>>>> Can [be] encountered empirically? How exactly do you mean that? Do you mean in this lifetime?
>>
>>Yes
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>I just replied in a completely different way when you apparently replied to Alan by mistake. (I thought the quoteback looked familiar <g>).

Heck of a 'mistake' though; removing my entire post and replacing it with yours before repoying to me. ;)

>
>Please expand on that. Yes in this lifetime how? Are you expecting the Second Coming in the next few decades? Actually I hope that's the way you meant it, even though I'm not holding my breath. Because faith is not the same thing as empirical proof. There is reasonable proof that Jesus of Nazareth lived but there is no "proof" whatsoever that he was the son of God, or God in a different form if you prefer, and there is no proof he is coming back. That is strictly a matter of faith.

As far as I can figure out so far, the empirical proof that often gets referred to by those of faith is that it says so in the bible. It says so right there in black and white (or sometimes red and white depending on your edition). Ergo, it is true. I've been round that maypole often enough.