451. Lying for Jesus?

Comment #164611 by Frankus1122 on April 20, 2008 at 1:02 pm

Steve,

It seems to depend entirely on the environment.

Yes. What do you think of Kardashovels question about intelligence such as we have, becoming a factor in our own evolution, as it has in the evolution of dogs and sheep and the like?

452. Lying for Jesus?

Comment #164606 by Frankus1122 on April 20, 2008 at 12:56 pm

Can someone point me to a good resource concerning the effect of intelligence on evolution?

Oooh! Good one.
Certainly an area to explore and investigate. You may be onto something.
What will the effect of intelligence have on evolution?

453. Lying for Jesus?

Comment #164604 by Frankus1122 on April 20, 2008 at 12:53 pm

As for MPhil's statement that "evolution cannot in principle be completely teleological," I would agree. The point would be that God takes what He can use and ignores the rest. I am agnostic about whether God actually smites folks, or has guided evolution through the ages... but if He did, it would be after long periods of not paying attention. The whole point of using an evolutionary algorithm is to let time and randomness serve as your allies... not as your foe.

So Kardashovel, everything is as it is and that is God's plan?
Ke sera sera.

But what about Jesus? WTF's up wit dat bro?

454. Lying for Jesus?

Comment #164598 by Frankus1122 on April 20, 2008 at 12:45 pm

Comment #164595 by Diacanu

Yeah, whatever.

455. Lying for Jesus?

Comment #164594 by Frankus1122 on April 20, 2008 at 12:42 pm

Kardashovel,
You spoke of an afterlife.

I would love to be able to live forever! I mean if it was interesting and lots of good stuff but not if it was all like hell and well, hell-like.

Hell. What a horrible idea.
Sorry, everyone. It just struck me how awful the concept of hell is.
Wow!

Moving on:
I am sort of the opinion right now that I will die when I die.
I wish it wasn't that way but I am pretty convinced it is.
Why should I believe otherwise?
I mean EVERYTHING I have ever experienced about an afterlife is zero.
Anyone or everyone alive care to back me up on that one?

So Karda: Convince baby.

456. Lying for Jesus?

Comment #164592 by Frankus1122 on April 20, 2008 at 12:33 pm

Steve,
Someone like Kardashovel may have a really good science fiction story that he believes is real.
So what?
He is not hurting anyone and tit seems to be good for him.
(The last sentence has an un/intentional spelling error in it. I was going to correct it but then I thought it was funny, so I left it in).

He knows if he wants to convince others of the truth of what he believes he needs evidence. And he knows the kind of evidence he needs here.

457. Lying for Jesus?

Comment #164574 by Frankus1122 on April 20, 2008 at 12:25 pm

Kardashovel,

Okay, I get it. You are speculating about the nature of the universe and have decided it is a particular way. It is a bit out of synch with current scientific knowledge, but not too far out.
Like all good science fiction, it could be true.

Fine.
And you don't seem to hurt anyone.
And you have indicated that you would not do anything that would harm anyone else, even if the voice came back and spoke to you and told you to do so.

No problem.
Go out and enjoy yourself and be good.

If you want to convert or convince you know you need some good evidence that the people here would be likely to believe. You are smart enough to know what kind of evidence would be required, right?
I don't think you have any. You had a conversion experience.
Will we, after many long months of waiting finally find out exactly what converted Kardashovel?

Or will you continue to be coy, you sly fox?

458. Lying for Jesus?

Comment #164553 by Frankus1122 on April 20, 2008 at 12:06 pm

Comment #164456 by Diacanu
epeeist-


Polite ruthlessness is the best they should expect.

Yes!
This was the sentence that stuck me.
I read it, read on, and then looked for it again but couldn't find it.


And then:

*Creationist is swirling his sword all about*

*Pulls out gun*
*BLAM!!*

There.

And:

Complete retaliation - blade to the head of his opponent, guard into face, knee into crotch. All on a single foot movement. Would this suffice?

Yes and yes.
You are bringing out that aspect of my makeup that responds to such violent emotional images.

It is like a Kung-Fu movie for my mind.

When I was a younger man, maybe 17-19 yrs old, I was pushed to the limit of harassment and abuse by some guy at a party. I told him to cut it out several times in several ways. He continued, and I told him if he did not stop I would hit him.
He did not stop.
So I hit him.
I am a big guy (about 6' 4" and at the time probably about 190-195 lbs. -gained some weight since then but only about 50 lbs., nothing to worry about). He stopped bothering me after that.

A verbal roundhouse will suffice in this place.

Sometimes enough is enough.

If you eliminate really bad behaviour you may be trying to eliminate the gene(s) that are in some way responsible for that behaviour. Attempting to eradicate behaviour that would harm a gene, or cause that gene not to replicate, would be advantageous to that gene.
I know genes, in and of themselves, are not the sole determinants of our behaviour, but they certainly do influence how we are.

Perhaps gene(s) that are responsible for religious belief (meme?) are in competition with, or an offshoot/variant of, the gene(s) (meme) that codes for general goodness and self preservation. The Golden Rule is so universal that it could be considered a part of what makes us human.

If you don't want a shitty idea to replicate to the point where it eliminates you (and to them, your shitty ideas), then you need to eliminate it first.

Nunchucks, broadswords, ... whatever.

How's that for "polite ruthlessness"?

459. Interviews with Richard Dawkins and Michael Shermer

Comment #164375 by Frankus1122 on April 20, 2008 at 6:41 am

Comment #164369 by porcupine

The way people there, in particular, Cartomancer and Al-Rawandi clinically dissected and destroyed your ideas and the evidence that you claimed for them, was awe-inspiring.

And yet he returns for more spewing.
While lacking the intelligent laser-like subtleties of the aforementioned posters may I proffer this for ASMarques:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6PaHcZUHI00

460. Sex for diploma offer caught on tape

Comment #164372 by Frankus1122 on April 20, 2008 at 6:30 am

Steve and Peace,
For what it is worth I agree with both of you.
It is almost cliche for the person of faith to be caught in a sex scandal, for the super athlete to be caught using drugs, for the politician who promises to keep his promises to break his promises, for the accountant to be caught stealing.

What should be ironic is becoming expected.

I don't know if this take on the article is worth
discussing. But the actual content of this news piece is so commonplace as to be boring and not really worthy of discussion.

461. Lying for Jesus?

Comment #164352 by Frankus1122 on April 20, 2008 at 5:34 am

Well, that may have the unintended effect of encouraging someone to remain ignorant so he/she doesn't have to consider the possibility that he/she may actually be stupid.

That's funny and sad.
It reminds me of a girl who was taking a diagnostic test for reading. She was having problems reading and we were trying to figure out exactly what kinds of problems she was having. There was a fill-in-the-bubble section after a passage she was supposed to read. She looked at the passage and then began to fill in the bubbles randomly. When I asked her if she read the passage she said, "No, I couldn't be bothered."
I asked her if she realized that the test would help us identify specific problems and therefore we could find solutions to the problems. Yes, she was aware but didn't care.
That is the way of it sometimes.

462. Lying for Jesus?

Comment #164343 by Frankus1122 on April 20, 2008 at 5:13 am

From Steve Zara:

Good. Free will. So, I would you like to explain the nature of this free will and how it fits with current philosophical understanding.

Now, that's mean.
Why don't you ask an illiterate to give you a 5,000 word essay on the role of the Fool in the works of Shakespeare? Ask a blind man to describe a sunset. Ask a man what it is like to give birth. (I told my wife it is like having a big poo-she hit me).

We really are not playing on a level playing field. It seems to consistently be the case that we know the best they have to offer by way of arguments but they do not know what we have.
There are often gross miscaharcterizations - on both sides.
The key is to know your enemy.
The sad part is that the IDers are like six year olds with sticks trying to stab someone like epeeist.
I said it before and I will say it again for the IDers:
If you want to poke holes in evolution then educate yourself as to what it really is.
Look to find holes in your own arguments; if only to make them stronger from attack.
You may think that you can find all the AnswersinGenisis, but step outside the bubble just for a short while to discover some objections to your 'truth'.
By coming here to provide REASONS why we should reject evolution you have entered the realm of using reason to defend an argument. You have stepped onto the piste. (Is that right, epeeist?)
You can't run away and call us names when you get smacked down. Well, you can and do, but that is not how to play the game of using reason and intelligence to figure out the solution to a problem.

As Steve said:

I think I am perhaps trying to be optimistic. Stupidity isn't curable, whereas ignorance may be.

So, I guess the above post was directed to the ignorant. I won't pray that you will see the truth, I'll keep posting.

463. Lying for Jesus?

Comment #164240 by Frankus1122 on April 19, 2008 at 7:38 pm

Then shut the fuck up already, you tedious assclown.

Put your money where your mouth is, and take your herpes sore of a personality, and your sociopathically solipsitic worldview back to whatever christ-cult echo chaber it came from.

Fuckin' snapper head.

Kee-RIST.

Thanks, I needed that.

464. Lying for Jesus?

Comment #164228 by Frankus1122 on April 19, 2008 at 6:46 pm

Diacaaanu!

Diacaaaanu!


Where are you in our hour of need?

Why hast thou forsaken us?

465. Lying for Jesus?

Comment #164217 by Frankus1122 on April 19, 2008 at 6:05 pm

Remnent,

This is a link just for you:



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6PaHcZUHI00

Love in Jesus.

466. Lying for Jesus?

Comment #164122 by Frankus1122 on April 19, 2008 at 3:12 pm

This is not for Remnant. It is for people interested in science.
I said I needed to listen to Quirks and Quarks earlier. The first segment was on how our brains have been cobbled together by evolution. As I was posting thoughts sort of related to this yesterday, I thought it was an example of serendipitous synchrony.

Here is the intro quote from the show:

You probably think you're pretty clever, don't you? All that grey matter sitting in your skull, encouraging creative thoughts and brilliant feats of deductive reasoning. If we ever had a reason to sit on our evolutionary laurels, it would have to be thanks to our magnificent cerebral cortex. Or, would it? If our brains really are the epitome of human perfection, then how come we're continually losing our house keys and can't remember what we ate for breakfast last Tuesday? In his new book, Kluge: The Haphazard Construction of the Human Mind, Dr. Gary Marcus argues that the human brain isn't so much a perfectly designed super-computer as it is an evolutionary contraption - bits and pieces that work well enough to get the job done, but far from the ultimate problem-solving machine.

You can download the segment if you are interested. I found it fascinating and somewhat related to some of the problems we have been having here lately.

http://www.cbc.ca/quirks/

The podcast section is on the right hand side of the page.

467. Lying for Jesus?

Comment #164113 by Frankus1122 on April 19, 2008 at 2:52 pm

Quetzalcoatl,

Perhaps some audio to go with the visual:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6PaHcZUHI00

This should only be used when all other avenues have been exhausted and the nonsense keeps spewing forth.

I PMed Diacanu with this a few days ago. I thought it was up his alley.
It didn't seem appropriate for the thread at the time but does now.

468. Lying for Jesus?

Comment #163870 by Frankus1122 on April 19, 2008 at 8:17 am

Comment #163866 by Tyler Durden

unfortunately theists/creationists/IDiots are far from logical in their "arguments".

But once they have entered the realm of reason by trying to provide evidence and trying to provide arguments they need to stick with it and play by the rules. Consistency is required.

I am going to pull a Number 10 and dash off for a couple of hours. We have gone from 12 foot snow drifts 2 weeks ago to a high of 26 C and a smog alert. (Thanks God, you jerk). I need to go out for a walk and then listen to our national science radio show.
http://www.cbc.ca/quirks/

469. Lying for Jesus?

Comment #163864 by Frankus1122 on April 19, 2008 at 7:57 am

Comment #163855 by mmurray

And if I use the "well established scientific theories" to counter your brainwave that 'apes still exist therefore evolution is wrong', then I am arrogant and talking down to the ignorant IDer.

Who is arrogant here?
I love the idea of a giant killer but you need to have the right ammo. Keep looking for the Achilles heel in the Theory of Evolution. And BTW have a replacement Theory with all the predictive powers of the ToE to take its place.
Intelligent design is not that.

470. Lying for Jesus?

Comment #163861 by Frankus1122 on April 19, 2008 at 7:46 am

Oh, well. We can but try :)

Indeed.


Hey! Religious Evolution-Deniers: What would it take for you to understand the Theory of Evolution?
What would change your mind?
I am perfectly willing to accept ID if you can provide some evidence which suggests that it is the true mechanism by which organisms evolve.
You have put forth propositions and people here have countered those propositions with evidence taken from the accumulated knowledge discovered by scientists in a variety of fields of study.
We have answered your questions.
Can you answer ours?
Will the debate be settled using reasoned argument?
You seem to make brief forays into this realm. You suggest that no new information is ever added to a gene. You suggest that it is statistically impossible for complex molecules to exist "by chance". These propositions are answered/refuted/ shown to be based on faulty logic or false premises.
What is required is for you to stay in the game and come up with counter arguments; arguments that refute what we have put forward.
As Tyler pointed out:
"Repeating the same behaviour over and over expecting a different result." is a definition of insanity.
Don't be crazy.
Give us something new that absolutely cannot be answered by Darwinian Evolutionists. If Intelligent Design is true then you should have no problem providing evidence of its truth. That makes sense doesn't it?
What also makes sense is that if you cannot provide evidence then you should probably abandon your theory.

471. Lying for Jesus?

Comment #163849 by Frankus1122 on April 19, 2008 at 7:06 am

Good morning!

Has anyone come to this site and posted something like:
"If our DNA evolved from ape DNA then why are there still apes?"
and then been provided with the answer to this question
and then understood the answer
and then realized the error of their original post
and then said so?

What would it take to change the mind (sic) of such a poster?

I think it is clear that they haven't a leg to stand on but how does one go about getting this point across? Because so far what we have been doing has not been working as far as I can tell.

"I don't care what you say or what evidence you produce I will NEVER abandon my Lord."

And Paula, Thanks for making me laugh out loud. A nice way to start the morning.

472. Gods and earthlings

Comment #163705 by Frankus1122 on April 18, 2008 at 8:20 pm

I would be quite interested in seeing how this boiled-down position looks when written without a mocking tone.

Yes. It would look the same.
Hitchens said sometimes you just need to underline a statement.
I was just trying to point this out to Kardashovel.
I really want to know by what path could I come to believe the same thing, because right now I cannot understand it at all.

473. Lying for Jesus?

Comment #163694 by Frankus1122 on April 18, 2008 at 7:42 pm

SharonMcT and Diacanu,

I understand the sentiment but:

He doesn't want them educated properly.

Can we really know the mind of Ben Stein and his ilk?
Do you seriously believe that someone could think that?
I cannot believe that someone would be so evil as to wish ignorance on them so that wealth would flow from poor to rich.
Can you imagine yourself having such a thought?

And these poor undereducated people seem to prefer it that way as well.

I don't think anyone likes being fleeced.
A lack of education could be part of the problem.
Being born with a brain that is physiologically prone to a limited understanding of the complex world around it may be another factor. For such a brain, early patterning may be imprinted for life. As the Jesuits say, 'Give me a child for his first seven years and we'll give you the man.'

However, there is hope.
I have to believe (music rises) that one day all the people of the earth will come to see the truth as seen through my eyes.
Amen.

474. Gods and earthlings

Comment #163691 by Frankus1122 on April 18, 2008 at 7:25 pm

eric,

We could go back in time to the first moment in time, and start the creation of the universe. Maybe complex things DID create the universe AND came late in its creation.

Feel free to use this for a sci-fi story, as long as it is GOOD for a change. And thank me in the credits. Ask me where to mail the royalty checks. :)

I am not sure if you are familiar with a poster called Kardashovel. You may have a lawsuit on your hands unless you are willing to share the royalty cheques.

His idea is that God is a time-traveling being from the future who is using random mutation and natural selection for the purpose of creating us because He wants and needs our love.
He also talks to Kardashovel and helps him with business problems.

P.S. To Kardashovel if you ever read this:
I don't want to insult you because I truly do enjoy your posts and like talking to you, (although you have indicated the feeling may not be reciprocal). But I do want you to understand that this is what your position can be boiled down to.
When I wrote it, it was with a mocking intention. I don't believe what you believe (at least how I have characterized it - but have I erred in any detail?).

I think your idea is fantastic. It truly is good fiction.
Why do you believe it is true?
How can I know the truth that you know?

475. Lying for Jesus?

Comment #163682 by Frankus1122 on April 18, 2008 at 7:05 pm

I do have one question though, if human DNA is really ape DNA that has evolved, how come there are still apes on the planet?

You know what, I never thought of that before.
I guess you are right.
Silly me.

You know what else? I bet no one in the worldwide scientific community, the thousands and thousands of scientists who work in the field of evolutionary biology every day, and for the past several decades (century) has ever thought of that before.
What an astounding insight!

You are truly worthy of a Nobel prize for that idea.



Or, it may be the case that that idea has come up before.

You know, I am really not sure. I should probably look that up and see if the worldwide scientific community has thought of that before and come up with a scientifically sound answer.
Maybe they have and maybe they haven't.
I sure wouldn't want to make a complete ass of myself and demonstrate my utter ignorance.


Or not.

476. Lying for Jesus?

Comment #163676 by Frankus1122 on April 18, 2008 at 6:50 pm

Comment #163670 by apbooking,

it is only a theory and NOT a proven fact.

You are WRONG.

If you have so much faith and believe so strongly that you are correct in your views, what I suggest you do is go out of your way to find out what we believe. Find out why I said you are wrong. If you have the intellectual capacity to go outside your creationist bubble and read what the people here have read and understood regarding the FACT of evolution , then do it. Do it for the sake of your faith.

Prove us wrong on the playing field of science.

The stuff you are putting forward is nonsense. Learn what we actually know about evolution. By "we" I mean the worldwide scientific community and those that benefit from their knowledge.

What you are currently doing is arguing from a position of ignorance.
I am not a scientist. But I have read about evolution and I have read about Creation Theory or Intelligent Design, if you prefer.
I can understand your position. However, there is a body of knowledge available to you of which you seem to be unaware.
I am asking that you educate yourself.
Know what we know and then come at us with your best argument. Because right now you have nothing.
Put forth your best argument and try to figure out what would an atheist Darwinist evolutionist say to refute that argument.
Know thy enemy; do some research.
If you are not sure where to go I or others here can direct you to sources of information.

477. Sexpelled: No Intercourse Allowed

Comment #163675 by Frankus1122 on April 18, 2008 at 6:47 pm

clearmind,
Do not listen to Al rawndi. He is only say bad thing and not follow the LOGIC of clearmind.
You are clear. Like see through and like empty. Like there is NOTHING there to see. That is how clear you are. Yes?
Do not stop ever to post because you deny the world of RD.net with the LOGIC of ID.
But I am not all happy because I still want to sign up because of clearmind LOGIC and I don't know.

478. Lying for Jesus?

Comment #163665 by Frankus1122 on April 18, 2008 at 6:21 pm

You who cannot accept OUR science are pathetic imbeciles

As Zaphod said, it is not OUR science it is science.

As Harris said, we don't have Islamic mathematics, we have mathematics.

Learn about this for the sake of your faith.

The truth of science ought not to be in contradiction with your faith.
The earth is not flat.
The earth revolves around the sun.
2 and 2=4.
Organisms mutate and change through a process of natural selection.
Evolution is a fact.

This is something you need to understand and accept.

479. Lying for Jesus?

Comment #163660 by Frankus1122 on April 18, 2008 at 6:12 pm

pacman,

Evolution has never been observed and will never be observed.

This makes me want to pull a Diacanu.

You are WRONG.

If you have so much faith and believe so strongly that you are correct in your views, what I suggest you do is go out of your way to find out what we believe. Find out why I said you are wrong. If you have the intellectual capacity to go outside your creationist bubble and read what the people here have read and understood regarding the FACT of evolution , then do it. Do it for the sake of your faith.

Prove us wrong on the playing field of science.

The stuff you are putting forward is nonsense. Learn what we actually know about evolution. By "we" I mean the worldwide scientific community and those that benefit from their knowledge.

What you are currently doing is arguing from a position of ignorance.
I am not a scientist. But I have read about evolution and I have read about Creation Theory or Intelligent Design, if you prefer.
I can understand your position. However, there is a body of knowledge available to you of which you seem to be unaware.
I am asking that you educate yourself.
Know what we know and then come at us with your best argument. Because right now you have nothing.
Put forth your best argument and try to figure out what would an atheist Darwinist evolutionist say to refute that argument.
Know thy enemy; do some research.
If you are not sure where to go I or others here can direct you to sources of information.

Faith that is much bigger than I. I can't explain it, I can only live it.

Can you try to explain faith? It is a mystery to me. Is it a really strong feeling that you have? Is it an "I don't care what anybody says, or what evidence you can provide, I believe this and nothing will shake me from that belief" kind of attitude?
I admire the strength of conviction, but not where it leads.
We all feel strongly about things sometimes but sheer will power and faith will not change the ultimate reality of your life.

480. Lying for Jesus?

Comment #163529 by Frankus1122 on April 18, 2008 at 1:15 pm

Cooler than Jesus. Even gay Jesus.

To suggest that Jesus was gay is blasphemous.
Just because he had long flowing hair and a moustache and beard and was all about peace and love (besides that one hissy fit he had when he threw the money-changers out of the temple) and hung out with a bunch of other guys all the time...wait a minute.

Jesus was gay.
Which just goes to show that the God of the OT is not the God of the NT. Another proof of the truth of the Bible.

481. Flea of the week

Comment #163488 by Frankus1122 on April 18, 2008 at 12:10 pm

Comment #163479 by Jack Rawlinson

I do wish these people would bother to read the rebuttals to their tired, dogmatic pet "arguments".

But that would be too much like science. Why you want to try to disprove your pet theory in order to make it stronger?

No, no, no. All you need to do is look in the Bible and ALL the answers to life's questions will be answered. Any 'rebuttal' MUST be wrong because it is anti-Biblical. Jeesh!


Back to normal:


It really does seem to be that the atheist position has the advantage of at least having the knowledge of possible rebuttals to its arguments. Although not always true, we are not ignorant of the objections raised by theists to the atheist position.

482. Flea of the week

Comment #163461 by Frankus1122 on April 18, 2008 at 11:32 am

well, it becomes rather impossible to
shut the fuck up
about it.

Where have I heard that before?

483. Lying for Jesus?

Comment #163357 by Frankus1122 on April 18, 2008 at 8:32 am

I am wondering about the emotional need for community and belonging and how that affects our decisions. I posted some info yesterday about research on the brain and how what we think are purely rational and reasonable decisions are often affected by our emotional states.
The story of Phineas Gage and his brain damage was alluded to by Al.
I am not suggesting that people who find community in religion have brain damage but I am just wondering aloud if neurology has any insights.
I think it was Michael Persinger who developed a 'God helmut'. He has been able to induce the feeling of the presence of God in some people by using magnets to stimulate a certain region of the brain.
Is there a suseptibilty for this region being stimulated in some and not others?

484. Sexpelled: No Intercourse Allowed

Comment #162926 by Frankus1122 on April 17, 2008 at 5:10 pm

Inferno

Is there just one stork or many storks?

This is a tough one. There is only one stork, indivisible.
But, there are three storks in that one.

485. Lying for Jesus?

Comment #162920 by Frankus1122 on April 17, 2008 at 4:55 pm

Diacanu,

PM for you in a minute.

486. Sexpelled: No Intercourse Allowed

Comment #162905 by Frankus1122 on April 17, 2008 at 4:39 pm

That's not MY stork you are talking about.

487. Lying for Jesus?

Comment #162851 by Frankus1122 on April 17, 2008 at 2:58 pm

fdi150,
Thanks for the question.
I have a link here that may be of some help.



The link is for a page titled:
29 Evidences for Macroevolution
The Scientific Case for Common Descent

http://www.talkorigins.org/faqs/comdesc/

Please read it and let me know if it does help.

488. Lying for Jesus?

Comment #162761 by Frankus1122 on April 17, 2008 at 12:20 pm

gr8hands,
I am going from memory here but I think there are problems with peoples' decisions if they have damage to the prefrontal lobes of the brain. They lack an emotional connection to the world around them because of brain damage and as a result make sometimes horrible decisons; decisions that a person with a properly functioning brain would not make.

I'll read up on it when I get home if I can find the books.

Live long and prosper.

489. Lying for Jesus?

Comment #162745 by Frankus1122 on April 17, 2008 at 11:47 am

gr8hands

A person usually uses reason to include emotional responses/reactions such as "love". Adding emotions to the equation does not make it less reasonable. (In fact, ignoring emotions would not be reasonable.) It is when emotions over-rule reason that problems occur.

The work of Antonio Damasio, which I mentioned above, would suggest (from what I can remember) that
our rationality is ruled by our emotions; at least under certain circumstances. The everyday decisions we make are certainly stemming from the emotional centres of our brains.

490. Lying for Jesus?

Comment #162682 by Frankus1122 on April 17, 2008 at 8:25 am

2146. Comment #162669 by epeeist -
Where else could you easily have access to physicists, biologists, engineers, mathematicians, philosophers, Arabic scholars, historians all from different countries with different backgrounds.

And there is a lot of humour here too.
I learn so much and get challenged and change my views because of what I read, but I often find myself laughing.
I like it here.

491. Lying for Jesus?

Comment #162680 by Frankus1122 on April 17, 2008 at 8:19 am

The Brother John and Quetz and phatbat comments are all along the lines of what I was trying to say earlier.
Brother John seems to feel that Love is the ultimate power we can have.
Quetz has proposed a balance of reason, empathy and love.
I think I agree with phatbat that we ultimately use reason to assess how we behave. The reason may be flawed but we rarely act without any reason whatsoever; even if we decide to abandon reason for some, well, reason.
Hence the wrangling. It is what we do. There do not seem to be abolute answers to these questions.
I think religious people feel that ultimate answers are in the holy books. That is of some comfort. But as it has been pointed out again and again here, the answers are really ones that we provide.

On another track, I think it was Antonio Damasio who has suggested that our reasoning or decision making, in large part, comes from the emotional centres of our brain.
Just another wrinkle to wrangle about I suppose.

As for the poster who suggested that my life has no ultimate meaning - whatever. I am having some meaningful life now. I'll be dead for a really long time (although not to me), so I'll make the best of what I have. It is not ultimate or absolute but it is to me.

492. Lying for Jesus?

Comment #162624 by Frankus1122 on April 17, 2008 at 6:37 am

Steve and Energizer Bonzai

I also don't have a lot of time but will do a hit and run post.

Is it a problem of absolutes?
For some people smoking causes no discernable harm.
For some people a belief in god makes their lives measurably better.
I tell my children that they can't watch tv during the week. But if there is a good show on we do.
As Bonzai said the world is not bianry. Things are not black and white.
However, some things are true and others are not.
There is a balance between absolutism and complete relativism that is hard to find sometimes.
We seem to want things to be absolute.
I am not sure what I am trying to say, absolutely.

I think conversation, trying to determine what is right in particular circumstances using principles to guide us is the best we can do.
Can the wiser-than-me offer their insight?

493. Teacher Expelled Over Religion

Comment #162368 by Frankus1122 on April 16, 2008 at 6:56 pm

I found this at the Discovery Institute website:


http://www.discovery.org/a/2640


PEER-REVIEWED & PEER-EDITED SCIENTIFIC PUBLICATIONS SUPPORTING THE THEORY OF INTELLIGENT DESIGN (ANNOTATED)
By: Staff
Discovery Institute
July 1, 2008

Note the date. (?)
Perhaps the 23 or so articles listed are ones from the future.
I did not read the articles; I did not even read the titles of all of them.
I am lazy.
But we can no longer claim that the ID does not publish in scientific journals.
They have almost 30 (!) articles.
The evidence is overwhelming.
Or not.

494. Victims: Pope Benedict Protects Accused Pedophile Bishops

Comment #162363 by Frankus1122 on April 16, 2008 at 6:33 pm

Yes, Cartomancer, I laughed out loud.
When my six year old son asked me what I was laughing at I replied:
The stream of consciousness of a very witty man on cold medication.

What does that mean?

It means we should play a game of chess.

I beat him soundly. He is only six.

495. Lying for Jesus?

Comment #162343 by Frankus1122 on April 16, 2008 at 5:02 pm

I think you guys are getting a bit nutty with your "theories" about RM.

Don't stop, mind you.

It's kind of fun to read.

496. Lying for Jesus?

Comment #162312 by Frankus1122 on April 16, 2008 at 2:48 pm

You know the thing about RM is curious. It may be a personal thing with him but he seemed like an intelligent guy.
How can he all of a sudden throw out all the objections that he previously had?
He sort of dealt with this in his post but I find it strange. Are the objections no longer valid?
Truth is truth. No?

497. Lying for Jesus?

Comment #162311 by Frankus1122 on April 16, 2008 at 2:42 pm

gr8hands,
Thanks. That was it!

Even though not technically a PhD she is still an amazing person. I looked her up on her website.

How would you like to look into your past lives? Or if that is not up your alley you could get your future told using numerology and clairvoyance. Perhaps you would like your aura read or a simple Tarot card reading.

Grrrrr.... It was a good thing I was not there.

I spent the day in the forest with my class. It was sunny and warm after a brutal winter here. We created artworks ala Andy Goldsworthy.
http://tinyurl.com/6cdys4

I think I had the better day.

498. Lying for Jesus?

Comment #162292 by Frankus1122 on April 16, 2008 at 2:10 pm

mesomodel,
Thanks but I don't think that is it. I saw a copy of her book before she presented and I think it means pending. But I can't quite remember.
Anyway, it is a PhD in something like hypnotherapy.
Maybe it means charlatan.

499. Lying for Jesus?

Comment #162290 by Frankus1122 on April 16, 2008 at 2:05 pm

BTW did you know that if you touch your knuckle and look at the ceiling while thinking of a negative thought it will vanish?
But you need to have your peripheral vision on.
And you can't wear glasses.
And it only works if you really want it to.
On Tuesdays and Thursdays.

500. Lying for Jesus?

Comment #162289 by Frankus1122 on April 16, 2008 at 2:01 pm

Way off topic but I can't find the info anywhere and I thought smart people here might know:
What does Phd (c) mean?
What is the "c"?
Someone presented some Neuro Linguistic Programming type stuff to our staff today.
Thankfully I was not at work today.
Some people came to tell my about the session. The person presenting had a PhD (c) after her name.