DEvolution in America

[Galactus]

What bothers me with creationists (as opposed even to Deists, who theoretically has a cop-out) is this:

There are insects that reproduce by laying eggs in the eyes of baby deer, and then eat said eyeballs as they hatch.

Creationists believe some guy sat down and DESIGNED this shit.

That's pretty terrifying.

[TerraPrime]

What bothers me with creationists (as opposed even to Deists, who theoretically has a cop-out) is this:

There are insects that reproduce by laying eggs in the eyes of baby deer, and then eat said eyeballs as they hatch.

Creationists believe some guy sat down and DESIGNED this shit.

That's pretty terrifying.

Like homosexuals, these insects have a choice. It's not the fault of the creator that this world is imperfect. Rather, it's the actors, who through their actions, make this world less than Godly.

I blame the insects.

[Galactus]

Like homosexuals, these insects have a choice. It's not the fault of the creator that this world is imperfect. Rather, it's the actors, who through their actions, make this world less than Godly.

I blame the insects.

Actually the correct theleological argument is that these things are caused by the Devil. Who of course has Free Will. And is kind of a dick.

[The White Wolf]

That's only true if the conservatives are breeding with the explicit purpose of weeding out liberal ideals by upsetting the balance in future generations. Which, if you ask anyone why they chose to have a kid, I think "to support the conservative party!" is going to be one of the last answers you will hear.

Though not specifically the conservative party look into the Quiverfull movement. Specifically read part on the Womb being a Powerful weapon.

[HT Reddy]

What bothers me with creationists (as opposed even to Deists, who theoretically has a cop-out) is this:

There are insects that reproduce by laying eggs in the eyes of baby deer, and then eat said eyeballs as they hatch.

Creationists believe some guy sat down and DESIGNED this shit.

That's pretty terrifying.

That was Darwin's issue too, so you're in good company making that statement.

[turinturambar]

It's true; immigrants have malleable minds, and the more illegal the immigrant the more malleable the mind. Which is why liberals really oppose reforming immigration laws, because the softer line we take on immigrants the more legal and less malleable they will be. We only pretend to support immigration reform so that conservatives will oppose it and help us mold those malleable minds and create more Democratic voters. You're very clever to have figured it out.

Well...except that a large # of immigrants come from middleastern countries and Latin American countries. Catholicism is huge amongst Hispanic immigrants, and middleastern immigrants bring other religions as well. There is a high # of Asian immigrants who generally are not religious, but in my experience they generally swing more towards the conservative side when it comes to monetary policy.

[CiaranAnnrach]

Erm, turinturambar, I'm about 85% sure that TrackerNeil was being sarcastic in his post.

[turinturambar]

Erm, turinturambar, I'm about 85% sure that TrackerNeil was being sarcastic in his post.

I know he was being sarcastic. I should have responded to the person tracker was responding to. Anyways, just wanted to throw it out there as I'm bored and I don't want to begin working on my statistics project.

[CiaranAnnrach]

I know he was being sarcastic. I should have responded to the person tracker was responding to. Anyways, just wanted to throw it out there as I'm bored and I don't want to begin working on my statistics project.

Ahh, ok. Just checking. Carry on, nothing to see here.

[Shewoman]

I think a lot of people think of "theory" as some off-the-wall idea someone had. A lot of people don't understand that when a scientist talks about theory, she means something more definite than that.

I'm Christian and have been most of my life, but I know only one Christian who doesn't believe in evolution. I've never heard a sermon preached against it. I've never even heard anyone say that you have to choose between Genesis and Darwin. I think in general it's the people who are screaming about the issue, one way or another, who get the attention.

[Lord Mord]

I don't see why "I don't know," is so bad. I mean, what fucking difference does it make? I choose to be rationalistic in my understanding of how life came about. Some other people choose to be irrational on this question. Oh noes, the sky is falling!

[turinturambar]

I don't see why "I don't know," is so bad. I mean, what fucking difference does it make? I choose to be rationalistic in my understanding of how life came about. Some other people choose to be irrational on this question. Oh noes, the sky is falling!

Most people who "don't know" don't respond to these polls.

[Ser Doctor]

I think we can do, what any good christian would do.

Pray for those who believe in evolution. And forgive them. God will show them the way eventually in their life, maybe when they have... changed, a bit.

As far as proof for god, and ergo, creationism. It is simple enough to reason out the existence of the divine.

Since God himself must be the greatest, and most glorious being, and existing, is much better than not existing. God must exist.

That is all the proof that is necessary.

And EHK, you know in your heart of hearts, that all you want is a creator who will hold you at night, as you whisper gentle praises in his ear. You know that your life, as well as all life, is and always has been static. Take heart in such knowledge for it will be your salvation.

For it is written in Matthew 11:28-30

"Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light."

Sure, science can tell you what a man knows and thinks, and what happens in the parts of the universe that we are currently unable to see. But science cant tell us how, or why a human heart beats. Sure, they might be able to illustrate how a monkey heart beats, but that is surely all.

For is it not written in Leviticus 2:11

"Every grain offering you bring to the LORD must be made without yeast, for you are not to burn any yeast or honey in an offering made to the LORD by fire."

And also in John 2:14 "After this he went down to Capernaum with his mother and brothers and his disciples. There they stayed for a few days".

[Stubby]

I don't see why "I don't know," is so bad. I mean, what fucking difference does it make? I choose to be rationalistic in my understanding of how life came about. Some other people choose to be irrational on this question. Oh noes, the sky is falling!

I wonder how many would choose an option that was not included in the survey: "I don't care."

[Lord of Oop North]

Frankly, I find it rather remarkable that creationists take such a dim view of evolution. They will freely acknowledge that nature is the creation of God, but for some strange reason, the process of natural selection, a component of the nature that is created by God, is an impossibility. You would think that science shedding some light on the way the universe works would be viewed as enlightening. It should be an almost spiritual experience for deeply religious people. Akin to gaining some small understanding of the way in which God works. But no. Apparently God would rather mankind lived in ignorance, then to lift themselves up and understand the amazing universe that we reside in. Pathetic.

[Merentha]

I think we can do, what any good christian would do.

Pray for those who believe in evolution. And forgive them. God will show them the way eventually in their life, maybe when they have... changed, a bit.

Forgive us for using the intelligence and free will that was given to us by God? I see. I feel that a god who'd give us the intelligence, knowledge, and curiosity to try to discern the laws of this world and then punish us for doing exactly that is a bit of a right bastard.

As far as proof for god, and ergo, creationism. It is simple enough to reason out the existence of the divine.

Since God himself must be the greatest, and most glorious being, and existing, is much better than not existing. God must exist.

That is all the proof that is necessary.

Its amazing how easy it is to prove something when your starting condition begs your conclusion.

And EHK, you know in your heart of hearts, that all you want is a creator who will hold you at night, as you whisper gentle praises in his ear. You know that your life, as well as all life, is and always has been static. Take heart in such knowledge for it will be your salvation.

For it is written in Matthew 11:28-30

"Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light."

I hope you understand that this is insulting as all fuck.

Sure, science can tell you what a man knows and thinks, and what happens in the parts of the universe that we are currently unable to see. But science cant tell us how, or why a human heart beats. Sure, they might be able to illustrate how a monkey heart beats, but that is surely all.

Sure it can. It beats because it has an electrical pulse sent through it in a manner regulated by various nodes contained within the heart. If you mean the philosophical question of "why do humans exist?", well, that's a bit different, and I'm glad you found a philosophy that's comforting to you.

edit:

Frankly, I find it rather remarkable that creationists take such a dim view of evolution. They will freely acknowledge that nature is the creation of God, but for some strange reason, the process of natural selection, a component of the nature that is created by God, is an impossibility. You would think that science shedding some light on the way the universe works would be viewed as enlightening. It should be an almost spiritual experience for deeply religious people. Akin to gaining some small understanding of the way in which God works. But no. Apparently God would rather mankind lived in ignorance, then to lift themselves up and understand the amazing universe that we reside in. Pathetic.

Well said. I know several vaguely religious scientists who feel as you do and understand where they're coming from entirely. A god that set up the laws of physics is much more impressive to me than a bloke in the sky who snapped his fingers and made light.

[Ocean of Notions]

You know... I'm going to come out and say it. I usually keep this to myself since I have quite a few acquaintances who are religious and I don't actually want to offend people. If you're religious and easily offended, consider this my disclaimer: don't read the rest of my post.

SPOILER: Offensive Stuff

If this "God" exists as Christianity, Islam, Judaism, etc. describe "him", then I hate God. I despise him. He is a downright bastard. I would work towards destroying him. He needs to die.

And I've always wondered about God and Satan. Why does Satan even exist? Either God is not all powerful or God is not all good. If God is all powerful and he lets Satan exist, then evil is a facet of God. If God is in fact all good, then he cannot be all powerful because Satan exists and defies him. Since Satan likes to lure you away from God and then punish you, he is either dumb as a Bond villain or he's doing God's work; i.e. God is also evil. That's the only way it makes sense to me.

Thankfully, god doesn't exist, so I don't have to possess all that hatred in my heart. Thank goodness. :)

[The White Wolf]

Forgive us for using the intelligence and free will that was given to us by God? I see. I feel that a god who'd give us the intelligence, knowledge, and curiosity to try to discern the laws of this world and then punish us for doing exactly that is a bit of a right bastard.

Its amazing how easy it is to prove something when your starting condition begs your conclusion.

I hope you understand that this is insulting as all fuck.

Sure it can. It beats because it has an electrical pulse sent through it in a manner regulated by various nodes contained within the heart. If you mean the philosophical question of "why do humans exist?", well, that's a bit different, and I'm glad you found a philosophy that's comforting to you.

*Bang bang* Yeah, I'm glad you called, your sarcasm detector is busted. It's gonna cost a boatload to fix though.

Of course, creationists are nearly impossible to satire since they often say the most outrageous things with a straight face, so it's not totally your fault.

[The_BlauerDragon]

Wow... I rather wish that I'd obeyed the disclaimer. Not that I'm offended, mind you... It's just that my eyes feel like they might start bleeding and I'm a little stunned. All I can say is, "I'm sorry to hear that."

[Ocean of Notions]

Wow... I rather wish that I'd obeyed the disclaimer. Not that I'm offended, mind you... It's just that my eyes feel like they might start bleeding and I'm a little stunned. All I can say is, "I'm sorry to hear that."

Don't say I didn't worn you. This is why I mostly keep that to myself. I'm well aware of the responses I'd get; they're going to be polarized between anger and pity. I think I know which category to file you under. :)