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The Problem with Christians
The Problem with Christians
(March 31, 2016 at 5:54 pm)athrock Wrote:
(March 31, 2016 at 5:40 pm)LadyForCamus Wrote: This corner you imagine you've backed me into exists only in your mind, athrock.  Right next to your God.  It doesn't matter how many times you say it: quoting scientists who believe in ID does not make ID true.  There is still that pesky business of evidence for God and evidence for design that you (or anyone else) have, as of yet, failed to produce.

That was not what I said, LC. 

I said that the fact that serious scientists see a case for ID suggests that it is not based on "convoluted reasoning". Unless, of course, you wish to ascribe "convoluted thinking" to some folks who have proven themselves to be pretty well-stocked in the "little grey cells" department.  Tongue


I stand by my opinion. You needn't like it; that makes no difference to me. How's that evidence for God coming?
Nay_Sayer: “Nothing is impossible if you dream big enough, or in this case, nothing is impossible if you use a barrel of KY Jelly and a miniature horse.”

Wiser words were never spoken. 
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The Problem with Christians
(March 31, 2016 at 10:38 am)AAA Wrote:
(March 31, 2016 at 10:00 am)LadyForCamus Wrote: In both atlas and 3A's case, the phenomenon they happily accept without a shred of physical evidence is in every conceivable way far more outrageous and unlikely than the phenomenon which they reject in SPITE of evidence beyond any reasonable doubt.  

It's...amazing.  I've never seen two people who hold such an extraordinary belief based solely on faith (made even more extraordinary and unlikely considering they are putting forth not just an anonymous intelligent designer, but the MGC...good luck connecting all those dots with science and sound logic, guys) babble on and on for so damned long about science and odds.  Do you not hear yourselves?  Do you not understand how ridiculously convoluted your thinking is?

Why is it outrageous to say that biological systems may have been designed, when intelligence is the only known cause capable of explaining what we know about cells? We babble about science and odds because these are the most informative tools for determining if current models are sufficient to explain the formation of life. I could go through a calculation of the odds of a functionally significant protein forming by chance if you want. You can disagree with the philosophy behind it, but disagreeing with the math is not a good idea. Math is the only way to truly prove anything.


Oh, please...I beg of you...don't start talking about odds. I think Esquilax's head might explode. And intelligence is not the only known cause...it's just the only known cause theists are willing to hear about. It's not my fault you spend your time arguing against a false understanding of evolution.

And I am still waiting for an answer from anyone as to why theists feel they don't need to present evidence of God. Any takers?
Nay_Sayer: “Nothing is impossible if you dream big enough, or in this case, nothing is impossible if you use a barrel of KY Jelly and a miniature horse.”

Wiser words were never spoken. 
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RE: The Problem with Christians
Because god told them to ignore us.
You make people miserable and there's nothing they can do about it, just like god.
-- Homer Simpson

God has no place within these walls, just as facts have no place within organized religion.
-- Superintendent Chalmers

Science is like a blabbermouth who ruins a movie by telling you how it ends. There are some things we don't want to know. Important things.
-- Ned Flanders

Once something's been approved by the government, it's no longer immoral.
-- The Rev Lovejoy
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The Problem with Christians
(March 31, 2016 at 2:46 pm)AAA Wrote:
(March 31, 2016 at 2:04 pm)LadyForCamus Wrote: Okay, someone please correct me if I am wrong because I am not a scientist, but I am almost CERTAIN that glycolysis has been naturally reproduced in the lab.  As in...it was by accident.  No one was trying.  It just emerged...naturally.  


https://www.newscientist.com/article/dn2...out-cells/

So, yes.  let's appeal to the evidence.

It was not by accident, they were definitely trying. Here's a link to the primary article:

http://msb.embopress.org/content/10/4/725


The tertiary article made it seem like it just happened without any direction. The experiment was well done, and they placed known metabolites or intermediates of both glycolysis and the pentose phosphate pathway into different test tubes containing concentrations of catalytic metal ions. They then incubated the molecules at 70 C, which is like 158 degrees F. They then analyzed the tubes and found that other intermediates of glycolysis were found. In other words, the molecules that were initially put into the tubes changed into other molecules. This is expected when a lot of energy is applied (70 C worth of thermal energy). At different temperatures different molecular strucutres are favored for molecules. I don't think that the tertiary article does it justice. In other words, it looks like molecules of glycolysis can convert between each other (except they found no 1,3-biphosphoglycerate, which is an intermediate) with sufficient energy. I still think it is speculative to say that organisms were able to take advantage of this until they evolved enzymes to do it themselves. What would be interesting is to look to see if there are organisms near hydrothermal vents that do not use glycolysis. That would support the idea that organisms could sustain themselves without glycolysis if they were in an environment similar to the experimental one.


So...in what sense is this indicative of an all powerful super-intelligent eternal creator and judge of all man kind again? And In what sense is this NOT indicative of the possibility of such a thing occurring naturally under the right set of circumstances? I'm missing your point.
Nay_Sayer: “Nothing is impossible if you dream big enough, or in this case, nothing is impossible if you use a barrel of KY Jelly and a miniature horse.”

Wiser words were never spoken. 
Reply
RE: The Problem with Christians
(March 31, 2016 at 8:15 pm)LadyForCamus Wrote:
(March 31, 2016 at 2:46 pm)AAA Wrote: It was not by accident, they were definitely trying. Here's a link to the primary article:

http://msb.embopress.org/content/10/4/725


The tertiary article made it seem like it just happened without any direction. The experiment was well done, and they placed known metabolites or intermediates of both glycolysis and the pentose phosphate pathway into different test tubes containing concentrations of catalytic metal ions. They then incubated the molecules at 70 C, which is like 158 degrees F. They then analyzed the tubes and found that other intermediates of glycolysis were found. In other words, the molecules that were initially put into the tubes changed into other molecules. This is expected when a lot of energy is applied (70 C worth of thermal energy). At different temperatures different molecular strucutres are favored for molecules. I don't think that the tertiary article does it justice. In other words, it looks like molecules of glycolysis can convert between each other (except they found no 1,3-biphosphoglycerate, which is an intermediate) with sufficient energy. I still think it is speculative to say that organisms were able to take advantage of this until they evolved enzymes to do it themselves. What would be interesting is to look to see if there are organisms near hydrothermal vents that do not use glycolysis. That would support the idea that organisms could sustain themselves without glycolysis if they were in an environment similar to the experimental one.


So...in what sense is this indicative of an all powerful super-intelligent eternal creator and judge of all man kind again?  And In what sense is this NOT indicative of the possibility of such a thing occurring naturally under the right set of circumstances?  I'm missing your point.

The point is that life contains extremely elegant systems to accomplish what it needs to. There are not explanations for how these elegant systems arose. However, humans have been able to (through the use of intelligence) produce fairly elegant systems as well. This leads some people to conclude that these elegant systems may have been the product of intelligence.
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RE: The Problem with Christians
(March 29, 2016 at 8:47 pm)Esquilax Wrote:
(March 29, 2016 at 8:39 pm)AJW333 Wrote: I don't see the relevance here. Small, localized reductions in entropy are not an issue. Massive reversals are. Pond slime to the human brain is gigantic, no mater how long it takes.

What is entropy, to you?

Entropy and disorder also have associations with equilibrium.[9] Technically, entropy, from this perspective, is defined as a thermodynamic property which serves as a measure of how close a system is to equilibrium — that is, to perfect internal disorder.[2] Likewise, the value of the entropy of a distribution of atoms and molecules in a thermodynamic system is a measure of the disorder in the arrangements of its particles.[10] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Entropy_%2...isorder%29

(March 30, 2016 at 8:27 pm)Jörmungandr Wrote:
(March 30, 2016 at 8:05 pm)AJW333 Wrote: DNA has an ability to perceive information, eg that an error has occurred in the process of replication. It retains this knowledge through subsequent generations. It also uses this retained knowledge to make adaptive behaviours, ie to conduct very complex, multi-stage repair processes. How is it that this does not qualify as intelligent?

I already answered this.  Are you behind in responding to posts?

Can you point me to that post?
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RE: The Problem with Christians
Life is elegant because it accomplishes what it needs to, huh?

Are these needs being imposed on the designer, or did he impose them upon himself? Is he solving a task that was already set up for him, or did he create the task and all the requirements?

In other words, where are all these obstacles coming from, for him to overcome?
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RE: The Problem with Christians
(March 31, 2016 at 8:23 am)Stimbo Wrote:
(March 31, 2016 at 4:47 am)AJW333 Wrote: When God created the universe, he created the dimension of time. He is not subject to age in the way we measure it because he is outside of time. Therefore it is not necessary that God has a creator - he is eternal.

How do you know this?

Looking at the complexity of living systems and determining that the chances that these things evolved from random chemicals is infinitely less than there being a super intelligence that designed it all.
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RE: The Problem with Christians
The delusions just keep coming!
Disclaimer: I am only responsible for what I say, not what you choose to understand. 
(November 14, 2018 at 8:57 pm)The Valkyrie Wrote: Have a good day at work.  If we ever meet in a professional setting, let me answer your question now.  Yes, I DO want fries with that.
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RE: The Problem with Christians
Looking at stuff...

And imagining probabilities...

There seems to be a problem with objective conclusions here. Looky likey theory.

There's also the problem that something may "look designed" but actually may not be; or vice versa. Whatever that phrase may mean to any particular person. That's why staring at stuff and announcing conclusions doesn't count as science.
Feel free to send me a private message.
Please visit my website here! It's got lots of information about atheism/theism and support for new atheists.

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