It's truly astonishing how many billions of people (at least nominally) believe in this miraculous mumbo jumbo. Michael is a brilliant champion of reason and logic against superstition, thanks for your great work!
Having correct beliefs should make a person and a group of people more evolutionarily fit. The only way to do an experiment on the correctness of beliefs is to see the results of those beliefs. Society with more correct beliefs should increase in membership over the long-term while incorrect beliefs die off. Christianity creates the best societies we have ever seen with the highest standard of living, human flourishing, and had the most members. Using the scientific method on religious beliefs results in people, groups and societies that have worse lives, increased suicide, decreased fertility, etc. The human mind has evolved to believe in religion. I believe that is so because we have supernatural souls that come from God and yearn to reconnect with him. I see no reason to use your epistemology on religion. What evidence would you need to believe in the spirit realm? You even had an experience yourself with the radio on your wedding day. But you explain it away. Open your heart, God wants to reconnect with you.
How has Christian society proven to be the best society? How do other types of society not measure up? What standards are you even talking about because that was rather nondescript.
Also, if it's true that the human mind evolved to believe in religion, then how do you square that with God wanting to connect with humanity? Why would God create a mind that is capable of creating a plethora of belief structures all within the framework of Christianity, let alone the millions of other deities and religions that mankind has conceived? Especially with the help of the supposed spirit world, wouldn't the path to god be so much clearer with all of this supposed evidence? I can't think of a time in human history where it's been ever more necessary to move past religious thinking and supplant it with pure reason and superior ethics/morals.
“How has Christian society proven to be the best society? How do other types of society not measure up? What standards are you even talking about because that was rather nondescript.” I don’t mean to be rude but is that a serious question? Christian nations, those based on Christianity, have the highest standards of living, the most wealth, the least of virtually all the bad things and more of virtually all the good things? And people really want to move to western countries. There’s a few countries in Asia that were rebuilt in the western model like S Korea and Japan, but their suicide rates are high and their birth rates are super low. The west is losing its super sauce due to losing its religion. But it’s not like there’s anywhere better to go.
“Also, if it's true that the human mind evolved to believe in religion, then how do you square that with God wanting to connect with humanity?” I don’t understand the question. Do you think evolution and God are contradictory? I don’t think so.
“Why would God create a mind that is capable of creating a plethora of belief structures all within the framework of Christianity, let alone the millions of othe? Especially with the help of the supposed spirit world, wouldn't the path to god be so much clearer with all of this supposed evidence?” People have different beliefs about the shape of the earth. Why should religions be expected to all agree? You need differences in order for cultural evolution to work.
“I can't think of a time in human history where it's been ever more necessary to move past religious thinking and supplant it with pure reason and superior ethics/morals.” Why do you think that “pure reason” would have superior morals and ethics? People are not logical, they do not make logical arguments and they do not agree with ideas based on reason. People are herd animals and will believe whatever they are told to believe. If the authorities and pop culture told them to sterilize themselves and murder their children in the wombs they will and get mad at anyone who points out that they are going against God’s plan for the success of humanity. But go on and tell me what this superior moral system based on reason is.
I appreciate the fact that your approach is Bayesian, but you are clearly not Bayesian enough. Maybe you should read the article from Palonen (2016): "A Bayesian Baseline for Belief in Uncommon Events"
what should we think about the talmud saying Jesus was born of a whore named Mary and of a Roman soldier...... just for starters... also that he is boiling in hot semen?
It's truly astonishing how many billions of people (at least nominally) believe in this miraculous mumbo jumbo. Michael is a brilliant champion of reason and logic against superstition, thanks for your great work!
Bart Ehrman debunks the resurrection: https://youtu.be/3JEiFo0LbjI?feature=shared
Having correct beliefs should make a person and a group of people more evolutionarily fit. The only way to do an experiment on the correctness of beliefs is to see the results of those beliefs. Society with more correct beliefs should increase in membership over the long-term while incorrect beliefs die off. Christianity creates the best societies we have ever seen with the highest standard of living, human flourishing, and had the most members. Using the scientific method on religious beliefs results in people, groups and societies that have worse lives, increased suicide, decreased fertility, etc. The human mind has evolved to believe in religion. I believe that is so because we have supernatural souls that come from God and yearn to reconnect with him. I see no reason to use your epistemology on religion. What evidence would you need to believe in the spirit realm? You even had an experience yourself with the radio on your wedding day. But you explain it away. Open your heart, God wants to reconnect with you.
How has Christian society proven to be the best society? How do other types of society not measure up? What standards are you even talking about because that was rather nondescript.
Also, if it's true that the human mind evolved to believe in religion, then how do you square that with God wanting to connect with humanity? Why would God create a mind that is capable of creating a plethora of belief structures all within the framework of Christianity, let alone the millions of other deities and religions that mankind has conceived? Especially with the help of the supposed spirit world, wouldn't the path to god be so much clearer with all of this supposed evidence? I can't think of a time in human history where it's been ever more necessary to move past religious thinking and supplant it with pure reason and superior ethics/morals.
“How has Christian society proven to be the best society? How do other types of society not measure up? What standards are you even talking about because that was rather nondescript.” I don’t mean to be rude but is that a serious question? Christian nations, those based on Christianity, have the highest standards of living, the most wealth, the least of virtually all the bad things and more of virtually all the good things? And people really want to move to western countries. There’s a few countries in Asia that were rebuilt in the western model like S Korea and Japan, but their suicide rates are high and their birth rates are super low. The west is losing its super sauce due to losing its religion. But it’s not like there’s anywhere better to go.
“Also, if it's true that the human mind evolved to believe in religion, then how do you square that with God wanting to connect with humanity?” I don’t understand the question. Do you think evolution and God are contradictory? I don’t think so.
“Why would God create a mind that is capable of creating a plethora of belief structures all within the framework of Christianity, let alone the millions of othe? Especially with the help of the supposed spirit world, wouldn't the path to god be so much clearer with all of this supposed evidence?” People have different beliefs about the shape of the earth. Why should religions be expected to all agree? You need differences in order for cultural evolution to work.
“I can't think of a time in human history where it's been ever more necessary to move past religious thinking and supplant it with pure reason and superior ethics/morals.” Why do you think that “pure reason” would have superior morals and ethics? People are not logical, they do not make logical arguments and they do not agree with ideas based on reason. People are herd animals and will believe whatever they are told to believe. If the authorities and pop culture told them to sterilize themselves and murder their children in the wombs they will and get mad at anyone who points out that they are going against God’s plan for the success of humanity. But go on and tell me what this superior moral system based on reason is.
I appreciate the fact that your approach is Bayesian, but you are clearly not Bayesian enough. Maybe you should read the article from Palonen (2016): "A Bayesian Baseline for Belief in Uncommon Events"
what should we think about the talmud saying Jesus was born of a whore named Mary and of a Roman soldier...... just for starters... also that he is boiling in hot semen?