I just saw a blurb on television that tonight on 20/20 they're going to demonstrate real miracles. From the look of it, it appears they're going to use healing as their thrust. One quote from the show they shared was a theist saying you have to differentiate between miracles and magic. Really? And how exactly do we do that--since a miracle would have to be magic rather than the result of natural cause and effect?
And on a side note--thanks to Don for keeping up the April Fool's Day blog tradition!
Know the story of William Longespée, third Earl of Salisbury? Centuries after his death, they discovered in his corpse a rat perfectly preserved. Historians say that this is evidence that the earl was murdered by arsenic poisoning (arsenic is a very good preserver). I think it is proof of a miracle: God blessed this rat and preserved it from corruption. This is consistent with many claims of mirales on saintly human beings who alledgedly did not decomposed after their death.
ReplyDeleteFinally! thay are going to cure cancer! thats gota be it, or some other form of healing that doesnt already happen naturally on its own. cant wait :D
ReplyDeleteI'll be watching and can't wait to find out what this "proof" is. Is anyone healing an amputee tonight?
ReplyDeleteWho wants to be me that the "miraculous healings" won't include any cases of amputees healed (nor burn vicims, people with Down's syndrome, etc)?
ReplyDeleteFrom what I saw, it was anecdotes about being healed by the last Pope. Who had "anecdotes about being healed by the last Pope" in the pool?
ReplyDeleteMagic is all about non-existent dice, whereas miracles are like transcendental dice.
ReplyDeleteThey appear similar, but if you have enough faith, you can tell them apart at least 50% of the time in a double blind experiment, so that proves it.
True Story
The credulity was just painful to watch. They kept saying that these recoveries were improbable, not impossible. So, of course, since we don't know how it happened the only explanation is that a dead guy in heaven was tugging at god's robe asking for a favor.
ReplyDeleteI thought Michael Shermer did a pretty good job explaining the law of large numbers.
"God blessed this rat and preserved it from corruption. This is consistent with many claims of mirales on saintly human beings who alledgedly did not decomposed after their death."
ReplyDelete~Holy Holy HOOOOOOOOOLY Rat
God of vermin, god of mice
blessed is he who eats his own fecieeeees
A rat a rat a raaaaaaat
blessed is he who gnaws in the name of the lord~
This is off topic, but ... over on Ray Comfort's blog, the poster "imadallasguy" on 4/3/2010 1:10PM said Ray should call in live tomorrow to the Atheist Experience in Austin ...so that His word [by way of Ray of course] could go out to all the unbelieving world.
ReplyDeleteAnd Ray Comfort response on 04/03/2010 4:32PM was this:
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"imadallasguy...All they have to do is ask. I would be honored to go on their program. I don't want to invite myself."
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I pointed out that there is NO SHOW tomorrow (4/4/10) as they are preempted by the Mormons. Note: According to The Atheist Experience TV web page the correct time to watch on ustream, or directly stream Public Access Ch 16 from Channel Austin's server, is at 4:30 to 6:00 pm CST (22:30-24:00 UTC).
I also pointed out that as I recall Matt Dillahunty, the main host of The Atheist-Experience program, had asked some time ago (a few months) Ray to call in to the program --- I even remember Matt D. asking the persons that set the calls up to give Ray priority and pushed to the top of the call cue --- but Ray was a no show. I posted on Ray's blog that I'd post over on The Atheist Experience blog Ray's response and we shall see what can be done in upcoming weeks!
@Ing-I am really wondering if many of the so-called miraculous preservation from corruption of saintly bodies could be explained by arsenic.
ReplyDelete"I am really wondering if many of the so-called miraculous preservation from corruption of saintly bodies could be explained by arsenic."
ReplyDeleteFrom the skeptoid episode on it most of the miraculous aspects ain't.
The most impressive ones are the ones they dressed up with make up, masks, and...oh yeah EMBALMING. If that still counts as uncorruptability and thus sainthood we need to make Lenin the first Atheist saint. True he may not have been a Good atheist...but many saints weren't Good Christians.
Joe Nickell's books are pretty good about discussing specific cases of what often turns out to be pious fraud, mistakes, and outright hoaxes. "Relics of the Christ," "Treatise on Relics," and "Inquest on the Shroud of Turin" are certainly on topic, but several of his other books touch on the subject.
ReplyDeleteYou know I'm not very religious and I often doubt the existance of God, but after reading the level of arrogance you guys display.I rather not think like you. The prayer to the "mouse" in one of the post shows such a lack of respect, that I as a human being would never want to be associated with. Does being a atheist mean you have to be a rude prick? Can you have your beliefs or lack of them with out the disrespect? I came here looking for reasons not believe and I only found reasons to believe.
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