Re: Are the SETI kooks still at it?

Llanzlan Klazmon wrote:

Sorry, but SETI seems to me more akin to faith than science.


Looking for evidence is the exact opposite of faith. You superstitionists realise deep down that faith is a perjorative term and therefore attempt to use it to tar the science you hate. It's kind of bizzare, since religions consider faith to be a desirable thing. The problem is that with faith all sorts of kookiness is of equal merit. Science distinguishes between the kooky and the real with evidence. There's that word evidence again that you superstitionists fear more than any other.

*US* superstitionists? Sorry pal, but you have no idea what my personal feelings are on this. I have no reason to believe in one or the other - I simply point out that what you consider scientific looks superficially like faith, and have good reason for doing so, and you instantly marginalize my opinion by claiming that I'm a heretic "superstitionist?" With this sort of attitude you would have done well as a religious extremist in any number of historical venues. Yours is the position of faith, not mine.

And by the way, there have been many, many attempts to prove the existence of God by both observation of evidence and logic. So again, do you consider these attempts scientific?
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Relevant Pages

  • Why Rational People Have Irrational Beliefs
    ... Why Rational People Have Irrational Beliefs ... The Origin of Faith ... sociopolitical aspects) then it is belief without evidence. ... to the rescue of the believers in the moment of their need. ...
    (soc.culture.african.american)
  • Re: Personal abuse (was Re: A Key to a ~Strong faith~ was [Who still believes in]
    ... Since your use of faith in that context is rather suggestive that you are misusing the term (hint: Faith in general is about having trust in God, it's normally *not* about choosing to believe things for the truth of which you have not one shred of evidence. ... The knowledge that from experience, distortions of that nature almost invariably happen when reports are spread in the absence of written confirmation from the start, combined with the lack of any reason to think this occasion would've been different. ...
    (uk.religion.christian)
  • Re: More Deaths Blamed on Bush
    ... politics, there is NO credible evidence for ANY of them, and they ALL claim that what they believe is right because they have it on faith. ... It is not faith in a vacuum. ... The pope has stated on multiple occasions that faith and reason go hand in hand. ... We probably both agree that the particular churches we follow contain the complete and correct truth. ...
    (alt.smokers.cigars)
  • Re: Hitchens on religion
    ... there is nothing about which we can reason. ... faith means, Micha, it means having complete trust based on an incomplete ... UNDERSTANDING of God and halacha. ... level of belief that is so unrelated to evidence or reason that it ...
    (soc.culture.jewish.moderated)
  • Re: Are You In Christ, and Prayer Language joel2, ezekiel 38,39.
    ... Typical of those who base their life on "faith", and paying 10% to the church, instead of reason. ... To blanketly make statements without any evidence shows your intellectual dishonesty. ... Faith is a part, but, if you took the time to read my other messages, you would know that there is a lot more. ... Keep believing--it's kept the religion business going for centuries. ...
    (rec.scuba)