I came across the following about the British poet Basil Bunting:
 
https://academic.oup.com/res/article/74/315/389/7103434?login=false
 
I pasted that into Chatgpt and asked, "Are there other people who simultaneously interacted with middle eastern culture while at the same time aiding Britain's colonial enterprise?"
 
It came back with the following:

Yes, several notable individuals interacted with Middle Eastern cultures while contributing to Britain's colonial enterprise. These figures often straddled roles as diplomats, intelligence officers, and scholars, blending cultural engagement with imperial objectives. Here are some key examples:
 
 1. T.E. Lawrence ("Lawrence of Arabia")
   - Role: British archaeologist, army officer, diplomat, and writer.
   - Activities: Lawrence became famous for his role in the Arab Revolt (1916–1918) during World War I, where he supported Arab nationalist aspirations against Ottoman rule while advancing British strategic interests.
   - Cultural Interaction: He immersed himself in Arab culture, spoke Arabic fluently, and documented his experiences in Seven Pillars of Wisdom. However, his activities also reflected Britain's geopolitical ambitions in the Middle East.
 
 2. Gertrude Bell
   - Role: British writer, archaeologist, and political officer.
   - Activities: Bell played a critical role in the establishment of modern Iraq, advising British colonial authorities and helping to draw its borders after World War I.
   - Cultural Interaction: She was deeply involved in Arab culture, learned Arabic and Persian, and became an expert on Middle Eastern history and politics. Despite her cultural respect, her work was integral to British colonial administration.
 
 3. Harry St. John Philby
   - Role: British intelligence officer, Arabist, and explorer.
   - Activities: Philby worked in British intelligence and later became a political advisor to Ibn Saud, the founder of Saudi Arabia. He was instrumental in British relations with the Arabian Peninsula.
   - Cultural Interaction: Philby converted to Islam and adopted many aspects of Arab culture. However, his role also involved facilitating British interests in the region, particularly concerning oil.
 
 4. Charles Montagu Doughty
   - Role: British explorer and writer.
   - Activities: Although not an intelligence officer, Doughty traveled extensively in Arabia and wrote Travels in Arabia Deserta, a detailed ethnographic account that informed British perspectives on the region.
   - Cultural Interaction: He engaged deeply with Arab culture but his works also contributed to the British understanding and strategic engagement with the region.
 
 5. Wilfred Thesiger
   - Role: British explorer, writer, and military officer.
   - Activities: Thesiger served in the Sudan Political Service and during World War II in the Middle East. He later traveled extensively through the Arabian Peninsula.
   - Cultural Interaction: He celebrated Bedouin culture in his writings, notably Arabian Sands, but his presence often aligned with British imperial objectives.
 
 Analysis of Dual Roles
These figures often operated in liminal spaces where cultural appreciation coexisted with imperial agendas. They frequently acted as intermediaries, using their cultural knowledge to advance Britain's geopolitical strategies while documenting and sometimes romanticizing the cultures they encountered.
 
Would you like further detail on any of these individuals or their contributions to Britain's colonial enterprise?
 

Background
In the following blog post, I argued that minorities can economically outperform majorities in a society and that this may require actions to protect the interests of the majority. Overall this discussion picks up issues around Islamic regulations around the rights and obligations of minority communities in an Islamic society, where minorities are referred to as 'dhimmis'.
In contemporary Western society where there is an overarching interest in 'equality' these regulations may be perceived as discriminatory and wrong. What I did in the post below was to argue that they help protect the interests of the majority which may otherwise be compromised and ultimately lead to conflict.
 
 
In this post what I want to do is look at the same issues from another perspective. I wanted to see whether an AI LLM when given specific starting economic and social conditions within a society would come to the same endpoint as I had done in my post above.
I gave gpt4 the following prompt:
Imagine you are a social network theory expert. Assume that there is a society composed of individuals with a range of different types of ties. All individuals in that society are equal in terms of economic welfare. Within that society there is a cluster of people with a shared culture who have denser ties with each other than with others in the society. Please map out over time what the implications of those social network characteristics will be in terms of e.g. economic welfare.
The instruction should be readily understandable to the layperson, except for one term, gpt4 gives the following explanation of social network density:
In the context of this conversation, when we refer to a cluster of people with denser ties, we mean that within this group, a larger proportion of all possible connections between individuals actually exist. This implies that individuals in this cluster are more interconnected and have more relationships with each other than with people outside the cluster.
Having explained that term we can move onto what GPT4 sees as the trajectory for that society. Note that for my part the effort has been to give GPT4 a prompt that was as neutral as possible to avoid it coming up with a scenario that arose because of a bias in the prompt.
GPT4's longitudinal analysis - the following text is from GPT4
In the context of social network theory, the structure and nature of social ties can significantly impact various outcomes, including economic welfare. Here are some potential implications over time:
Information and Knowledge Dissemination: In a closely-knit cluster where social ties are denser, information and knowledge are likely to disseminate faster among members. This can lead to quicker adoption of beneficial practices, faster problem-solving, and greater innovation. Over time, this may result in economic advantages for the cluster. Resource Mobilization: Dense social networks can facilitate more effective resource mobilization. This could take the form of group savings, joint investments, and collective bargaining power in the marketplace. Over time, this could enhance the economic welfare of the group. Social Capital: The dense ties within the cluster can form a significant amount of social capital, which can be leveraged for economic gain. For example, trust and reciprocity within the group can reduce transaction costs and facilitate economic activities that might be more difficult or costly in a less cohesive network. Inequality: While these dense ties can lead to economic advantages for the cluster, they may also exacerbate inequality between the cluster and the rest of society. The benefits from information dissemination, resource mobilization, and social capital may not flow as easily to individuals outside the cluster. Over time, this could lead to growing economic disparities within the society, even if all individuals started at the same level of economic welfare. Fragmentation and Polarization: Over time, the strong in-group ties and weak out-group ties might lead to fragmentation and polarization within the society. This could result in a society where the closely-knit cluster becomes economically dominant, while the rest of the society is left behind. This could lead to social tensions and conflict. Resilience and Vulnerability: While the dense network within the cluster might provide resilience in the face of external shocks (due to the ability to mobilize resources and support each other), it might also lead to increased vulnerability. If the cluster is hit by a negative event (such as a financial crisis or a disease outbreak), the dense ties could facilitate the rapid spread of the negative effects. It's important to note that these are potential implications and the actual outcomes can be influenced by a variety of factors, including the nature of the ties (whether they are positive or negative, strong or weak), the specific cultural characteristics of the cluster, the wider socio-economic and political context, and the ways in which individuals within the network and the society as a whole adapt and respond to changes over time.
Conclusion
I think this elaborates and to a large extent validates the points I was making in the earlier blog post.
To reiterate the overall issue. When we discuss majorities and minorities in the context of particular groups of people in specific societies the underlying social, anthropological and economic arguments are subsumed within accusations of being prejudiced against one group or another. So my initial post does not mention any groups, countries or societies, we are simply discussing the relationships between various social variables and how they evolve over time.
Based on the above thought experiment with gpt4, I am still inclined to think that Islam is 'onto something' when it addresses the dhimmi issue.
 

Summary
This post and the replies to it explore the notion of measurement in the Qur'an and the range of meanings that it conveys, from the mundane to the more esoteric and divine. These posts then focus on the association between measurement and precision in the Qur'an and how intertwined the two concepts are. Given that improvements in precision are associated with technological development - it is hypothesised that the latter could be considered a 'good' thing.
Introduction
A previous blog post, that I had written by myself) on this subject disappeared after it was posted. So here is another attempt, but this time I have resorted to posting a conversation with GPT4, pursuing lines of thought that had motivated the previous post. So usual caveats apply i.e. the references it gives etc. do need to be checked for accuracy.
 
Please give some examples of the usage of the word 'measure' as used in English translations of the Qur'an.
Sure, I can provide some examples from well-known English translations of the Qur'an that feature the concept of 'measure'. However, please remember that translations can vary based on the translator's understanding and interpretation. Here are a few examples:
In the context of divine creation: In Surah Al-Furqan (25:2), the concept of 'measure' is used to describe the precision and orderliness of God's creation: "He to whom belongs the dominion of the heavens and the earth and who has not taken a son and has not had a partner in dominion and has created each thing and determined it with [precise] determination." In the context of sustenance and livelihood: In Surah Al-Isra (17:30), it is said that God provides for whom He wills in measured amounts: "Indeed, your Lord extends provision for whom He wills and restricts [it]. Indeed He is ever, concerning His servants, Acquainted and Seeing." In the context of time and life: In Surah Al-Insan (76:3), the term 'measure' is used to refer to the predetermined life span of every individual: "Indeed, We created man from a sperm-drop mixture that We may try him; and We made him hearing and seeing." In the context of moral and ethical standards: In Surah Al-Mutaffifin (83:1-3), those who give less than due when they measure or weigh for people are condemned: "Woe to those who give less [than due], Who, when they take a measure from people, take in full. But if they give by measure or by weight to them, they cause loss." These are just a few examples to illustrate how the concept of 'measure' is used in the Qur'an. It's a multi-faceted term with different implications depending on the context.
 
Please expand on the references to the notion of measurement when applied to moral and ethical standards.
The Qur'an, as the central religious text of Islam, contains numerous references to moral and ethical standards. These standards are often articulated in terms of measures, weights, balances, scales, or equivalents, metaphors that imply fairness, justice, and equity.
Here are some instances where the notion of measurement is applied to moral and ethical standards:
Fair dealings and honesty in transactions: In Surah Al-Mutaffifin (83:1-3), it is emphasized that people should be fair and honest in their transactions. The word 'measure' is used metaphorically to represent the moral standard for economic transactions. Those who cheat or give less than due when they measure or weigh for others are condemned. The recompense of deeds: The metaphor of scales or balance is often used in the context of judgment in the Hereafter. In Surah Al-Qari'ah (101:6-9), it is mentioned that on the Day of Judgement, people's deeds will be weighed, and those whose scale of good deeds is heavy will be successful, while those whose scale is light will have lost their souls. Here, 'measure' is used to metaphorically represent the weight of a person's good and bad deeds. Justice: Justice is a key value in Islamic ethics. The Qur'an urges believers to uphold justice, even against themselves or their kin. In Surah An-Nisa (4:135), it states, "O you who have believed, be persistently standing firm in justice, witnesses for Allah, even if it be against yourselves or parents and relatives." Here, the notion of 'measure' is inherent in the concept of justice, implying fairness and impartiality. Equitable treatment and reciprocity: In Surah Al-Baqarah (2:279), the Qur'an provides guidance about dealing with debts and emphasizes the importance of writing down the amount borrowed to ensure fairness and prevent disputes. This is a metaphorical use of 'measure', representing clear and fair dealings in social and economic transactions. These examples demonstrate how the Qur'an uses the concept of 'measure' to prescribe moral and ethical standards for individuals and societies. The consistent theme is a call for fairness, justice, and honesty in all dealings.
 
Please expand on the issue of measurement where the references are to do with fair dealings and honesty in transactions.
In the Qur'an, the concept of fair dealings and honesty, especially in business transactions, is heavily emphasized. The term 'measure' is often used as a metaphor to reinforce this principle. Here are some key examples:
Surah Al-Mutaffifin (Defrauding; 83:1-3): "Woe to those who give less [than due], who when they take a measure from people, take in full. But if they give by measure or by weight to them, they cause loss." These verses clearly condemn dishonest business practices, specifically those involving shortchanging or defrauding others in measurements or weights.  Surah Al-An'am (The Cattle; 6:152): "And give full measure when you measure, and weigh with an even balance. That is the best [way] and best in result." This verse underscores the importance of giving full measure and maintaining a balanced weight, both literally in commerce and metaphorically in all dealings. Surah Al-Isra (The Night Journey; 17:35): "And give full measure when you measure, and weigh with an even balance. That is the best [way] and best in result." This verse is a near-repetition of the one in Surah Al-An'am, further emphasizing the importance of honest measurements and dealings. Surah Hud (11:84-85): "And O my people, give full measure and weight in justice and do not deprive the people of their due and do not commit abuse on the earth, spreading corruption." These verses were spoken by the prophet Shu'aib, admonishing his people to act justly in their business transactions and warning them against spreading corruption. These verses underscore the Qur'anic emphasis on integrity, honesty, and fairness in business transactions. From a broader perspective, these principles can be seen as fundamental to the Islamic concept of 'Adl (justice) and Ihsan (doing what is good and right). This includes upholding trust (Amanah), being truthful (Sidq), and avoiding deceit and corruption. Such principles are seen as crucial for maintaining social harmony and economic justice in society.
 
You used the word metaphorically in your last answer. Can you please expand on the notion of how measurement refers in the Qur'an on a more metaphorical basis in the context of dealings?
In the Qur'an, the concept of measurement is often used metaphorically to convey deeper moral and ethical lessons. When applied to the context of dealings, especially in business transactions, the 'measure' becomes a symbol of integrity, fairness, and justice. 
Symbol of integrity: When the Qur'an instructs to give full measure, it's not just about the literal physical measure in transactions, but also about being fully truthful and transparent in all aspects of life. For example, when you promise something, you should fulfill it completely, not partially or deceitfully. Indicator of fairness: The measure in the Qur'an often symbolizes fairness. When it instructs to give full measure, it's urging fairness not just in transactions, but in all interactions with others. This includes treating others with respect, not taking advantage of others, and giving everyone their due rights. Representation of justice: The Qur'anic emphasis on accurate measurement can be seen as a metaphor for justice. Just as you wouldn't want to be cheated out of a full measure in a transaction, you should not cheat others out of their rights. This concept extends to social justice, implying that everyone should get their fair share of society's resources and opportunities. A signifier of balance: The Qur'an often pairs the concept of measure with balance, especially in the context of dealings. This can be interpreted metaphorically as a call for balance in all aspects of life, including personal conduct, social relationships, and economic activities. This balance is crucial in maintaining harmony and preventing exploitation or excess. These metaphorical interpretations of 'measure' highlight the depth of Qur'anic teachings, where simple instructions carry profound moral and ethical implications. It's a reminder that the principles of integrity, fairness, justice, and balance should permeate every aspect of a person's life, from business transactions to personal relationships and societal interactions.
 
Can you give references to any commentators who have written about these metaphorical uses of measurement in the Qur'an, quotations from their works would be useful.
Islamic scholars and commentators have indeed explored the metaphorical aspects of the Qur'an's teachings on measurement, particularly in the context of ethics, justice, and societal dealings. While I don't have direct quotations available, I can provide an overview of these interpretations based on various well-known exegeses (Tafsir). 
Tafsir Ibn Kathir: Ibn Kathir, a renowned medieval scholar, in his commentary on Surah Al-Mutaffifin (Defrauding; 83:1-3), explains the metaphor of measurement in terms of fairness and honesty in transactions, and extends this to mean fairness and honesty in all aspects of life. Tafsir Al-Jalalayn: The two Jalals, Jalaluddin Al-Mahalli and Jalaluddin As-Suyuti, in their Tafsir Al-Jalalayn, provide succinct interpretations of the Qur'an. Regarding verses about measurement, they stress the importance of justice and integrity, interpreting these metaphors in both a literal and ethical sense. Tafsir Al-Tabari: Al-Tabari, a prominent early Islamic scholar, interpreted the verses related to 'measure' as moral and ethical guidelines applicable to all aspects of life, not just business transactions. His interpretation also highlights the repercussions of dishonesty and deceit. Tafsir Al-Qurtubi: Al-Qurtubi, known for his emphasis on the practical and legal implications of the Qur'an, interpreted the verses about measurement and balance as guidelines for just dealings and the establishment of a fair society. For direct quotations and a more in-depth understanding, I would recommend consulting the mentioned Tafsirs or commentaries. They are widely available in various languages, including English. 
Remember, interpretation of religious texts can be complex and subjective, and different scholars may have different interpretations of the same verses. For a nuanced understanding, it's important to consider the historical context, the entirety of the Qur'an, Hadiths (sayings of the Prophet Muhammad), and scholarly interpretations.

Read in the Name of Your Lord Who Created You
 
An excerpt from my book "From Earth to Heaven" (by Mahdieh Mahdavi
The story of Human, from creation to eternal destination.
Narrator: Solmaz Rezayi
Background music: Below the Horizon by Guy Sweens
Images generated by bing ai image creator.
A Rise to Paradise: "And you remember that all particles of your body have been scattered throughout the history and that one day, they will testify to whatever they have seen and whatever they have heard.
Every thing is recorded in their memory, without any addition and without any reduction.
And now, you see a bright point at a far distance. Actually it is not a point but an infinite universe, an endless world, that when you get there and enter it, you become "that universe" and that universe becomes "you". Just be careful and watch your steps! Lest you should lose your way! Lest you should go astray!
An endless journey you start, for the boundless heaven you depart, towards the celestial divine abode, towards the indefinite end of the world, towards the Creator, the Lord".
 

In the year 2032, the newly formed nation of **Palisrael** emerged as a fragile but determined experiment in reconciliation. Born from the ashes of a century-long conflict between two peoples who had both claimed the same land, Palisrael stood at the crossroads of possibility. It was a state dedicated to coexistence between the two primary ethnic groups who now lived side by side, working together to overcome years of violence and mistrust. Yet, this new chapter of history was not unfolding without complications.
Amid the delicate balancing act of governance, the leaders of Palisrael found themselves embroiled in an unexpected and unprecedented legal battle in international courts. The lawsuit, initiated by the Palisrael government, named several high-profile defendants—foreign influencers, journalists, and even prominent politicians from various countries. The accusation was severe: **incitement to colonial overreach**.
The Palisraeli legal representatives argued that these outsiders, despite living far from the contested territories, had wielded significant power in shaping the ideologies of local settlers who sought to expand their hold on lands historically inhabited by indigenous peoples. The foreign defendants, mostly from the United States and Europe, were accused of using their platforms to encourage aggressive territorial appropriation, subtly cloaked in the language of religious or historical justification. Palisrael’s lawyers charged that their messages, though thinly veiled in contemporary terms, had roots in a 19th-century colonial mindset.
In the opening arguments, Palisrael's lead prosecutor, Amira Hassan, described the insidious nature of the defendants' rhetoric. "These influencers and public figures," she declared, "have repeatedly framed the territorial expansion of settlers as a right. But beneath their words lies a familiar and dangerous belief: the belief in the ethnic superiority of one group over another. This is a worldview that hearkens back to a time of colonial conquest, when land and people were seen as commodities to be claimed and dominated."
The central piece of evidence was the undeniable fact that the defendants had routinely invoked historical analogies comparing the settlers' claims to the manifest destiny once used to justify American westward expansion. The narrative echoed the racist assumptions of European empires that had long since been discredited in academia but still persisted in certain corners of political discourse. These influencers had, Palisrael argued, emboldened settlers with visions of a divine or civilizational mandate to expand their reach, regardless of the rights of indigenous peoples who had lived on the land for generations.
Defenders of the accused were quick to deny any malicious intent, asserting that their words had been taken out of context. “We only sought to highlight the historic ties of the settlers to these lands,” they claimed. But Palisrael pressed on, challenging that the defendants were promoting a myth of entitlement that ignored the complex histories of dispossession and displacement.
The trial was more than a legal dispute; it became a symbol of Palisrael’s struggle to define its national identity in the 21st century. For many, it was about more than land—it was about the kind of future Palisrael wanted to build, one where ethnic superiority and colonial legacies had no place.
As the trial continued, the world watched closely. This was not just a question of law; it was a question of morality, a reckoning with the dark shadows of history. Would those accused of fueling settler overreach be held accountable, or would the old narratives of conquest and domination continue to shape the lives of the people of Palisrael?
In the courtroom, Amira Hassan spoke with quiet determination: "This is our chance to break free from the chains of colonialist mindsets and build a nation rooted in equality, respect, and justice."

[This post was initially published as 'A little conspiracy theory of mine' on Oct 25 2016. I've now retitled it and linked some of the text with the notion of the Great Replacement Theory.]
Summary
Britain, after the Second World War ostensibly recruited workers from various developing countries in order to fill skill shortages. However, around the same time, there was a concerted effort by Australia to recruit working-class Britons. A possible explanation to this anomalous situation is that there was a concerted policy by Britain and Australia to ensure that Australia remained white. This is one argument against the idea that inward migration into the West is somehow an attack on white people. The two examples of migration examined here represent the opposite.
The Great Replacement Theory
According to Prof Matthew Feldman there is a lite of versions of The Great Replacement Theory and a full-fat one and the latter holds that:
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/jun/08/a-deadly-ideology-how-the-great-replacement-theory-went-mainstream
In this post, I will argue that at least in terms of one example, this is indeed the case, but rather than representing some form of surrender on the part of the 'white race' as the far right claims the policy represents, it is actually the opposite.
The Windrush Generation
This is the narrative all Britons have been brought up with (the following is from the UK government's own website):
http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/pathways/citizenship/brave_new_world/immigration.htm
It sounds very multi-culti, liberal and nice. Britain needed labour, brown people needed jobs and everyone would get along swimmingly in post-war Britain. This was not illegal immigration, it was planned and made good economic sense.
Here's some more justification from the British Library:
http://www.bl.uk/learning/timeline/item107671.html
To help immigration into the UK, the British Nationality Act of 1948 gave rights to all people from the commonwealth to settle in the country. West Indian immigration to the UK from the 1940's to the 1960s was about 170,000. In Britain, there was an increase of about 80,000 people originating from the Indian sub-continent from 1951 to 1961.
So if there was such a shortage of labour in postwar Britain, surely the British government would have been aghast at the prospect of Britons leaving the UK? And trying to put a stop to it?
Apparently not.
The Assisted Passage Scheme from Britain to Australia
Australia's 'Assisted Passage Migration Scheme' started in 1945 and involved 1 million people migrating from Britain to Australia.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/magazine/7217889.stm
The following paper adds some nuance to this:
Yet despite the 'reluctance' we still get:
Stephen Constantine (2003) British emigration to the empire- commonwealth since 1880: From overseas settlement to Diaspora?, The Journal of Imperial and Commonwealth History, 31:2, 16-35, DOI: 10.1080/03086530310001705586
From the same paper the following motivation, which refers to policies in the nineteenth century could perhaps explain the flow of people observed at the top of this post:
 
Conclusion
In sum, Britain was allowed to go a bit brown, because it was essential that Australia, Canada and other dominions remain essentially white. And this racist policy was maintained until the facts on the ground had been established. This point is one counter-arguments to the 'Great Replacement Theory' that has been espoused in some far-right circles in the West.
 
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/jun/08/a-deadly-ideology-how-the-great-replacement-theory-went-mainstream
 
So we have two migration stories. And the funny thing is that the first story is covered in the press, and you'll also find the second story given a lot of attention.
 
But the two are never mentioned together.
 
It's when you put, what are otherwise very positive stories together, that something far nastier emerges. Something which is within plain sight but unacknowledged.
 
https://contemporaniablog.wordpress.com/2016/10/24/poms-and-windrush/

Edited 1st July 2024 to improve clarity. Edited 20th July 2024 to include a more detailed reference to face validity. Added reference to Lindt 27th August 2024.
 
Summary
Just because something is not created via the scientific method, does not mean it can't be useful - implications about how we think about religious precepts.
Serendipity (pot luck)
I have previously noted how, in some fields of human endeavour, the scientific approach is held to be the ideal. In reality however human scientific and technological discoveries have often been the result of luck and even mistakes.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cn47zg3xgxxo
Social science 'theories'
There is a corollary in the field of the social sciences which also emphasise the value of the scientific approach to generate knowledge. In this domain the anomalies are various frameworks and models that are widely taught and even used, but which have no basis in rigorous scientific research.
The famous work by Abraham Maslow on motivation and his resulting 'hierarchy of needs' is very widely studied and used. He posits that human motivation at the fundamental level is driven by physiological needs, and once these are satisfied (he did qualify this in later works) people try and address safety needs and then, social needs and self-esteem and finally self-actualisation. 
But Maslow did not come up with this through any research that would hold up to scientific scrutiny.
Does the lack of a scientific approach invalidate a model or framework?
Yet the Maslow hierarchy is productively used by professionals in a variety of industries, managers, MBA students and others in universities. For example, people use it to understand why consumers buy certain products.
The same issue applies to Bloom's taxonomy in the field of learning and also Elmo's buying funnel in the area of marketing. The three laws of robotics have their basis in science fiction and in the area of web searching there is no scientific basis for the information-navigational-transactional categories that are used.
Face validity
The implication from this is that while ideas and knowledge may ideally be the result of the scientific approach i.e. hypothesising and then testing, there are many instances where this is not the case. In the area of the social sciences and management the value of some types of knowledge seems to rest on their 'face validity', do they make sense to practitioners? Can those individuals make better sense of their external environment as a result of using these tools and if they can, that is good enough?
I should point out at this stage that the term face validity has a specific meaning in the realm of research methods. It refers to whether for example, ordinary users of health services believe that the questionnaire items used to measure a specific condition make sense to them. The following paper provides an illustration of the concept with a worked example of how a measure used to assess Recovering Quality of Life was developed following input from lay patients.
 https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5997715/
Implications for religion
The same principle could surely apply to various aspects of religion. There may be no scientific proof underpinning various religious ideas and injunctions, but if they have face validity, if they help the individual make sense of their external environment, manage it and live what they consider a better life, surely that is good enough?