Subject: Re: definitions of god, atheism, etc.
Date: Wed, 20 Jun 2001 21:08:22 -0700
From: "Brian Holtz" <Brian.Holtz@sun.com>
To: "Brian Holtz" <brian@holtz.org>

"Paul Filseth" <pgxf@lsil.com> wrote :
> Brian Holtz <holtz@eng.sun.com> wrote:
> > * Supernaturalism is the thesis that reality includes phenomena not
bound
> >   by the laws governing the material world.
>
> If the "supernatural" phenomena
> _do_ affect events in the material world, then any rules they are not
> bound by are not, in point of fact, "laws governing the material world."

Consider the case that some priest had the ability to violate
mass-energy conservation at will, by making a crucifix appear ex
nihilo in his hand.  Instead of saying this is "supernatural", you
would just have us amend the physics texts to say that "mass-energy
is conserved except in the hands of Rev. X"?

(If you like, replace "laws governing" in my definition with
"law-like regularities that seem to govern".)