Why is there so much hostility on this board lately?

[markw]

Wouldn't most of us argue that flying saucers don't exist until we were proven wrong?

Well, that would be true unless you are posting on a board solely devoted to talking about people's personal experience, wether real or imagined, with flying saucers. Then their existance is assumed to be a given, no further proof needed. And, to question that would be bad manners.

That would be analogous to openly proclaiming God doesn't exist in a church. And, like that flying saucer analogy, religion is a personal decision arrived on by experiences based on ones perceptions, not scientific reasoning. Likewise, that's fine for that one person to believe but for them to adamantly try to claim it a the only truth and push it down someone else's throat is another story.

This isn't a church. In spite of what some would wish for, this is an open forum. Nothing is a given here. As in the case of religion, unless one chooses to believe, no science in the world can "prove" the existence of God to one who isn't open to that idea.

In spite of that, many (myself included) believe in God, but that's based on my personal experiences. I cannot "force " these on you. If you were to ask me to "prove" he exists in a scientific manner, then I'm at a loss. I can share my experiences with you, but when asked for other proof, I'd have to say I'm at a loss. It's all in faith.

If, after admitting there is no scientific proof, I were to continue to try to force God on you, I would be considered a crazy fanatic. That line is crossed when I fall back on the old "Can't you see??" mantras. We could argue all day and I could still not provide real proof for my case. But, then again, you could not prove beyond a shadow of doubt that God doesn't exist either. But, then again, it's not your place to try prove to me that God doesn't exist. If you were so minded, you would (and should) demand proof from me that He does exist.

There are some high minded that would like to have us believe that unless one shares their faith, they are not seeing reality. Generally, they tend to congegrate in packs and glad hand each other, while ignoring the fact that, in the real world, they don't have a leg to stand on. Generally, these types are hapier in a commune with their own kind but occasionally fo out into the worls en masse and they, though strength of sheer numbers, try to force their faith on the unwary.

Witness the Crusades, the Spanish Inqusition and, more recently, the Islamic state trying to expand it's borders.

Cables aren't a faith based religion, are they? Don't they have a basis in earthly science?

Audiable cable differences between the same gauge, construction and length cables is another story. There, I would like a little more proof. I've seen measurable differences but to compare these to audiable differences is another matter. There are ways to determine this but nobody seems to want to prove these measured differences are audiable.

Some feel their own personal perception of something is sufficient proof it exists. Well, to them it does. It's just as real to them as the flying saucer sightings are to those that believe. But, others with a more pragmatic view might see otherwise. That fact seems lost on some who are so intent on "forcing" their belief on others that the lack of proof means nothing to them. Yelling, screaming, mocking and putting down of the proof demanding skeptics is the order of the day. That doesn't make up for a lack of proof of their existance, though.

Likewise, demanding proof frm non-believers that they don't exist is a common tactic. That assumes they exist, which hasn't been proven to begin with!

Preception is real in the eyes of the beholder. Reality is real to everyone, except perhaps in The Matrix.