[continued from previous message]   
      
   >>"collaborations" of which I'm aware tend to devolve into   
   >>cross-justification, usually by ignoring those pesky   
   >>contradictions.   
   >   
   >I don't see that in the three organisations I mentioned but that is   
   >possibly due to me being more familiar than you with their work and   
   >ideas, especially the religious slant to it. The important factor is   
   >that they start by accepting science and seek ways to fit their   
   >religious views around that science. Despite Ron's vehement but   
   >unsubstantiated claims, they do not try to adapt science to fit around   
   >religious beliefs.   
   >   
   OK. I'm not familiar with those specific ones; my comment   
   was based on what I've observed in general when people try   
   to fit together two (or more) mutually contradictory   
   processes or beliefs.   
   >   
   >>And until people become perfect and   
   >>perfectly rational I don't see that changing. They're   
   >>philosophically distinct (and frequently contradictory)   
   >>things; best to keep them that way, at least for now.   
   >>>   
   >>>>>   
   >>>>>>But *my*   
   >>>>>>point was that I didn't comment about the content, only   
   >>>>>>about the meaning of "literal" (or, of course, "literally"),   
   >>>>>>and MarkE's assertion that "The measure of literalism is in   
   >>>>>>the *interpretation* of the text of  Genesis, not the   
   >>>>>>quoting of it.". I thought I made that clear with my further   
   >>>>>>comments made in reply to him and others. IOW, he misused   
   >>>>>>"literal", which is defined (OED online) as (paraphrased)   
   >>>>>>"exact or actual meaning, not allegorical or figurative".   
   >>>>>>"Exact or actual meanings" do not allow of interpretation,   
   >>>>>>regardless of how the word may be misused ("literally   
   >>>>>>Hitler"; "I literally died"). At least that's how I see it,   
   >>>>>>and the OED seems to agree.   
   >>>>>>>   
   --   
      
   Bob C.   
      
   "The most exciting phrase to hear in science,   
    the one that heralds new discoveries, is not   
    'Eureka!' but 'That's funny...'"   
      
   - Isaac Asimov   
      
   --- SoupGate-DOS v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)