<p>What's the point of dating?</p>
<p>I don't know. I think it's an organized way to eventually bring more babies with stable living environments into the world.</p>
<p>Science is a fairly reliable and predictable method of observing occurences within the universe. But there are some things that science can't explain because it can only describe that which can be observed. It has no theories outside its self-defined realms. There is a significant gap in our understanding of ourselves and our universe that can indeed be filled in with faith. We know pretty much everything that happened up until a few microseconds after the Big Bang. But the jump from that time period to before is astronomical. There is a huge gap mostly because the laws of the universe seem to break down (also observed in black holes). Science can't prove anything if its very axioms (conservation of energy, momentum, matter, etc.) become flawed. It is not foolish to believe in some omnipotent force, since there is no other alternative.</p>
<p>That said, and on to the topic at hand, it isn't that common but it does happen. Hell, my parents are essentially the embodiment of this pair. It just requires a respect of each other's beliefs, not necessarily an understanding therein.</p>
<p>RockyRoadAhead: Yes, but there is a great deal of difference between the Deist view of God as some kind of mysterious, powerful force that exists in an abstract way (His only concrete manifestation being certain phenomena like the Big Bang) and the modern interpretations most religions have of an active, intelligent, omniscient and omnipotent God who actively controls the universe and seeks to deliberately change events.</p>
<p>The former is much, much more reasonable than the latter - but far more people believe in the latter.</p>
<p>The only way in which we can say that the Deist view is "more reasonable" than an active God is because it is "simpler" ala Occam's Razor. We have no basis to say what can and can exist outside the scope of our reality except by assuming that our definition of simpler holds true (a logical leap).</p>