George Andrews Jr. wrote:
>
> Hi George;
>
> George Hammond wrote:
>
> >
> > I have recently published a preliminary paper in the peer
> > reviewed scientific literature concerning my discovery of a
> > scientific proof of God.
> >
>
> The notion of "God being in the brain" (in your case "out of the brain")
> is certainly not new.
[Hammond]
This is true. In fact, last week's (May 7th) front cover of
Newsweek Magazine was emblazoned with the cover story
entitled "God and the Brain".
> We discussed the former at a Templeton conference
> at U. of Chicago in the mid nineties. However, the language then was
> encroached in terms of "evolutionary overshoot"; i.e. the human brain
> went TOO FAR in evolving in that it surpassed the levels needed for
> enhanced survival of the species. In so doing, coupled to the
> co-evolution of the vocal chords and hence speech, man achieved the
> ability for abstraction. I must state that I find this line of reasoning
> - which is equally scientifically verifiable via biology - more
> persuasive than the metric based arguments underpinning your thesis.
[Hammond]
Persuasiveness if a function of one's education and
professional expertise I would hazard.
>
> I also think that your notion of proof is biased toward support of your
> presuppositions;
[Hammond]
That can't be true, as I have no "presuppositions".
> i.e. you state that gravity caused God (I prefer to
> say the "concept of God" but its your thesis :-) ) and since gravity is
> physically well founded; so is God. But a physical limitation of the
> size of the human brain is all that has (evidently) been proven. It
> still requires (great!) faith to go from stunted development to the
> existence (actually nonexistence) of a Divine being.
[Hammond]
Your factual observations are accurate... more than I can say
for some reviewers of my theory. You are correct that the discovery
proves that the "Secular Trend brain growth deficit" is the
immediate direct physical explanation of "God".
However, I don't see how you can argue that it requires
"great faith" to go from the Secular Trend braingrowth deficit
to the "existence of a Divine Being". What else on Earth could
a physically perfect human being represent other than a "Divine Being".
After all, the canons of our religion hold that Jesus of Nazareth
was "God incarnate".. "God in the flesh"... so there is certainly
a historical precedent, and general historical belief, and
majority historical consensus that that is exactly what "God" is.
>
> In essence, you, like some at the U. of Chicago conference, are actually
> offering evidence for the non-existence of God;
[Hammond]
There is no way that you can play the old canard of
"you've proven just the opposite"... that kind of game
will only fly if you have a large enough political constituency
to make a "big lie" stratagem work. In the case of a
"scientific proof of God", I'm afraid that general historical
sympathy would precluded any such tactical maneuver.
> i.e., its all in or out of our heads. My critique in both instances is
> that they are not critical realist approaches which I think is the only
> game in town; therefore inadequate. To a believer/experencer, there
> really is Someone (i.e. Holy) out there!
[Hammond]
Sorry, this discovery confirms every canonical tenet of
established religion, especially of Christianity, 100%.
There is nothing in this theory that says "God is not out there".
In fact it proves conclusively that "God is really out there".
What you fail to realize is that "out there" is a perceptual
creation of the human mind.
The fact that this discovery "unequivocally proves Christianity",
gives you a considerable army of potential adversaries to contend
with, I'm afraid.
>
> Sincerely
> George A.
>
> --
> George A. Andrews Jr.
> Physics/Applied Science
> College of William & Mary
> P.O. Box 8795
> Williamsburg, VA 23187-8795
-- BE SURE TO VISIT MY WEBSITE, BELOW: ----------------------------------------------------------- George Hammond, M.S. Physics Email: ghammond@mediaone.net Website: http://people.ne.mediaone.net/ghammond/index.html -----------------------------------------------------------
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