Atheist vs. Theist
RE: Anti-Intellectualism is Not Biblical.
Submitted by inspectormustard on June 5, 2008 - 5:10am.First, watch the video.
I think this makes a lot of good points regarding the idea of faith. First that one must know what it is their are having faith in, second that one has to accept that what they know is true, and third that one must decide that any opposing facts are false (defiance).
However, the act of defiance toward apparent truth is precisely anti-intellectual and betrays the title of the video.
Why is atheism rational?
Submitted by destinyawaits on June 3, 2008 - 1:18pm.I'm new here and it's a bit difficult to know where to start. So I've started a new thread. Would someone please explain how the belief that we are finite physical beings is rational and how the belief that we are not is irrational. I don't belong to any church or group, I had a Godless upbringing, but I do believe there is more to life than a brief physical existence. Science can demonstrate various cause and effect relationships and obviously this is very useful if you want to build an engine or cure a disease but as for spiritual matters all science can say is "no evidence". And of course their is no scientific evidence because science is concerned exclusively with material relationships. Subjective experience is beyond science. We cannot prove that someone has heard the same piece of music as another person or that two people have have seen the same image or colour. Much of what we think we know is assumption, habit, convention, laziness etc. Why should "freethinking" be restricted to the belief that we are physical beings with a restricted lifespan. This is a belief, a dogma like any other. It's a restriction on the imagination and very narrow filter for experience.
The End of the Debate: Evolution Observed
Submitted by shikko on June 3, 2008 - 12:41pm.Source: http://scienceblogs.com/loom/2008/06/02/a_new_step_in_evolution.php
In short, a researcher let flasks of E. coli bacteria breed over several thousand generations. They saw some really interesting changes occur:
- different colonies of bacteria independently evolved the ability to breed faster.
- different colonies of bacteria independently evolved more efficient digestion of food.
- one colony evolved the ability to digest citrate, which is something E. coli are known to NOT be able to do; their inability to digest citrate has actually been used as one of the bacteria's identifying features.
So, in short, evolution denialists are no longer allowed to:
- claim we have never seen evolution.
- claim we have no evidence of evolution.
- claim we have no record of evolution.
- claim that mutations are almost always bad, and therefore would be a hindrance to organisms instead of a help.
- claim that random mutation cannot give rise to a new trait because the odds are so low.
- claim evolution is not repeatable, and is therefore not scientific.
In short, if you don't want to be called a liar, don't lie: evolution happens, we've seen it, it can help an organism adapt to its environment, and it's repeatable.
Creationist video debunking evolution
Submitted by CircleK on June 2, 2008 - 3:05am.http://www.i-am-bored.com/bored_link.cfm?link_id=30505
I watched this video and it came up with some arguments that were interesting. I would like to see what atheists think about this and if they can debunk this. BTW I am not a theist, just don't have all the answers to these questions, though I can tell the video is most likely pseudo-scientific and holding back/cherry-picking facts.
the ten commandments
Submitted by pm9347 on June 2, 2008 - 12:43am.hello everybody, i thought i hop on in to deliver some really good rules to live by ,
| I am the Lord your God | ||||
| You shall have no other gods before me | ||||
| You shall not make for yourself an idol | ||||
| You shall not make wrongful use of the name of your God | ||||
| Remember the Sabbath and keep it holy | ||||
| Honor your father and mother | ||||
| You shall not murder | ||||
| You shall not commit adultery | ||||
| You shall not steal | ||||
You shall not bear false w
 What does YOUR rapture look like?Submitted by Kevin R Brown on June 1, 2008 - 2:04am....Seriously. For those of you that believe Jesus is comin' round the mountain sometime in your lifetime, what's the rapture going to look like? Is it going to be a Star Trek-esque effect? Are you going to climb a literal golden ladder that will descend? Will you literally make like superman and fly? How do you envision this occurring?  For christians who accept evolutionSubmitted by Loc on May 29, 2008 - 5:39am.1. If the book of Genesis is not to be taken literally-why did god send himself in human form to die in order to save us from symbolic sin commited by a metaphorical character (Adam) who never existed? If Genesis did not happen,when, how, and why did original sin enter the world? 2. If you accept the current theory of evolution,just with god as the starter of it,when did souls come into existence? Did the first single celled organism have a soul? Will members of Homo habilis go to hell for not hearing the word of god? Or did a Homo erectus one day give birth to a being with a soul? Why should homo sapiens be the ones to go to hell? It's not our fault jesus decided to get killed by us and not a previous hominid. Why Heaven Exists (Or, 'How I Take All Your Chips Away in Poker')Submitted by Kevin R Brown on May 29, 2008 - 4:09am.For those of you who play Texas Hold 'Em: Ever notice how often it is that when it's your turn for the Big Blind, and you want to see what the flop is, some asshole like me always somehow winds-up with all your chips sitting at his disposal? Ever wonder what that has to do with the existence of Heaven?
Allow me to elaborate: In poker, if you're the Death Star, the Big Blind is your thermal ventilation shaft. It's the point where you're at your weakest, because A) it's where you're forced to make your largest, zero-judgement investment, and B) because you're automatically throwing chips into the middle of the table, you get a false sense of security regarding your ability to see the flop. You're on Big Blind, so why not - of course you'll meet any bids to see what lands. It happens all the time. People get an 'okay' hand on a Big Blind, but not a big points hand, and they'll start meeting small raises. Just a few chips here or there - and the bigger the pile gets, the more reluctant they become to back-off. They want to protect their investment! Sometimes they'll even up the ante, trying to bluff their way out of it - but it's often too late. They gave away their secret several bids ago when they only met raises in kind. Before they even know what happened, all of their money is inexplicably sitting in the center of the table, and they're in a cold sweat on the river, hoping against hope that, against all odds, they somehow take the pot with a bad beat.
Brian Sapient's Questions Answered: TriablogueSubmitted by drhowardbetz on May 26, 2008 - 12:15pm.Does anyone know which forum area or other location has the rebuttal or response from Brian Sapient against the answers to his questions regarding Christianity? Here are the answers to his questions: Correct link in the following post I would appreciate reading his rebuttal.
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