I'm always puzzled when I try to set a case before anyone, lay out supporting evidence, show correlations, appeal to reason, and then find myself dismissed with "that's your opinion" or "that's your interpretation." Not that I find the word interpretation offensive, but that I don't understand how that legitimizes dismissal. To interpret means to explain the meaning. To interpret is to make clear. When did that become a bad thing, or inherently subjective and untrustworthy? Words have meaning. Truth exists. What difference does it make whether a horde of people have different ideas, as long as supporting evidence, facts, and reason demonstrate what is true? What should be at issue is whether the evidence supports the conclusion, not whether someone has drawn a conclusion, nor whether someone else has other ideas. What does the evidence support? What is the meaning? Every decision we make every day and every act we do results from some series of interpretations and conclusions we have accepted. The rules shouldn't change when the subject is spiritual and religious.
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