Faith, facts and Father Christmas
Reading this sad and scary story about "facilitated" communication got me to thinking about how easily people can dupe themselves into believing something for which facts are simply not in evidence
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However, given science's history of saying "oops - boy were we wrong" and their won self admitted lack of knowledge and limited understanding of how the mind really works I wouldn't bet the entire bank on their accuracy at this juncture (in other words, while I think they're probably on the right track - I'm not going to accept that as "gospel" anymore then I would the doctrine of any religion.
But let's for one moment agree that there is absolutely no way science could possibly be wrong... all they've managed to do is document the changes by which our minds produce these phenomena - they have provided no real evidence that they aren't triggered via metaphysical means. But then I assume that all things metaphysical are simply a matter of what will someday when we have more understanding be called science, that makes them no less real... science is the study of the natural world and our place within it.
I think of science as the interface with which deity connects and interacts with humanity.
And if I were you I would reevaluate my belief that I wasn't snotty towards those who believed in deity and metaphysics - given the first sentence of your response to me was snotty and a bit of an over reaction to a simple statement.
Oh and btw exactly what has science figured out? You were a bit vague in that portion... because I can go on and on about the things that science has proven as well.
The sad thing about Atheists isn't so much that they're god is Science - as that they walk around believing they don't have one... and making fun of those who are willing to admit they have a god.
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OK...
First of all, there's no such thing as "the mind." Everything we are--every perception, thought, dream, idea, personality quirk, whatever--is a product of our physical existence, specifically our brains. Astral projection, spirits, souls and such aren't physically possible, because the "essence" of a human being lies entirely between our ears, and is the product of billions of electrochemical messages shot from one neuron to another.
When the brain is deprived of fuel--oxygen and glucose--or is missing large chunks of itself, it's simply not going to function. When a body is dead, it's an empty shell. There's no person there anymore, nor is there an echo of that person floating around somewhere outside the carcass. Just as a computer doesn't function without a motherboard and a power supply, the brain doesn't function without the heart pumping fuel to it.
Second, science and faith are two completely separate things. Science doesn't require faith because it's open source. If a scientific answer isn't satisfying, people are perfectly welcome to conduct their own studies (following the scientific method) to find a better answer. (And they do, hence why science is always being refined.) No faith needed, because you can go learn it and prove it for yourself. There's no need to trust in clergy or unseen forces or anything because every person has democratic equal access to those methods and knowledge.
Of course, not every person has availed themselves of this, and thus to people who (apparently like yourself) have only a very surface understanding of science, it does seem indistinguishable from magic. But it's not. It's fundamentally different.
Again, if you want to get existential or talk about the origin of matter, be my guest. But when it comes to things that religion claims to have an answer for that science has already debunked? You don't get to rewrite facts in evidence. You can believe what you want to believe, but when you start trying to tear down reality (presumably as a means of reinforcing your own weak faith--the truly faithful don't feel threatened by science), you just look silly.
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However, we also know that there is a lot more to the universe than what we can see or even detect with modern science. We really do not know that those chemical and electrical impulses are the whole story, we just believe that they are because they are all that we can perceive.
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As far as 99.9% of us know, we exist in observable reality and conduct our lives according to the rules therein. Gravity keeps our feet on the ground, water vapor scuds across the sky and occasionally dumps on us and the sun makes us create Vitamin D and causes photosynthesis. These are the everyday realities that we have to acknowledge. How our brains work is part of that observable reality.
As a thought exercise, the "what ifs" outside of observable reality are somewhat interesting, but they really don't have any practical application within the sphere of observable reality, so there's kinda no point to substitute those what ifs when the question has already been answered. There are no fairies making the flowers grow. It might be amusing to think about, but it's not observable reality, and thus to dwell on such things as if it were is usually (and rightly so) considered a brain dysfunction.
Flights of fancy are fun, so long as one understands that that's what they are, and has the ability to return to planet Earth when the dreaming is done.
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Trust me, i'm the first one to say that if your beliefs don't stand up to reality, then they go, not it. If you belong to some religion that says you should avoid doctors and just pray for god to fix your cancer, screw that religion, go to the hospital.
But as long as you're seeing doctors and going to the hospital, i don't ind some prayer or energy work. can't hurt.
Religion is a great tool, when used properly, but when people try to apply it as a tool to work with things that it was never meant for (like science, history, law, etc) we have problems.
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