To Blake,
I am not going to respond to everything. I will lay out my position.
One most assuredly can use the scientific method to see what is false in
theological claims which leave an observational footprint. If one finds,
scientifically, that the claim of this or that event is false, then one can
proceed to doubt the theological claim. If the event is verified, then
science is consistent with the theological claim, i.e. the claim can't be
shown false. Verification doesn't 'prove' anything, either for the religion,
or for the theological claim. But then neither does verification of some
aspect of a scientific theory in science 'prove' the theory. Theories, like
theological claims, can't be 'proven'--they can only be verified. But like
in science when falsification of the theory occurs, the theological claim
can be rejected if the observable footprint is disproven.
We follow this procedure when evaluating religions like Mormonism, Hinduism
etc. and we do it here on this list with the likes of YEC etc. There is no
scientific data to support these views so they are false and most likely the
theological claims are as well. That is what I mean when I say that science
can be used to verify claims.
If you can't understand the above then I am sorry but it is as clear as I
can make it and I will defend this approach. To do otherwise is to cut
religion loose from all connection to reality or rationality.
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