It’s not only pseudoscience that works this way. Religion does, too. In fact, anything that relies on faith instead of evidence is pretty much guaranteed to produce bizarre beliefs — for which some people are willing to die (or, worse, kill).
Reminds me of the Rapture fans who claimed that the Rapture had actually occurred (2012, was it?) and we just hadn’t noticed. Harold Camping at least had the integrity to make a public apology for being wrong before he died, though it didn’t help his followers much.
Richard S Russell – Religion doesn’t rely solely on faith. There’s plenty of scientific and historical evidence for much of the Bible; most people don’t bother to educate themselves about it. Of course, there is also much of it that is taken on faith, but it is NOT a blind, ignorant faith for all believers. Scientism can be every bit as dogmatic as religion. And speaking of “bizarre beliefs” -how about the multiverse, 11 or more dimensions, parallel universes, an infinite number of universes, etc. – for which there is NO real evidence, and were postulated for the sole purpose of avoiding the beginning of our universe (which sounds way too much like Genesis), and for explaining away the many real, actual, verifiable, precise numbers that show how our universe couldn’t possibly be random? I remember when our universe supposedly started as the size of a marble, then a dot, then scientists finally had to admit that, based not our their own wishful models, but on what we actually observe, the universe apparently came from nothing. Think about it – how many people believe Stephen Hawking just because he’s Stephen Hawking? And as far as being willing to kill – ask the people who survived the 20th century atheistic Marxist/Communist regimes about that. You certainly can’t ask the tens of millions who were killed under these regimes.
BE THIS GUY over 7 years ago
BD, maybe you’re a starting quarterback in this life.
David Huie Green LoveJoyAndPeace over 7 years ago
If you jumped to a parallel universe, where did the original inhabitants go?
AKHenderson Premium Member over 7 years ago
Panel 3 sounds like one of the final season “Lost” fan theories.
Darsan54 Premium Member over 7 years ago
So that’s what happened last November ?!?!?!?!?
realexander over 7 years ago
BD’s pretty smart for a guy who went to Walden on a football scholarship.
Richard S Russell Premium Member over 7 years ago
It’s not only pseudoscience that works this way. Religion does, too. In fact, anything that relies on faith instead of evidence is pretty much guaranteed to produce bizarre beliefs — for which some people are willing to die (or, worse, kill).
ladamson1918 over 7 years ago
Reminds me of the Rapture fans who claimed that the Rapture had actually occurred (2012, was it?) and we just hadn’t noticed. Harold Camping at least had the integrity to make a public apology for being wrong before he died, though it didn’t help his followers much.
Linguist over 7 years ago
As Old Lodge Skins said in Little Big Man: " Sometimes the magic works. Sometimes it doesn’t. "
comixbomix over 7 years ago
Given BD’s explanation, it’s difficult to see him as a T Rump supporter…
pumaman over 7 years ago
Nope, same girlfriend.
gantech over 7 years ago
I hope this story arc ends soon. B.D. is starting to make sense, and that scares me.
Bob Blumenfeld over 7 years ago
I wonder if panel 2 isn’t the reason GBT chose to reprint this story line. It does seem to be the moral of the story.
JoeMartinFan Premium Member over 7 years ago
Richard S Russell – Religion doesn’t rely solely on faith. There’s plenty of scientific and historical evidence for much of the Bible; most people don’t bother to educate themselves about it. Of course, there is also much of it that is taken on faith, but it is NOT a blind, ignorant faith for all believers. Scientism can be every bit as dogmatic as religion. And speaking of “bizarre beliefs” -how about the multiverse, 11 or more dimensions, parallel universes, an infinite number of universes, etc. – for which there is NO real evidence, and were postulated for the sole purpose of avoiding the beginning of our universe (which sounds way too much like Genesis), and for explaining away the many real, actual, verifiable, precise numbers that show how our universe couldn’t possibly be random? I remember when our universe supposedly started as the size of a marble, then a dot, then scientists finally had to admit that, based not our their own wishful models, but on what we actually observe, the universe apparently came from nothing. Think about it – how many people believe Stephen Hawking just because he’s Stephen Hawking? And as far as being willing to kill – ask the people who survived the 20th century atheistic Marxist/Communist regimes about that. You certainly can’t ask the tens of millions who were killed under these regimes.
jbruins84341 over 7 years ago
Panel two makes me think of two words: Global Warming.