From: Lee Corbin (lcorbin@tsoft.com)
Date: Sat May 31 2003 - 15:51:58 MDT
Ron writes
> I also read that article and yes I noticed the kid made a passing
> reference to God but I don't know upon what level of intensity to
> read that. Is he extremely religious or has he picked up an
> expression without thinking what it even means?
Hell, even though an extremely devout atheist myself, I use
the term as an expression all the time! I can hardly believe
it when some people (who know I am an atheist) wonder about
my usage of the term. Jesus Christ. Give me a break ;-)
> But I noticed that everyone has walked right by the reporters
> hand wringing over this kid allegedly being so bright. Do you
> and the others, by your silence, agree that there is something
> deeply wrong with having an IQ that high?
It would be a miracle if anyone on this list really thought that
a high IQ could be something bad.
> If so you might excuse him on that basis. If you think a boy that
> intelligent can and is perfectly healthy then you might also excuse
> his belief in God on that basis.
There are arbitrarily intelligent people who believe in God.
Just being extraordinarily intelligent is no guarantee
against being wrong.
> In any case given that the universe is somewhere 10 and 20
> billion years old (I have seen no agreement on the age);
Recently they seem to have pegged it at 14.7 billion years
(see the recent Tegmark article). I guess the old dilemma
between the star-clusters and whatever-the-other-argument
was has been resolved. 14.7 billion years it is, then.
> Under all those circumstances isn't it a little dogmatic to
> make vast sweeping statements about God?
I am just as dogmatic about God as I am about flying saucers
and Santa Claus. At least I can be dogmatic about it until
some Bayesian altruist tells me he's had a vision, or has been
abducted by a flying saucer, and then, of course, I will
concede that I have been wrong, and that flying saucers or
God exists.
> In my opinion we have to all be somewhat agnostic whether
> we mainly believe in God or believe there is no God. We
> have to reserve a possibility that we are mistaken.
Nah, that's for sissies. By God, I am not afraid to go out
on a limb!
Lee
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