SCIENCE VS RELIGION

[FrankChurch]

Let's be kind to Ezra this holiday season. He is being overwhelmed. So, as a radical Christian, I want to give him a gift I'm sure both of us agree on.

Me more, since I am against Capitalism--but, no, I will just give him this gift and let him lick the spoon:

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/12/2 ... 00216.html

Merry Christmas Ezra!

[RocRizzo]

My mind is open but I also trust Jesus to govern my soul.lol

My mind is open and I only trust Jesus to mow my lawn.

[Lori Koonce]

Hey gang

Hows this for interesting co-inky-dinks?

One of my favorite radio programs is Studio 360. It takes a topic and really looks at from as many angles as a one hour broadcast can.

The host Kurt Anderson keeps a blog, which I read every once in a big blue moon..... Guess what this weeks blog topic is boys and girls... That's right, the whole Atheist/God concept...


For your reading enjoyment:

http://tinyurl.com/3989vsf

[Ezra Lb.]

Reason and logic for something that requires neither? The phrase "leap of faith" has meaning to many people. Not to you.

You asked me what possible gain is there to talking. Personally I believe that wisdom can come through argument. Personally I respond to reason and logic. Lord knows I am aware that many people do not. In fact many people don't really ever think at all. They are satisfied with whatever answer that is provided to them and are content to go on from there. That's fine, they have their reward. For many reasons that has never been an option for me.

If you can demonstrate the absolute lack of anything supernatural in the universe, you can change my mind.

What I find compelling is the absolute lack of any evidence whatsoever that the supernatural does exist. If you have such evidence I would be the first to consider it. If you are offended at the request that you provide evidence for your beliefs then you effectively divorce yourself from anything but a purely subjective point of view. Which is perfectly acceptable if you are willing to follow that logic to its inevitable conclusion. However religionists consistently try to have it both ways. They want to make truth claims about the world but when challenged they resent having to provide any justification or evidence for their beliefs.

There's no doubt about it. At the heart of things is an awesome mystery. I am overwhelmed by that. The issue is how to respond to that mystery. Do we fall on our knees and sing hosannas to our ignorance? Or do we do our best to penetrate this mystery with the tools that are available to us, not least of which is that marvelous sack of goo between our ears?

Happy holidays friends!

no guru no method no teacher

[Moderator]

There's no doubt about it. At the heart of things is an awesome mystery. I am overwhelmed by that. The issue is how to respond to that mystery. Do we fall on our knees and sing hosannas to our ignorance? Or do we do our best to penetrate this mystery with the tools that are available to us, not least of which is that marvelous sack of goo between our ears?

And in this we find our reason for talking. In your last post you seemed demonstrate the respect I was mentioning towards others' beliefs.

And the statement above fits quite nicely into my own philosophy about the universe.

Happy holidays.

[FrankChurch]

American Exceptionalism comes right from the pilgrims. The "shining city on a hill" and such.

That lie is much more offensive than believing a man died for your sins.

[FrankChurch]

I'm gonna give Ezra a wet dream. A gallup poll says that seven in ten Americans say religion is losing its influence in society.

Wet nap for Ez.

[Ezra Lb.]

A gallup poll says that seven in ten Americans say religion is losing its influence in society.

Calm down Frank, most of those folks think it's a bad thing. The people who think religion losing its influence is just dandy are still a small minority.

So have some egg nog.



And enjoy the Holy Glow while it lasts.

[RocRizzo]

That just means that three of ten people are willing to ADMIT that religion has no influence on them. When you consider that half of the "believers" are liars, at least to someone who would ask them publicly, that number goes way up.

[diane bartels]

Roc huh??
Frank, there are ladies ya know?

[RocRizzo]

Diane,
The reason that I surmise that half of the people that publicly state that they are "believers," in public, are liars, is because they are afraid that they may be outed in some way. They know deep in their psyche that it's all mythology, but will not admit it, for fear of harm to their reputations and such. Just my not so humble observation of things.

[diane bartels]

Hi Roc. I just didn't understand the semantic meaning of what you said. Brain was not working today. It makes sense now. This was one of rhose days when I just shouldt have woke up, you know. wow I hate chicago in winter.

[Ezra Lb.]

This guy should be locked up.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20110106/ap_ ... tism_fraud

But measles has surged since Wakefield's paper was published...



Wait a minute, aren't these our allies?

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2011/ja ... intcmp=239


Sam Harris speaks wisely.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/sam-harri ... 02480.html

[Steve Evil]

It is worth noting, however, that throughout the 1950's--a decade for which American conservatives pretend to feel a harrowing sense of nostalgia--the marginal tax rate for the wealthy was over 90 percent. In fact, prior to the 1980's it never dipped below 70 percent.

Who says atheists are all conservative?

[FrankChurch]

See, that's the main problem, atheists can be people like Ayn Rand. At least have some standards. haha.