@Faizal_Ali:
tes·ti·mo·ny
/ˈtestəˌmōnē/
noun
a formal written or spoken statement, especially one given in a court of law.
synonyms: evidence, sworn statement, attestation, affidavit; More
evidence or proof provided by the existence or appearance of something.
“his blackened finger was testimony to the fact that he had played in pain”
synonyms: testament, proof, evidence, attestation, witness; More
a public recounting of a religious conversion or experience.
How do you step back from the reality of someone’s interventions in your life?
@DaleCutler
hearsay
noun
information received from other people which cannot be substantiated; rumour.
synonyms: rumour, gossip, tittle-tattle, tattle, idle chatter, idle talk, mere talk, report; stories, tales, titbits;
•Law: the report of another person’s words by a witness, which is usually disallowed as evidence in a court of law.
The gospel accounts are not testimony according to any part of the definition you provided. They are hearsay.
Why do you not accept Joseph Smith’s or Moon’s testimony of interventions in their life?
That is a superficial brush-off. You neglect that there is other evidence supporting and validating the testimony.
Rubbish. Pointing out your error is not neglecting something else unmentioned.
That is ground already covered. See my reply to you above about Moon’s testimony.
It has been mentioned.
Not in the post I replied to. You said there was “testimony of scripture”, and that was what I was addressing. There isn’t.
I’m not going to buy into your squabble.
You’re right, I didn’t word this very well. What I meant to say is that there are (at least to me) logical implications of an atheistic viewpoint, and I perceived the Biblical model as better describing the world, than the implications of a atheistic view.
Also see the discussion following.
At best.
It’s amazing how many renowned scientists have thought otherwise.
Who cares? They are not historians.
They were not shoddy thinkers, and would not have based their lives on something they considered to be solely hearsay.
The majority of scientists are atheists, and the most elite ones are even less likely to believe in gods.
Are they all shoddy thinkers?
The point is, it is not about whether the Bible is hearsay or not.
I don’t understand why so much antagonism over this issue… It is factual that there is a limited amount of data available. It is opinion as to the veracity of that data.
Some will accept it and others will reject it.
Irrelevant and possibly inaccurate. There may be a correlation between data-oriented folks who reject a limited amount of data. The veracity of such has nothing to do with whether or not God exists. This is so similar to the discussion over the origin of life. Very little to look at, but people familiar with the subject matter can see their own way through.
I agree.
Tell it to @DaleCutler.