What do you make of this?

Question

"The following probabilities are taken from Peter Stoner in Science Speaks (Moody Press, 1963) to show that coincidence is ruled out by the science of probability. Stoner says that by using the modern science of probability in reference to eight prophecies, 'we find that the chance that any man might have lived down to the present time and fulfilled all eight prophecies is 1 in 1017." That would be 1 in 100,000,000,000,000,000. In order to help us comprehend this staggering probability, Stoner illustrates it by supposing that "we take 1017 silver dollars and lay them on the face of Texas. They will cover all of the state two feet deep. Now mark one of these silver dollars and stir the whole mass thoroughly, all over the state. Blindfold a man and tell him that he can travel as far as he wishes, but he must pick up one silver dollar and say that this is the right one. What chance would he have of getting the right one? Just the same chance that the prophets would have had of writing these eight prophecies and having them all come true in any one man."
Stoner considers 48 prophecies and says, "we find the chance that any one man fulfilled all 48 prophecies to be 1 in 10157, or 1 in 10,00,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000, 000,000,000,000,000, 000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000, 000, 000,000,000,000,000,000,000, 000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000 000,000,000."

Answer 1

I gave up after 'the'

Answer 2

There's a difference between 10 to the 17th power and 1017.

Answer 3

Yeah, it's really easy to be convinced of biblical prophecy when they tell you in the beginning of the book it's going to happen and by the end of the book it happens. When you use this as your only proof of this event even occurring, what is the probability that gullible people will believe it?

Answer 4

Hi Angie, I like your pure spirit, hopping U a peacefully lovely life, at last the probability of 1/10^157 means zero but still hope are there

Answer 5

Isn't it kind of depresing that they're trying to use science to prove religion? I mean, isn't beleif meant to be in your heart and rather a step away from logic than a step with logic? And also while this is fasinating, don't you think we're meant to focus on his teachings about how we live our life rather than whether he actualy exists. Isn't trying to be a better person better than trying to validate WHY you want to be a better person? While it is intresting from a historical setting, in a religious light isn't it moving the focus. Who cares if he actualy existed and Jesus was actualy the messiah, thats getting bogged down in the details when in this case the bigger picture is more important

Answer 6

you are supposed to type it like this 10^17 and the other one is 10^157
some of the prophecies can be said to be mistranslations, and some could say that they really weren't fulfilled the Bible just says they were

Answer 7

I don't think the prophecies in the old testament all referred to 1 dude.

Answer 8

See, people say that science and religion contradict eachother, but the better science gets, the closer we get to proving there is a God. Awesome study.

Answer 9

10 to the power of 157. Thats alot of noughts.

Answer 10

I stopped reading when I had to scroll down. Sum it up next time if you want more people to consider it. You can always provide a link to the article.

Answer 11

Try using "^" for to the power. That's how they do it in many of the programming languages. Interesting study though.