@ JazzTheist

I am putting this at the end so it does not get lost in middle...

Formal Apology

JazzTheist,

I found the post where LogicFTW did admit he post "12 year old girl" and went back and edited.

Sorry, for the accustion.

rmfr

Wed, 12/19/2018 - 10:53 (Reply to #137)
JazzTheist

"You are trying to con ME by repeating yourself. Again, it's illogical to demand physical evidence for non-physical things. It's like demanding to see a married bachelor."

Obviously that's because married bachelors don't exist, so a very good analogy for once.

Because the God I assume you speak of hasn't given any reason for us to believe in him, let alone that he has our best interests in mind, and factoring him into our understanding of the universe complicates, not simplifies, things. "God" (and his attributes) quickly becomes one among many philosophical queries which, while interesting, thought-provoking and entertaining, leads to no practical knowledge of the world and remains an unknowable.

I know this thread has lost appeal but just to add a little balance to the reincarnation claims made in this post concerning Dr Tucker, and the little boy, James Leininger, who supposedly died as a US pilot in WWII, I offer the small contribution of doing a little bit of research.

Dr Jim Tucker, author of the book referred to, (from Wikipedia)
"Though raised as a Southern Baptist, Tucker does not subscribe to any particular religion, and claims to be sceptical about reincarnation, but sees it as providing the best explanation for phenomena associated with the strongest cases investigated to date."
However he seems to think there is a quantum explanation for the transfer of memory at point of death, and not the eternal existence of souls or spirits.

Carol Bowman, the counsellor from whom the Leingingers sort help for their little boy, has built a lucrative career out of the belief in reincarnation. She cannot be regarded as an uninterested investigator, seeking only the truth of the matter.

Robert Todd Carroll, the US sceptic, referred to Bowman's work in reincarnation as being the study of "firsthand testimony to ignorance of science, to gullibility and, above all, to wishful thinking."

Professor Christopher C. French, professor of psychology, University of London, has said reincarnation is "an intriguing psychological phenomenon, but I think it is far more likely that such apparent memories are, in fact, false memories rather than accurate memories of events that were experience in a past life."
And also "The problem with Dr Tucker's research is that the research typically begins long after the child has been accepted as a genuine reincarnation by his or her family and friends."

Of James Leininger he says, "Although his parents insisted they never watched World War II documentaries or talked about military history we do know that at 18 months of age, James was taken to a flight museum where he was fascinated by the World War II planes. (and his parents claimed they never talked about it). In all probability, the additional details were unintentionally implanted by his parents and by a counsellor (Bowman) who was a firm believer in reincarnation."

So its not just us wilfully ignorant atheists who discount reincarnation, there are scientists, doctors and researchers who cannot accept the unreliable testimonies, anecdotal claims and wishful thinking of people hoping for things they want to be true, to be actual evidence of their claims.