sometimes there's no proof. you just know.

Padre Pio was forbidden from saying public Mass and hearing confessions. I seem to remember Catherine of Siena was told she couldn’t receive the Eucharist daily because her ecstasies were distracting. and these prohibitions were unjust—and in the case of Padre Pio, prevented him from ministering to people whom he might have helped—but they obeyed!! because they believed humble submission to the will of God in and through the authority of His Church was more important than fighting to be seen as right. they were vindicated by history, and if they weren't, they still would have been vindicated at the Last Judgment. but it was still right that they be obedient.

good science fiction does seem to be about not just the question “what cool technology will be available in the future” but “how will human culture be affected by cool technology” which is not uninteresting to me except that every science fiction writer seems to answer the question by saying “well, in part, people are gonna get really weird about sex” and that is the least interesting thing to me in the whole entire world