Sabrina Kilian wrote:
> Patrick Elliott wrote:
>> In article <4753d58b@news.povray.org>, Sabrina Kilian <"ykgp at 
>> vtSPAM.edu"> says...
>>> Atheists can fall into the same trap, the difference being that the
>>> perceived sin is a lack of scientific reasoning. I forget if it was
>>> Dawkins or someone else who made a statement that amounted to religion
>>> being a genetic hold over or even a mental illness.
>>>
>> Just for the sake of argument, show me any case where blind faith that 
>> something is true has every turned out to be right,
> 
> That I like pizza and* sushi, but not both at the same time. I've never
> actually tried both at once, but I'm pretty willing to bet that I would
> not enjoy it.
> 
> *technically, xor. But this is the English language.
> 
>> save by pure 
>> accident, and more to the point, how any other case has *not* been based 
>> on seeing evidence, forming a theory based on that evidence, and then 
>> testing, in some fashion, if that conclusion was *actually* correct, or 
>> needed modification... We start out with science, experimenting with our 
>> world and figuring out what works and doesn't work, and forming 
>> **justified** opinions about why and how. Then, about the point where we 
>> start talking people start telling us that some things are better 
>> explained by the Easter Bunny, Santa Claus and Jesus. I can't imagine 
>> *why* atheists would think scientific thinking was the corner stone of 
>> rational thought... Snort!
Patrick, you completely lost me there.
>>
> 
> I was not suggesting that scientific reasoning was bad. The connection I
> was making was that both the very religious and the ardent atheists make
> the same judgment about the other group: They are wrong and worthy of
> scorn. 
As a 'hard atheist' (according to Patrick) I disagree. I feel 
philosophically most at home among other religious people. I.e the kind 
who deeply believe that God exist and make that a focal point in their 
thinking and acting. I indeed feel absolute not at home among those who 
blindly follow someone who claims to know what god wants, and think that 
therefore they themselves are very religious. But worthy of scorn? no, 
pity, suspicion and being on guard I would say.
> What does that judgment actually gain either group, though? It
> doesn't convince anyone else, it doesn't invite discussion. It just
> alienates anyone who might have a question.

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