Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Posting-Version: version B 2.10.1 6/24/83; site sphinx.UChicago.UUCP Path: utzoo!watmath!clyde!burl!ulysses!mhuxr!mhuxt!houxm!ihnp4!gargoyle!sphinx!beth From: beth@sphinx.UChicago.UUCP (JB) Newsgroups: net.religion,net.origins Subject: The Likelihood of Existence Message-ID: <1261@sphinx.UChicago.UUCP> Date: Wed, 30-Oct-85 19:37:28 EST Article-I.D.: sphinx.1261 Posted: Wed Oct 30 19:37:28 1985 Date-Received: Sat, 2-Nov-85 01:40:29 EST References: <2294@ukma.UUCP> <121@uscvax.UUCP>, <139@sdcc7.UUCP> Organization: Wits' End Lines: 25 Xref: watmath net.religion:8088 net.origins:2533 [This is likely to be gone by now.] From: ln63fac@sdcc7.UUCP (Rick Frey), Message-ID: <139@sdcc7.UUCP>: >Just for the sake of asking, what is 'unlikely' about God existing? The likelihood of existence strikes me as a bizarre notion. 100 years ago how likely was it that any particular black hole existed? How likely is it now? For Native Americans in the 1500's, how likely was it that Australia existed? How likely is it now? After we find answers to those questions, I'll ask the big one: So what? Admittedly, I've always been a bit befuddled by probability stuff, but likelihood only seems reasonable to me when it deals with recurrent events like rain, and not with the existence or non-existence of a particular object like Australia...or God. Am I befuddled again, or is the likelihood of God's existence as meaningless, and hence useless, a notion as I think it is? -- --JB (Beth Christy, U. of Chicago, ..!ihnp4!gargoyle!sphinx!beth) "I once heard the remainder of a colony of ants, which had been partially obliterated by a cow's foot, seriously discussing the intentions of the gods towards their civilization." -- Archy the Cockroach