TYPE 1 ERROR

The mistaken rejection of a null hypothesis as the result of a test procedure, also known as an error of the first kind.

Esoteric reading and writing only attracts the same kind of people as you. Consequently, it repels people with differing views, and folks of different beliefs.

Devotees of the Gospel of Thomas believe that they must go through some sort of a spiritual quest to discover who they are, and declare if they are really the child of God just like Jesus.¹

This simply generates lots of false positives.²

Allow me to try to illustrate:

Baby = Heaven
Pregnant = Right Path

So Tom wants a baby. He first starts off the perilous journey of Tinder. Then embarks further down the trodden path with only the swipe-rights.

At every crossroad, Tom makes calculated decisions to proceed. And at every roadblock, he u-turns decisively. Finally, after weeding off serial killers, gamophobes, catfish, gold diggers, Scientologists, and every other person of different sect, Tom settles with his true love.

He then proceeds to get pregnant.

1. Fucks every day during fertile window
2. Switches up sex positions
3. Applies water-based lubricants
4. Deploys an ovulation predictor kit
5. Cuts down on caffeine / Hydrates with spring water
6. Removes all exposure to radiation
7. Loads up on prenatal vitamins
8. Stops smoking and masturbating
9. Does 30 minutes of cardiovascular as prescribed by Dr Ajith
10. And eats lots of spinach, salmon and fortified cereal

Twenty-one days later, Tom pees on a stick. He’s pregnant.

“Measure twice, cut once”, he tests again an hour later. Tom’s pregnant.

Except he isn’t.

There was a user error, as pregnancy test-kits aren’t foolproof. Tom’s urine was excessively diluted from too much Ice Mountain. On top of it, he was taking tainted vitamins that contained hCG. All these triggered the positive results.

It’s a false alarm. A false positive. A Type I Error.

Now substitute baby with heaven, and pregnant with right path.

Science, on the other hand, minimizes the exposure of false positives.

The scientific process demands an open examination of supposedly established conclusions. Unlike Thomas’ gospels, science is constantly being questioned, replicated and verified.

In fact, science does not ever speak with one godly voice. It can’t, because NOT speaking in one voice is an integral part of the process.

REFERENCES:

1. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gospel_of_Thomas
2. https://www.medicinenet.com/false_positive/definition.htm

El Evangelio de Tomás-Gospel of Thomas- Codex II Manuscritos de Nag Hammadi-The Nag Hammadi manuscripts.