Follow up question on evidence for scientists and religious people.?

Why wouldn't they? True religion and true science are completely compatible.

Key word: "potential." Turns out the glass was broken when a bird flew into it. Little Tommy, hearing the noise, ran into the house to investigate. When he saw the mess, he dropped his ball and glove to the floor, and started picking up the glass. And just then, Mommy came home . . .

Mommy was suspicious that Tommy and his playmates were responsible for the broken window. Hands on hips, she points at the mess and reminds Tommy that she told him NOT to play ball near the house. Tommy swears he did not, that something else was the cause. In fact, he reports, he ran in because he thought maybe someone was trying to break in.

But Mommy asks why, then, is that baseball sitting right on the glass? Tommy says "I just put it down there."

Mommy grounds Tommy for 3 days, not because of the glass, but because Tommy LIED.

But just then, Mr. Wizard, the friendly but eccentric scientist from next door, appears on the scene. He, too, heard the breaking glass. "I vas verking on ze nooglear reactor ven I heard ze noise!" he said. Mommy explained the situation. Tommy, through welling tears, protested that he was not at fault.

Mr. Wizard looks over the zituation. He asks if everything is just as it was when Tommy came in; the position of the baseball in particular. Tommy says he picked up a few big pieces of glass, but otherwise everything was the same.

Mr. Wizard then explains that the baseball was NOT the cause. Why? Because? Because the mass of the spheroid would have kept it moving after it broke through the glass, although at a slower speed. Newton's first law! Therefore the baseball should have hit the floor and rolled somewhere else in the room. Momentary impact by a large bird, however, could have broken the glass, yet left no immediate evidence, especially if the bird flew away.

And that's when Tommy looked down and saw a small feather.

Not hard to find common ground on this one; material circumstances take material evidence. But the subject matter of religion is in great part not material at all; it exists in the world of ideas, concepts, philosophy. Material evidence, the stuff of science, simply doesn't work here. But that leaves theoretical physics, in which the action of particles and forces also defy collection of physical evidence, but rather rely on correlative data and derived theories of explanation expressed primarily as formulas on blackboards (and in computers). Here, perhaps, science and religion may once again run more in parallel because the subject matter is ephemeral. In a world where the seemingly improbable is more common than ever imagined, there might be some more head room for rational discussions of God. And THAT statement, itself, is just an idea.

Let's look at the evidence.

1) broken window.

2) broken glass inside the house

3) baseball sitting on the broken glass.

Can you take that evidence and come to a logical conclusion?

Can you come to the correct conclusion?

There is a difference.

Possibility 1) Someone was playing ball and knocked or threw a baseball through the window.

Possibility 2) Someone broke the window from the outside and placed the baseball on the glass to confuse you.

Which is it?

I like the word "potential" (evidence).

The unbiased CSI agent (analogy: agnostic) would say "it appears the window was broken, by the ball, but ... this could have been staged..., the baseball player may have been framed."

A thiest with childlike faith, yet failing to exercise the mind God gave them, would say "I believe the ball was thrown through the window, even though I didn't see the batter or pitcher"

An atheist might say "It's random chance and only coincidence, that there is a ball and broken glass. Wait a few billion years, and the broken glass will organize itself into a window pane. - I demand proof there was a pitcher, before I believe the ball broke the glass".

A theist, using both faith and intellect, would seek out the pitcher or batter.

A polytheist would believe a whole baseball team was responsible.

Yes, but that is something that can be demonstrated in reality, unlike religious claims. Also, the more extraordinary the claims, the more extraordinary the evidence needs to be. Christians will often say that miracles occur, but can only provide second or third-hand anecdotal accounts of them; if anecdotal accounts aren't good enough in natural investigations, why would they be good enough to justify the supernatural? The baseball is telling in itself, but it is also good enough in this case: no one is claiming that 'also, the baseball was thrown by Jesus'. We can be pretty sure - never 100 percent (absolute truths are next to impossible) - that the baseball broke the window. Proving anything beyond that, like who threw it and why, would require additional evidence that we don't have. Same goes for supposed miracles - we can prove that someone who had cancer is now cancer-free, but proving why is another story. We know it sometimes goes into remission on its own - claiming God did it doesn't make it a miracle unless the direct action of a god can be demonstrated in reality through evidence.

As a forensics major in college, that would be one piece of evidence collected, but you would have to assume other possibilities, because it could be other things as well. For instants I could place the ball there to cover up a different crime, or to make someone else seem guilty. You would have to look at the glass to see at what velocity the glass was shattered, also if the glass was broken from the inside or outside, many things would have to be considered.

"The glass intelligently fell onto the floor, the baseball had nothing to do with it!"

Yes it doesn't take a rocket scientist to see what happened.

Everyone's initial mindset kicks in !!! Out of the box thinking can come later if one can know enough to do it !!!

Did you know that you can't observe “my imaginary friend” with science because he is not within our domain?

God made Himself an example to all men by submitting to His Father by whom He was birthed in the womb by !!! What a humbling experience !!!

Then to become the sacrifical lamb on passover !!!

http://www.returntogod.com/Pamphlets/spr%E2%80%A6

He will complete these at His 2nd coming !!!

http://www.returntogod.com/Pamphlets/fal%E2%80%A6

1.Jesus claimed to be God - John 8:24; 8:56-59 (see Exodus 3:14); John 10:30-33

2.Jesus is called God - John 1:1,14; 20:28; Col. 2:9; Titus 2:13; Heb. 1:8

3.Jesus is the image of the invisible God - Heb. 1:3

4.Jesus abides forever - Heb. 7:24

5.Jesus created all things - John 1:1-3; Col. 1:15-17

6.Jesus is before all things - John 1:1-3; Col. 1:17;

7.Jesus is eternal - John 1:1,14; 8:58; Micah 5:1-2

8.Jesus is honored the same as the Father - John 5:23

9.Jesus is prayed to - Acts 7:55-60; 1 Cor. 1:2 with Psalm 116:4; (John 14:14)

10.Jesus is worshipped - Matt. 2:2,11; 14:33; John 9:35-38; Heb. 1:6

11.Jesus is omnipresent - Matt. 18:20; 28:20

12.Jesus is with us always - Matt. 28:20

13.Jesus is our only mediator between God and ourselves - 1 Tim. 2:5

14.Jesus is the guarantee of a better covenant - Heb. 7:22; 8:6

15.Jesus said, "I AM the Bread of Life" - John 6:35,41,48,51

16.Jesus said, "I AM the Door" - John 10:7,9

17.Jesus said, "I AM the Good Shepherd" - John 10:11,14

18.Jesus said, "I AM the Way the Truth and The Life" - John 14:6

19.Jesus said, "I AM the Light of the world" - John 8:12; 9:5; 12:46; Luke 2:32

20.Jesus said, "I AM the True Vine" - John 15:1,5

21.Jesus said, "I AM the Resurrection and the Life" - John 11:25

22.Jesus said, "I AM the First and the Last" - Rev. 1:17; 2:8; 22:13

23.Jesus always lives to make intercession for us - Heb. 7:25

24.Jesus cleanses from sin - 1 John 1:9

25.Jesus cleanses us from our sins by His blood - Rev. 1:5; Rom. 5:9

26.Jesus forgives sins - Matt. 9:1-7; Luke 5:20; 7:48

27.Jesus saves forever - Matt. 18:11; John 10:28; Heb. 7:25

28.Jesus discloses Himself to us - John 14:21

29.Jesus draws all men to Himself - John 12:32

30.Jesus gives eternal life - John 10:28; 5:40

31.Jesus resurrects - John 5:39; 6:40,44,54; 11:25-26

32.Jesus gives joy - John 15:11

33.Jesus gives peace - John 14:27

34.Jesus has all authority - Matt. 28:18; John 5:26-27; 17:2; 3:35

Dear God in heaven, I come to you in the name of Jesus. I acknowledge to You that I am a sinner, and I am sorry for my sins and the life that I have lived; I need your forgiveness.

I believe that your only begotten Son Jesus Christ shed His precious blood on the cross at Calvary and died for my sins, and I am now willing to turn from my sin.

You said in Your Holy Word, Romans 10:9 that if we confess the Lord our God and believe in our hearts that God raised Jesus from the dead, we shall be saved.

Right now I confess Jesus as the Lord of my soul. With my heart, I believe that God raised Jesus from the dead. This very moment I accept Jesus Christ as my own personal Savior and according to His Word, right now I AM SAVED !!!

no. they'd clean up the glass so no one would get hurt...