Science and religion

[Ryantology]

Do you know who Richard Smalley is? He is a noble prize winner who discovered Buckey Balls. He rejected evolutionary theory. Do you think you are a better scientist than he is? What about Raymond Vaham Damadian, the inventor of the MIR machine who nearly won a nobel prize.

So, we have some very intelligent men who are clearly masters of their own fields but ignorant about biological science.

It is true that evolutionary theory is a very significant paradigm by which people understand biology. There have been other paradigms in the past, such as Newtonian physics that have since been replaced.

Newtonian physics was never replaced. It was augmented by new theories which explain what Newtonian physics can't account for because Newtonian physics only apply within certain scales of matter.

There is nothing foolish about suggesting that mans present state of understanding is likely not the final understanding. History has proved that to be the case.

It certainly has.

As for abiogenesis, it is absolutely related to evolutionary theory. Evolution stands of falls based on a certain number of conditions that are created through the origin of life and other factors. Evolution cannot explain these things, whether it is true or not, it has no ability to deal with the issues that support it.

Untrue. The theory of evolution does not, in any way, rely upon the truth of abiogenesis. An omni-sentient creator could have designed life so that it evolved exactly according to the models we have observed. Evolution does not discredit the concept of intelligent design, it merely discredits, specifically, the Biblical account of the creation of life, and that is why some Christians accept it and others are absolutely hostile toward it.

Evolution is certainly a controversial issue that has many dissenters. It is a mainstream scientific paradigm, but it is not universally accepted. It is not necessarily a sign of a lack of knowledge of science to question evolutionary theory, as some of the brightest scientists have.

Evolution is only controversial to those whose agendas are threatened by it.

There is not a shred of legitimate evidence anywhere against God's existence. What do you have? Post it. Why do you make naked assertions?

There is none favoring it. It is an unfalsifiable claim, so it can't be disproved, but the fact that Christians have nothing except an unfalsifiable claim says a lot about the state of this debate. After four thousand years, a lack of evidence starts to qualify as evidence of absence.

Really. Your only defense is 'you can't prove he doesn't exist', while you, yourself, are completely empty of proof that any god exists, much less the one you favor. This would put us on even ground, except that you make the positive claim that a specific God definitely exists and has specific attributes which definitely exist. Your claim is more outrageous than ours, and it's not even close. You have to prove much more than we do, but instead of proving your many positive claims, you ask us to disprove your positive claim.

You definitely know enough about formal logic to commit many of the common fallacies over and over, that's for certain.

This displays an extremely superficial knowledge of the two covenants in scripture. God does change his mind, why else would God give two covenants. The nature of the Israelite theocracy is very different from the nature of the modern world. What makes it wrong to stone people to death for working on Sunday? Can you make an argument? That is not self evidently wrong to me, it is different from modern culture, which seperates political life from religious. Also, what is wrong about slavery, absolutely, that makes slavery wrong even in circumstances where people that would be enslaved would either die of starvation (in a famine) or would be slaughtered (in a war). What makes slavery evil?

If your God is perfectly righteous, and God expressly condones both of the above activities as righteous and good, why do Christians no longer agree? Why did God give Moses commandments against murder and theft, and then order them to commit those atrocities upon their neighbors? Why did God give Moses four commandments against the evils of not doing exactly what God wants, yet none against slavery, rape or torture?

Christianity is a flexible and adaptable application of spiritual principles that happens through history.

Or, to paraphrase, Christianity lacks any objective meaning.

Look around today. How many people keep the sabbath? How many people are set apart to God. Not many. The law has a purpose. God is good.

Rape, slavery, torture, and genocide are also good, as they are all things God commands of his followers.

People have libertarian free will. When we do evil things, we use God's creation to separate ourselves from God. This angers God.

Anger is an irrational reaction to an event which one is certain will happen. If God is angry, it strongly implies that he is not all-knowing.