known to have been in the area at the time. Thus explaining some of his teachings and the reference to be reborn.

Note: I had my Episcopal priest when I was a kid mention it to me as he was explaining some things.

was/is a supernatural being. There are all sorts of historical, real world backstories to the Bible, of course, because it is a collection of mythologies that arose out of desert-dwelling Bronze Age peoples, but devout people have “faith” in the magical stuff. The definition of faith is:belief in the absence of evidence.

how do you explain that many scientists are still Christians? They are committed in their
efforts to use scientific method and in their faith.

They are overriding their stated beliefs in science because they want magic to be real. But it’s not real, and there is zero scientific evidence that magic and the supernatural actually exist.

True scientists don’t carve out exceptions to scientific laws.

This type of scientist is very compartmentalize and not self-reflective in the least.
(Would like to see them high and watch their fallout revelations. That would present them with a few problems.)

My husband works with such a physicist. This man is defensive and takes great care to avoid some subjects.

"You believe in a book that has talking animals, wizards, witches, demons, sticks turning into snakes, burning bushes, food falling from the sky, people walking on water, and all sorts of magical, absurd and primitive stories, and you say that we are the ones who need help?" ---- Mark Twain

"It is startling to realize how much unbelief is necessary to make belief possible." ---- Eric Hoffer

I also like Twain’s “Faith is believing what you know ain’t so.”

with the nonsense pushed to the side during daily life and hauled out every Sunday and whenever stress becomes overwhelming. God in a box in the attic can be very comforting.

The best of them are red letter Christians, pretty much ignoring the OT in favor of the words supposedly right out of Jesus's mouth.

I don't have any problem with them as long as they allow me to do my own thing and don't get their noses out of joint because they never see me in bible study.

I do see a lot of people insisting they are Christian/religious and also believe in science. But you can't have it both ways, not when it gets down to it on the most basic level. Supernatural/magical beliefs and beings do not fit within the scientific framework. There is no evidence for them.

Different paths to the same mountain top.

People want to pretend it does, but it doesn't. Supernatural things such as deities and magical events are not based in any scientific evidence. They're just stories that humans tell themselves.

Now, did people evolve to appreciate and have awe in the beauty in nature and so forth (which is a form of "spirituality," I suppose)? Of course. But that's not the same as believing in magic and/or supernatural phenomenon and beings.

that pokes a hole in silly sentiment...

Love it. 👍