higher probability that the popular notion of Santa Clause (ie. Santa can make to everybody’s chimney in one Christmas Eve) is not based on reality. Can I prove that Santa doesn’t exist? Who gives a crap, the probability that he isn’t real is high enough for me to say that Santa doesn’t exist because of the probability that St. Nick can’t physically make it to every good girls house in one fricken night. The same thing goes for the tooth fairy. The tooth fairy has a very low probability of being real, based on that very low probability I don’t believe in the tooth fairy.

Based on the natural world, supernatural claims have a lowered probability, and the lower the probability the less some claims should be respected. For example, there is a low probability that a stone statue can cry blood; generally these claims are viewed as possessing very low probability. Faith based on a personal witness claims (I feel it is true, I’ve been taught it is true, it seems right to me, my intuition informs my belief, the books says it is true, you can’t prove me wrong, etc.) have a lower probability vs. say the empirical evidence for the binary state of pregnancy.

We've barely touched the tip of the iceberg in terms of learning about the universe and "God". How can we even begin to state a probabilty when our understanding of everything is so limited? The thing is your determining the probability of santa clause existing on many other probabilites/assumptions that if proven to be the opposite of what you assumed would completly destroy your probability theory. For example: your probability theory would have to assume that santa clause is an ordinary man and clearly no ordinary man could make it to every house in one night. But what if say we found a way to control time so that we could stop it's flow. Who's to say that santa didn't figure out how to stop time before us? I know that may sound far fetched and is probably not the best example but I'm just trying to illustrate my point. When you assume something based on a probability, whether your aware of it or not you must automatically assume numerous other probabilities in order for your probability to hold. If you find yourself wrong on even one of those then your probability theory goes down the drain.(I hope this makes sense. maybe I'll be able to explain it better after a good nights sleep)

 

[methylatedghosts]

FACT:
I believe my beliefs are supported by the fact that I believe them.

 

[Valjean]

Saddam Hussein? Nazis?. Also i have no clue what empirical means.

????????

Dude, I'm trying to be sympathetic, whilst pointing out that there is no actual experimental evidence of Karmic reciprocation.

"Empirical" -- google it!