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Date:      Wed, 16 Apr 2003 17:20:24 -0700
From:      Darren Pilgrim <dmp@pantherdragon.org>
To:        JacobRhoden <jrhoden@unimelb.edu.au>
Cc:        wmoran@potentialtech.com
Subject:   Re: FreeBSD logo...
Message-ID:  <20030416172024.32269a38.dmp@pantherdragon.org>
In-Reply-To: <200304170955.05600.jrhoden@unimelb.edu.au>
References:  <20030416104202.7271aed3.flynn@energyhq.homeip.net> <200304161124.59443.a.carter@intrasoft.lu> <200304170955.05600.jrhoden@unimelb.edu.au>

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JacobRhoden <jrhoden@unimelb.edu.au> wrote:

>Hey, (:
>
>Think its time to add my 2c
>
>On Wed, 16 Apr 2003 07:24 pm, CARTER Anthony wrote:
>> The only reason that religion was made was to explain to
>> people why bad things happened to them...
>
>Well actually in terms of Christianity, its existance is more due to the fact 
>a man came, claimed to be God, and rose from the dead. People would not have 
>stood up to the authorities throught the ages for someone who came, taught 
>good stuff, then died... anyway religious discussion aside...

And nobody is going to spend $150 on a pair of athletic shoes unless the would
be consumer is convinced it will help their game or will at least make them
cool.

>From a cynical standpoint, miracles, Christ's rising from the dead, the burning
bush, etc., are the religious equivalent of marketing strategies.  In a age of
ignorance and utter lack of general scientific understanding, what we would view
as the most basic of natural occurances wouldn't be understood, and the
religious leaders could easily play upon the populous' ignorance and build it
into a sign from God.

We can sit here for hours and pick apart everything, discuss wood fragments
found in the mountains, caves with odd markings, strange magnetic fields, and
get nothing accomplished.  But that's not because it doesn't exist and stuff
didn't happen, it's because you're trying to convince an audience of
non-believers.  The scientific method breaks down when analyzing a
non-science.  Planks found in some mountain are only going to be fragments of
Noah's Ark to those who don't need more convincing.

What it ultimately comes down to is psychology.  There's a very well established
phenomenon called psychogenesis, where in a physical effect is manifested as the
result of the human mind convincing itself of its existance.  In a nutshell,
that's what faith is.  If you believe God is real, then he is real.  Just don't
expect the person next to on the bus to agree with you.



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