Stump the Christian?

[Randy Carson]

I suggest to look up the scientific term theory and it's meaning, as opposed to it's casual usage in everyday language. If you don't even understand the basics, you should refrain from trying to discuss it. Unless you want to make a fool of yourself, that is.

If we use this definition,

A scientific theory is a well-substantiated explanation of some aspect of the natural world that is acquired through the scientific method and repeatedly tested and confirmed through observation and experimentation. Then comon ancestry and origins of life aren't even theories.

Steve-

Is there any scientific way to prove that the science is the only way to prove what is and isn't true?

And if not, doesn't that push this discussion into the realm of philosophy?

I don't understand how science - which is focused on the material world that can be observed and measured, etc - can tell us ANYTHING about the immaterial or spiritual world. Unless I'm missing something, it seems to me that all that science can say is, "Gee, we don't know." And since absence of evidence is not evidence of absence, this is really not much of an answer to the question of God's existence.

Thoughts?

[SteveII]

I was using theory in the casual way. If you stick scientific in front of it, I guess only parts of evolution are scientific theories (those things we can test and observe).

Yeah, but here's the thing. Evolution is a scientific theory. So it kind of goes with the job description to stick scientific in front of it.

And that is the issue. If you say that all of the various theories of evolution are scientific theories, that is grossly overstating our knowledge of such things and is just plain untrue and misleading.

[LastPoet]

Dumbasses are still clinging to magic.

[FatAndFaithless]

Yeah, but here's the thing. Evolution is a scientific theory. So it kind of goes with the job description to stick scientific in front of it.

And that is the issue. If you say that all of the various theories of evolution are scientific theories, that is grossly overstating our knowledge of such things and is just plain untrue and misleading.

What...."various" theories of evolution?

[Randy Carson]

Dumbasses are still clinging to magic.

Nope.

Just the idea that a sovereign God can, has and does interact with His creation occasionally as He deems appropriate.

[abaris]

Thoughts?

Yeah, thoughts.

First I would suggest to climb from the homocentric religious high horse and to look up recent cognition experiments with animals. From the top of my head I would suggest Brian Hare. There are quite a number of videos with and about him on youtube and other channels. There are countless others of course, but it seems like a rather fruitless endeavor to convince you of humans not being as unique and magnificent as your religious bias suggests.

If you are to follow my advice, you might even get an answer to your "why be good" thread, since we are not the only social species with codes of conduct and the ability to feel empathy.

Here, I even looked up one of the vids for you

[FatAndFaithless]

Dumbasses are still clinging to magic.

Nope.

Just the idea that a sovereign God can, has and does interact with His creation occasionally as He deems appropriate.

In ways that we can't measure, test, or verify?

[SteveII]

If we use this definition,

A scientific theory is a well-substantiated explanation of some aspect of the natural world that is acquired through the scientific method and repeatedly tested and confirmed through observation and experimentation. Then comon ancestry and origins of life aren't even theories.

Steve-

Is there any scientific way to prove that the science is the only way to prove what is and isn't true?

And if not, doesn't that push this discussion into the realm of philosophy?

I don't understand how science - which is focused on the material world that can be observed and measured, etc - can tell us ANYTHING about the immaterial or spiritual world. Unless I'm missing something, it seems to me that all that science can say is, "Gee, we don't know." And since absence of evidence is not evidence of absence, this is really not much of an answer to the question of God's existence.

Thoughts?

Randy, I see all the time people making the claim the science is all there is (scientism). But if we say that we should not believe any proposition that cannot be scientifically proven, then scientism fails right there because such a claim is not scientifically provable (self-refuting). You have to constantly watch where science stops and meta-physics begins. 

[FatAndFaithless]

Where has anyone here said that "science is all there is"?

[SteveII]

Dumbasses are still clinging to magic.

You add so much to the discussion. I am so impressed with your deep thoughts...well actually no I'm not and you and people like you are hangers-on to people a lot smarter than you. It probably makes you feel more intelligent than you really are to hang out here.