"The term “skeptic” derives from a Greek noun, skepsis, which means examination, inquiry, consideration." [source]It doesn't mean that a skeptic struggles to hold a position. It simply means that a skeptic is slow to accept what others may quickly believe. Skeptics are from Missouri. They want more than one point of view to examine. They want all voices heard. They want to know both the strengths and weaknesses of your belief system.
They understand that correlation is not causation. They understand that a theory or a model is not proof, but merely a possibility that must be corroborated, tested, and be falsifiable. Belief in God does not fall into that realm.
Here are some "theories" that have occurred during my lifetime that have been shown to be questionable based on disagreements among those who can be considered well-educated in the related fields:
- margarine is better for you than butter and
- coconut oil is really bad for you
- formula is better for babies than breast milk
- the world was entering a new ice age in the 1970s
- the government's "food pyramid" was a healthy diet
- low cholesterol is healthy
- a low fat diet is healthier than a high fat diet
- whole grain bread is "health food"
- humans are causing "global warming" [or "climate change" soon to be "preventing environmental sustainability"]
Debatable? Yes, that's the point!
If you expressed skepticism about any of these, you were deemed uneducated. Someone in authority had accepted each as a fact, so the appeal to that authority could not be questioned without fear of humiliation. That authority, of course, was the government... more specifically, those in government who were deemed "experts." That, of course, translates into a politician on a crusade.
If you expressed skepticism about any of these, you were deemed uneducated. Someone in authority had accepted each as a fact, so the appeal to that authority could not be questioned without fear of humiliation. That authority, of course, was the government... more specifically, those in government who were deemed "experts." That, of course, translates into a politician on a crusade.
So call me a skeptic. I'll accept the compliment.
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