"Hmmmm. Interesting.

I see a lot of absolute statements here. Evolution and the laws of gravity are true, virgin birth is not true and is intended to denigrate sex (or is it to denigrate male dominance?), immaculate conception is not true (even though we don't really know what it is), myths are fabrications and unrelated to truth and damaging to children, and so on.

As for me, I'd rather ponder the questions. Certainly, I accept the ideas of evolution and gravity, but why close myself completely to alternative understandings? And even if the ancient creation stories are not factually true, isn't there something of profound value in the wonder and awe that are expressed in them? Must I dismiss all creation myths as the fabrications of ignorant savages, or is it possible that I can find profound truth in the ancient myths?

Or take gravity - should I simply accept it as a fact, or might it be better to wonder about it and ponder when it might be possible for the laws of gravity to be defied? Seems to me that Einstein and Descartes accomplished wonders by questioning scientific facts, facts that we still hold as true today.

What about a leaf, with all its intricacies? Is it suitable merely for laboratory exploration and definition, or might it also open up vast possibilities for poetic (or mystical) musings?

I think our lives might be richer if we weren't so obsessed with possession of the truth, if we took more time to ponder, if we weren't so quick to arrive at an answer and rush on to the next question.

What's the more important question, merely to discover what is, or to explore what could be and what it all means?

-Joe-"

Now just hang on a minute. 'Twas I who said that evolution is true, but you are seriously misrepresenting me here. The post in which I said that was absolutely full of caveats. Sticking it in a paragraph alongside evidence-innocent claims such as the virgin birth, as you do here, is positively disingenuous and just a tad tendentious, no?

More broadly, if you accept that some of the bibilical stories may not be literally true, but still wish to take inspiration from them, well I could well surprise you by telling you that so do I. But that does not preclude me from asking for more evidence or for critically questioning the motives of the storytellers. Asking questions doesn't stop you from taking heart from the stories.