For one, the traditional texts that have been compared and verified contain a lot of historical facts that can be found in other independent writings and also places of excavation sites. The history of the Jewish nation and the detailed descriptions of the beginning of the Christian church are well documented not only in the Bible but also from other writers, which in most places agree with each other. You cannot compare those texts with the narratives of Santa Claus. If you have an ancient writing about anything, it does serve as an authority about the content of the writing and it does shed light about the history of that time it talks about. If you find an old scroll of Egypt from 2000 years ago and it says that Mr Bean was Pharaoh at that time, and if you can verify the age of that scroll, then the possibility that Mr Bean was Pharao in Egypt 2000 years ago is very high. But it could be doubted if the rest of the scroll talks about events that could be disproven, in this case the reliability of that specific document or that individual author would be put into question. That is a scientific way to evaluate symptoms, and although it cannot bring absolute certainty, it can put claims on the table that would have to be considered seriously.

>Wich leads to the question, how are symptoms of God existence better than Santa or the Yeti?
>>Yes, if there would be exist symptoms that indicate the existence of a Yeti, which could not easily explained otherwise, there is indeed a 50% chance that the Yeti exists. However I have not heard of any symptoms of its existence.
>>
>>The philosophical questions and unexplained factors of time and matter do show symptoms of a higher intellect in existence, but that existence could not be proven using scientific methods. Also you have written texts that indicate the existence and a large number of people that support this information.
>>
>>Likewise evolution could not be proven using the usual scientific methods, (it would take millions of years of observations), so this theory as well, which is displayed by symptoms that can be seen but not fully explained, has a chance of 50% to be true.
>>
>>>That's not correct, unless you are willing to accept that there is a 50% chance that anything unproved (like the Yeti) exists
>>>
>>>>After all, there is a 50% chance that God exists, since no proof exists for either belief.
>>>>
>>>>>Since I have already been identified as deluded by Satan and his minions ( does this flying monkey look familiar?) I may as well go all in.
>>>>>
>>>>>I think those who haven't rubbed up against Christian fundamentalists a lot and only encounter them when Michele Bachman's head spins around or in wading through Rick's glossolalia about the End Times might not have an appreciation of just how deep batshit crazy goes. Internet to the rescue.
>>>>>
>>>>>Had to share this. Remember, these people get as many votes as you do.
>>>>>
>>>>>http://www.answersingenesis.org/articles/am/v1/n1/world-born-4004-bc
>>>>>
>>>>>By the way, these folks think Pat Robertson is some kind of crazy liberal because he has been duped by Satan into believing the billions of years thing.
>>>>>
>>>>>Good website. One of thousands. Get into serious End Time Prophecy ( google a bit ) and there is stuff that makes this look like Scientific American.
>>>>>
>>>>>Put on your tinfoil hat and enjoy. I'm frankly tired of hanging back in the face of crazy.