rationalskepticism.org

romansh wrote:

John Platko wrote: So exactly what is the down side then?

As an example certain religions hold homosexuality as a sin and believe the individual has freely chosen that lifestyle.
This can lead to imposing guilt trips, suicide and even murder.

Surely you recognize the benefits of having a more accurate understanding of the how the universe ticks?

Well yes, I have encountered some people in my travels that have some bat shit religious ideas about all sorts of things and that leads them to make a whole lot of bad choices that end up causing harm to a lot of people - sometimes making them feel so bad about themselves that they want to die. This sort of thing has not escaped my attention.

And if I'm following you, you're thinking something like: I got it, I'll just teach them how physical states are evolving deterministically and that will set these pretty people who believe in virgin births, and fish and bread popping out of thin air, water walking, etc. on a sane deterministic path. How's that working out for you? I myself find it rather difficult to convince them of far more basic things like - nobody can really make fish pop out of nothing.

John Platko wrote: What other use of the word mistake is there?

Related to the above - you yourself claimed sin is a mistake.
It could be an inaccurate description.

I'm far more likely to be wrong about my ideas of free will.

So when a meandering river on a plain forms an oxbow lake is it a mistake? Should the river have taken the more direct path right off the bat?

I'm thinking a river that defies gravity is making a mistake - it just shouldn't do that.

A mistake (like colour ) is an illusion in the philosophical sense.

I make plenty of mistakes, just ask GrahmH, and they are not illusions - they are real mistakes.