I am proud to say that I lurk here daily, checking every post with even the slightest reference to those entities of which it can be said "absence of proof is not proof of absence"-- such as G-d (or, perhaps (D-g? oh, wait-- they don't seem to be PETA people ).
Falcon9: I greatly admire your erudition, your clarity of expression, and your obvious intellect. It is truly a pleasure to read everything you write, whether I agree or not. While I find your replies acerbic at times, they are often warranted. It is my hope that both you and Falconer will occasionally post on matters of pure science, such as quantum physics, astronomy or other hard science fields, so that I may converse with you and expand my knowledge. And I love your animated flogging horse
Falconer: You share all of the qualities of your fellow rational skeptic, and I admire you equally. I also was very touched with your kind reply to me concerning my reasons for self examination in the post on "evidence"-- I felt you genuinely wished me well, and I appreciated it.
As one who is frequently denigrated, insulted and often threatened because I do believe that absence of proof does not constitute proof of absence in ANY subject, it is refreshing not to be the main course in a metaphorical barbeque. I would doff my hat to you both, were I wearing one. I consider you both scholars and gentleman, and valid contributors to the general knowledge base of our FC forum.
By the way-- I'm not flattering you. I reserve flattery for those who are too convinced of their own superiority to recognize truth-- like politicians.