Endless Feuds between theists and atheists:

Ok, but what about the endless feuds that go on between theologians? How, for instance, can they settle this one: Was Jesus (if he existed) (a) the son of a god, (b) merely a prophet or (c) the son of a Roman centurion? There’s no way. These are, however, rival hypotheses that can be tested using the scientific method.

I think it’s hedging your bets a lot! However, how many others, like me, can’t even be bothered to read the article offered to us? If we wanted any more reading/opinion on the matter we would seek it out. I, for one, have had enough decades to mull this over and am perfectly happy with my own conclusions. I haven’t heard anything new or remotely interesting on this topic for a very long time. I just wanted to register my boredom. Yawnnnnnnnn.

An interesting related article i happened upon todayhttp://www.alternet.org/belief/156007/do_people_get_less_religious_when_societies_grow_more_egalitarian/?page=entire “…There’s a heavy body of research showing that the more stress and uncertainty people face, the more likely they are to engage in what psychologists call “magical thinking”: superstition, prayer, belief in the supernatural. In 2008, Jennifer Whitson and Adam Galinsky published a paper in Science demonstrating that when you remove the amount of control people have over their situation, they tend to engage more in “illusory pattern perception,” which is the psychological process that creates belief in the supernatural. Other research has shown the real-world effects of this psychological tendency, showing, for instance, that people living in war zones tend to engage in more magical thinking, such as carrying lucky charms or believing in the power of prayer, than those who don’t…… Religion has a lot more tradition and power behind it than everyday superstitions, but psychologically, the process can be similar. People look to supernatural means to exert control over situations they can’t influence through real-world means…….The less control they feel over their own destiny, the more tempting it is to conjure up a God who can save you in a society that doesn’t bother…belief in God gives them a sense of control they lack in their real-world lives……Atheists who aren’t content to simply not believe themselves, but who also want to increase the secularization of a society and the numbers of atheists, need to get behind a politically progressive agenda…Religion’s grip on power is tightly entwined with the economic misfortunes of the people. If we want to build a more secular society, the first step is building a more equitable one….”