"Vince Hart" wrote in message
oups.com...

Mark Houlsby wrote:
Vince Hart wrote:


I do not think that the idea of a first cause is delusional although I
do not think that it rises to the level of "proof" of God's existence.

No rational person can claim to have a proof that God exists. But you don't
have to be irrational to believe he does.

On the other hand, I have a huge problem with the idea that everything
in a magic book should be accepted as fact to the same degree as
knowledge derived by application of the scientific method. For many
such believers, I think delusion is the proper description. For
others, I think profound intellectual dishonesty is the culprit.

There are probably many scientists like myself who are also, at some level,
theists who reject everything in "magic books." It is child's play to
demonstrate the fallacy of sacred texts as sources of the ultimate truth. No
serious, rational person believes, for example, that the pathetically human
creature described in the Bible could ever have created the universe.

The real delusion, in my opinion, is the belief that any approach, including
"science," can provide all the answers. When I was a freshly minted PhD
chemist I believed that science, and scientists, were the ultimate
truth-seekers. Now I realize that much of what passes for science,
especially in the field of healthcare, derives from economics-driven
mythology. The agenda of "big science" is as political, and driven by money,
as any other field of human endeavor. Without our myths we are forced to
face bare truth, which is often unbearable.