Is he dead?

Welcome back to all you old timers. Thought I was gone for good, did you? Well, let's just say I had a brief sabbatical, although...sabbaticals are usually supposed to be good for recharing batteries, gathering new information, coming up with new ideas. Sorry to disappoint, but all of my ideas are stale.

Off that topic, I was playing a video game the other day (yes, during my sabbatical) and in it, the narrator supposedly mentioned Sir James George Frazer's book 'The Golden Bough: A Study in Magic and Religion,' and then said, "[we] are overwhelmed by our very human need to weave a web of meaning where there may be none." A review by Time magazine found on Amazon.com's website, here, blasts Frazer for essentially saying only the stupid believe in a god and only the intelligent believe in science. Apparently he must have felt that religion and science cannot coexist.

He does have a point that everyone must consider, however, to be confident in their faith. Do you believe what you do because you have no proof otherwise? Is there no other rational explanation, so you simply attribute it to a higher being? If so, then I would venture that your faith and beliefs are shaky, at best. To be firmly rooted in your beliefs, in your faith, in your church, in your branch of study, you should have evidence to support your claim. To scientists, they require empirical evidence, while the proof of a higher being for those who believe may be something else.

Remember, the proof for which you seek is not for others but for you. You must obtain sufficient proof to convince yourself of the "truth," however you may define it. What anyone else thinks is irrelevant. You are on a quest for yourself, not others.