The Reasons why "Just Following Jesus" Doesn't work

[Rekeisha]

As to the Cambrian Explosion, it's a common misconception that life was less common before the divide. It's fossils that are hard to find from that era, simply because life had not yet evolved a mechanism for producing hard materials which are more easily preserved as fossils. We do have some examples (Google for instance the "Burgess Shale"), and have discovered quite a lot more about that era than we knew until recently. As for the "chemistry" part, it's that we know the way DNA reproduces, and can determine if the amount of diversity we see occurring in that time period (which still encompasses several million years) is faster than the known rates of evolutionary change. Turns out, it was well within the limit.

thank you for the clarification. I think I need to look into it some more.

The reason we say "we are star stuff" is simple: nuclear fusion. Originally, all that existed was hydrogen and perhaps a little helium left over from the "Big Bang". The gas pockets drew together by gravity and ignited fusion. When hydrogen atoms fuse into helium atoms under the influence of the great heat and pressure at the center of a star, it produces an ever-higher chain of products, up as high as iron. During the intense reaction we call a Supernova, even higher elements like uranium can be formed, and flung into deep space. None of this is controversial; we know that's how it works. Our star is a second- or third-generation star, based on its makeup and the fact that it has planets made of heavier materials. Therefore, everything on earth that is not helium or hydrogen, including us, was made in the fusion heart of a star. Neat, huh?

That is amazing. Other than what you just explained with the science, why do you find this to be neat? (don't mean this to be a cold or poking question I would like to know from your point of view why this excites you)

As for the "meaningless" part, I hope you're just parroting some preacher, and you don't really think that we think life is meaningless without a religious figure to create the world via magic. First, there are many, many, MANY scientists who are Believers, and they see Creation not as a magical, one-time event, but as an ongoing process which an infinitely-patient Creator could easily use to bring about The Plan™. Most of them see Creationism as diminishing God, not defending God. Secondly, we secularists don't say that without God things are meaningless (that's a bad line from a bad character in a Dostoevsky novel who actually says that), we say that man must make his own meaning, and must do it with as much reason and compassion as possible, since there is no paradise awaiting us and this is the only life we get.

I know you don't think life is meaningless. Here is my train of thought of why I see a Godless universe as meaningless. Please point to were you disagree so that I can understand you better. 

By some way or another matter and material exists and they react in predictable ways. Since that is true worlds/galaxies are here, including our planet is created. Then through some unknown process life exists. We humans are lucky and make it to the top of the world system through simi-directed changes of natural selection and chemistry.  So then applying these statements to daily life now we can suppose several things. Emotions and thoughts are nothing more than chemical reactions that have evolved in the human species. The whole of life is a chemical reaction. This means that there is no right or wrong just chemical reactions. Your self ascribe "purpose" would also be the chemical reactions in your mind, one given you by the inner workings of natural selection, as is all or your thoughts and emotions. One day your body dies, because the right chemical reactions stop, and you end up decaying. People will have chemical reactions over your death and the cycle of chemical reactions will continue. Simple stoic strait forward premise. 

My question is, "is that true?" Is your love, anger, joy, happiness just chemical reactions? Do you have any control over your life or are all of your life's decisions just how you have evolved. If it isn't just chemistry then what are emotions and what are thoughts?
I believe that God is still miraculous in the daily workings of life. Knowing how things function doesn't remove the fact that God is doing it. God has made us to be physical, emotional and spiritual beings. All aspects of our being affect the other and the spiritual realm can not be proved by the physical because it holds different properties. Although it points to God and the spiritual affects both the physical and the mind. 

Your final questions are exactly right. Everyone has bias, and filters information that they'd prefer to hear (it's called "confirmation bias", as I believe I've mentioned to you before). That's why the most important part of the Scientific Method is Peer Review, in which the methodology and assumptions that were made in order to arrive at the conclusions of the paper are criticized by scientists around the world, especially your closest competitors. It's this method that also shreds the attempts by groups like the Discovery Institute to claim they have an alternative explanation for things... scientists who are Christians tend to be especially harsh, as they don't like having their faith made to look bad by the ignorant ramblings of people who have an agenda. You can claim that atheist scientists have a materialist agenda, but that claim is harder to make when you realize that a significant percent of the scientists questioned about their faith say they are Christians (even more if you count all religions), and they would have no reason to support materialism if there was another explanation that was equally viable.

I believe that there is a need for peer review but the problem is what if the peers are wrong. Lets say all of the science is right but the interpretation is wrong. Your filters effect what you want to see or don't want to see. People don't like to be wrong and even if there is overwhelming evidence for the truth the fear of being rejected by peers may cause them to get in line instead of pushing against the system. 

Finally (GET ON WITH IT!!! hehe)

I figured you weren't talking to me but I did miss the reference.