What is the Outsider’s Perspective?

Almost all of the objections to the Outsider Test for Faith (OTF) are red herrings placed in the road to sidetrack us from getting at the truth. They do not understand the perspective of an outsider, or they grossly misrepresent it in favor of faith. Since I like beating my head against the wall, let me try again.

In my book, Why I Became an Atheist, I contrasted the insider’s perspective (IP) with the outsider’s perspective (OP), which can be explained like this: The insider believes in a particular religious sect. The outsider does not. The insider has faith. The outsider doubts. The insider makes extraordinary claims. The outsider makes no claims. The insider has a belief in search of data. The outsider looks at the data to determine the probability of a claim. The insider takes a leap of faith beyond the probabilities. The outsider doesn’t claim more than what the probabilities can show.

The IP represents a person who has faith. The OP represents a person who does not have faith. The IP represents faith-based reasoning. The OP represents science-based reasoning.

That is the contrast between the IP and the OP. The OP is not about being anti-scientific, or some Martian, or a sociopath, or a lunatic, or a rapist. It does not represent a radical skepticism either. It is the perspective of science, which is the same standard believers use when rejecting other religions.

Now, ready for the kicker? The IP has no method for settling which religion is true. The OP does.

Comprendo?