🚀 go-pugleaf

In article <1992Nov6.145757.26607@aee.aee.com>, gene@aee.aee.com 
(Gene Kochanowsky) writes:

|> 	Faith is the unquestioning acceptance of beliefs. This is important,
|> if you question the beliefs, then you do not have faith. Ask any priest,
|> minister, mullah, rabbi, shaman, witch doctor you come across. If you wish
|> to become a "__________" (fill in the blank), then you must accept fully 
|> the "_________" (fill in the blank) of "__________" (fill in the blank). 
|> After this acceptance you will be "saved", "accepted into Vallhalla", be 
|> able to "join your ancestors in piece" or what ever else makes you feel 
|> comfortable with the after life.

	This is complete nonsense.  There may be religious leaders who 
demand unquestioning acceptance of belief, but I've certainly never met one.  
As a matter of interest, how many have you actually asked?  Most religions 
do indeed require some kind of intellectual commitment eventually, but in the 
varieties I'm familiar with that commitment is compatible with continued 
questioning.  


|> 	In Science everything is fair game for questioning. It is expected
|> that everything will be questioned. 

	Right.  I frequently hear scientists questioning the basic 
trustworthiness of their senses and of other scientists, or the need to 
test theories with experiments.  Come to think of it, 
I have read postings from people like that on sci.physics, but they're 
usually advocating some theory that involves space potatoes or hollow 
planets, or the like.  You simply can't do science without the 
"unquestioning belief" (usually unconscious) in the foundations upon which 
it is built.



-- 
Steve Schaffner        sschaff@unixhub.slac.stanford.edu
	The opinions expressed may be mine, and may not be those of SLAC, 
Stanford University, or the DOE.