Although there are undoubtedly fundamentalists who would shriek that Faith
must reign supreme over Reason, there are also sane people, some of them with
doctorates in physics, who would insist that every word of the Old Testament
is unvarnished and unmetaphorical fact. Many would take offense if you
suggested that their belief is not "in accordance with or sensitive to
evidence and reasons".
While it is not my intention to intervene in religious disputes at this time -
I feel we'll all know who was right soon enough - I do feel it necessary to
remind everyone that there are sincerely and unapologetically religious
people, who are often involved with charitable issues and generally spread a
little Light around, even if it is in the name of God. If this seems odd or
inconceivable to you, then treat them with the same respect you would accord
an alien with an incomprehensible philosophy but benign deeds. There are
minds that think as well as you do, only differently.
--
sentience@pobox.com Eliezer S. Yudkowsky
http://tezcat.com/~eliezer/singularity.html
http://tezcat.com/~eliezer/algernon.html
Disclaimer: Unless otherwise specified, I'm not telling you
everything I think I know.