Hi RM, In investment analysis, we identify the assumptions and assign weight and value to those. The whole concept of religion is based on tradition, superstition, ritual, and assumptions.
One assumption is that the tradition has merit. Another is that the superstition is real, or that the rituals accomplish anything tangible.
To invest in the Witness thesis, one has to assume that there is in fact a god, the Catholic Church was used by that god, and then Martin Luther had his turn. The assumptions needed to be accepted to believe in the Witness thesis, make Star Wars very believable in comparison.
We need to make the assumption: that the sacred texts are inerrant and infallible in spite of their history; That everything is actually as it seems and is actually as we were taught in spite of the huge amount of evidence indicating it is not. On and on . . . . .
The Way I See it http://www.freeminds.org/buss/buss.htm