She Still Believes

[StuartJ]

A seven-year-old girl who talked to Donald Trump on Christmas Eve still left out milk and cookies for Santa despite the US President telling her it was "marginal" for a child of her age to still believe. https://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-12-26/ ... l/10669232

And Christians still believe too ...

Despite the total absence of evidence for the magical things concerning the Jesus character, and the childishness of their beliefs in the eyes of many.

If the president of the USA can't convince a seven-year-old that the magical things concerning Santa are only make-believe ...

What would it take to convince Christians that the magical things concerning Jesus are only make-believe ...?

[Mithrae]

Sure. It would be evidence that a leg was amputated and that it later regrew.

This alone wouldn't in any way be evidence of a god or even any non-natural cause.

Healing of an amputee is one of if not the most commonly requested types of evidence for god; that's precisely why I picked it. Perhaps you yourself have never endorsed that perspective and have tried to correct those who do. Or perhaps the goalposts inexplicably retreat as soon as there's any faint prospect that one might get past

[Tcg]

Sure. It would be evidence that a leg was amputated and that it later regrew.

This alone wouldn't in any way be evidence of a god or even any non-natural cause.

Healing of an amputee is one of if not the most commonly requested types of evidence for god; that's precisely why I picked it.

As I have pointed out, it would be nothing but evidence of the regrowth of a limb.

Perhaps you yourself have never endorsed that perspective and have tried to correct those who do.

I never have for the reason I have just reminded you of.

Or perhaps the goalposts inexplicably retreat as soon as there's any faint prospect that one might get past

Given that I never set up any goalposts, how could I have moved them?

I would suspect however that those who set up the goalposts you are referring to would expect an actual regrowth of a limb, not a hypothetical example.

[Mithrae]

Sure. It would be evidence that a leg was amputated and that it later regrew.

This alone wouldn't in any way be evidence of a god or even any non-natural cause.

Healing of an amputee is one of if not the most commonly requested types of evidence for god; that's precisely why I picked it.

As I have pointed out, it would be nothing but evidence of the regrowth of a limb.

Perhaps you yourself have never endorsed that perspective and have tried to correct those who do.

I never have for the reason I have just reminded you of.

Or perhaps the goalposts inexplicably retreat as soon as there's any faint prospect that one might get past

Given that I never set up any goalposts, how could I have moved them?

I would suspect however that those who set up the goalposts you are referring to would expect an actual regrowth of a limb, not a hypothetical example.

Of course, but we can still learn a lot about how we think from hypotheticals. And you haven't actually given any reason for your position, merely expressed your point of view. An evangelical could just as easily say that transitional species in the fossil record are not evidence for evolution, merely evidence for those fossils, and discrepancies in the bible are not evidence for the human origin of the stories, only evidence that there are discrepancies. And if a giant flaming cross appeared in the sky over Jerusalem for the whole world to see, perhaps you would say it's not evidence of god or anything unnatural, only of a giant flaming cross It's easy to declare that there is not and never can be any shred of evidence if you can simply define it out of existence.

In any case, I'm still interested in Stuart's thoughts on my previous post.

[Tcg]

And if a giant flaming cross appeared in the sky over Jerusalem for the whole world to see, perhaps you would say it's not evidence of god or anything unnatural, only of a giant flaming cross.

Perhaps. If that ever happens, I suppose we'll find out.

It's easy to declare that there is not and never can be any shred of evidence if you can simply define it out of existence.

I pointed out that your hypothetical isn't actual evidence of the regrowth of a limb. If you think I am wrong, feel free to point out my flaw.

Just as your scenario about moving goalposts couldn't possibly apply to me, the above doesn't either. Perhaps you have confused me with some other poster.

[1213]

total absence of evidence

That is not true, we have evidence, the Bible and world as Bible describes it. We probably dont have enough evidence to convince you, but it doesnt mean we have no evidence.

Evidence, broadly construed, is anything presented in support of an assertion.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Evidence