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Politics : Should God be replaced? -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: James Calladine who wrote (15654)	6/30/2003 3:57:16 PM
From: Solon	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 28931

LOL! Good post! Now, I will admit that I have only read parts of "Urantia". Without remembering details, I know that I decided it was not a priority for my valuable time on the basis of assertions made which were incredible, and generally of the type that relied on credulity rather than acceptable "proof". I must tell you that I do have a curious nature so that over a life-time I have read a lot of bizarre material from the cult to the occult. I have found that the weird and bizarre may generally be discredited and exposed by legitimate inquiry. So although I have not taken the effort to seek out scholarly criticisms of "Urantia" (if indeed, scholars have bothered), I still feel fairly assured (for myself) that such would waste some of my time. On the basis of my experience in such matters I feel rather certain that I could read this stuff thoughtfully and religiously and quickly identify internal inconsistencies which would condemn the matter. However, not having done so, I do not insist that the matter is ludicrous. But if someone wishes to insist it is credible then I will find the time to read the entire history of the matter. And I have little doubt as to what I shall find...

To: James Calladine who wrote (15654)	7/1/2003 1:36:28 AM
From: Scott Bergquist	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 28931

James, first, I wish to salute your gracious manner. Thank you. I certainly sit below your status in that regard. James, to arrive at an opinion regarding almost any matter, one does not need to experience and make one's own independent test to arrive at a conclusion. Your deductive argument was not done correctly. The "scientific method" is not applicable to judging writing. This is the problem with 23 hours and 56 minutes in a day. All opinions.... in fact 98% of -everyone's- opinion, is done by authority. I have not measured the acceleration of gravity, the speed of light, cannot give you an explanation of Heisenberg's Uncertainty Principle, or why Avogadro's Number 6.02 x 10 to the 23rd power. Scientific as all this sounds, I have to take this on authority, not by the "scientific method". The same with great works, or bad works, of literature. If an aluminum boat I wish to use to cross a lake has developed a leak, I personally do not need to find the leak, only see the evidence. Mere water in a boat bottom does not mean it could not transport me across. If someone else has taken the boat prior to me, and says, "This boat has a leak, you'll NEVER MAKE IT to the other side" I feel no compulsion to apply the 'scientific method' to the situation. ONE failed criteria is sufficient to make the decision NOT to use the boat. And that criteria can be tested via authority. Once I have arrived at the conclusion that the boat is useless to me, calling it a "worthless POS!" or "a death trap" or "future bottom dweller!" or similar invective is certainly within my perogative. The Urania book has been mentioned many times here, and I have it on sufficient authority that it has fabrications and assumptions not in keeping with my standards. So my invective. In the case of literature, with everyone writing this and that, it is rare that I pursue reading ANYONE's writing without some mention by 'authority' that it is worthwhile. Of the worthwhile, many I cannot "slog through". One I found, and bought, on mere serendipity (oh, ah, also, read the book "Serendip" by James Toner..I know the author, and a good first person, true, Peace Corp account) is the following one, a real TOME: "The Big Show in Bololand" by Bertrand M Patenaude "The American Relief Expedition to Soviet Russia in the Famine of 1921". If only you just pick it up and read while at B&N, go to page 271, Ch. 15, and read about John Foy. 'fascinating'