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Bible study rules for public schools proposed
I went to the website of the magazine that the article came from. I searched for his name within their site. It did not find his name. That doesn't mean the article is fake, it just means this guy isn't a big enough deal for them to mention him or carry any of his stuff on their website. Yeah, so Caylor is a right wing nutjob. I know that. He's a party line conservathug and a religious zealot. And the article is highly likely to be a total fake. But hey, if it's a real article all it really means is there is a scientist out there who is also a Creationist. It happens. There are several of them. So what? (8 min ago | post #104097)
With all due respect, the human mind likes to fill in the gaps of experience. Are you aware of that classic psych experiment where they have students watch a basketball video and in the middle is a guy in a gorilla suit? A surprising number of students did not even see the guy in the suit, though he walked right across the screen. Here's a question to ask: What is more likely to be true? 1) You saw something briefly and didn't know exactly what it was, though it was probably just something normal. 2) You saw Bigfoot at a public park. If you choose to believe the second one then it is irrational. You are intentionally ignoring probability and evidence in favor of a sexier idea. See what I mean? You *might* have seen Bigfoot, but you *probably* did not. (16 min ago | post #36)
Bible study rules for public schools proposed
Yes, I read it all. And I've read Demon Haunted World. Neither this review nor that book support your position. This guy is saying that science leads us to some weird ideas that defy common sense. Take quantum physics as an example. A thing can exist in a "superpositio n"? The determination of the nature of a particle in one location can immediately determine the nature of a particle miles away? Weird stuff. He isn't saying that it's wrong. He's saying that there is a problem of communication with the public to some degree. For a conservative Christian your ideas can be summed up on a bumpter sticker. But science is not that pithy. It takes work to understand it. One thing builds on another. And sometimes it doesn't seem intuitively true. The quote is used out of context and incomplete on Creationist websites because, if you are a complete idiot, it *sounds* vaguely like this guy is an opponent of science. Yet nothing could be farther from the truth. But truth is not really a component of Creationism, so who cares, right? (20 min ago | post #104096)
I haven't followed the IRS deal very closely yet. If someone in that organization did in fact make these types of political attacks then I am 100% opposed to it. They should be fired and investigated to the degree that is proportional to what they did. But that still has nothing to do with the topic. It is an incident. Crap happens all the time. Doesn't change the fundamental argument. (28 min ago | post #1697)
Bible study rules for public schools proposed
The second part of your post is also bogus. If you go to the Ledger's website and search for the author name George Caylor nothing comes up. That and the fact that the so called biologist is not named throws up a lot of red flags. And the text reads like a Creationist writing fantasy. I've read MANY things written by biologists. The idea of design is a joke to them. Just ask one about the "design" of the human spine, or sinus, or even the eye. Read something outside the Creationist propaganda machine. You might learn something interesting about reality. (10 hrs ago | post #104054)
Bible study rules for public schools proposed
Creationist propaganda. First, Richard Lewontin's quote is both incomplete and out of context. The quote comes from his review of Carl Sagan's book "The Demon Haunted World". You have chosen to present the incomplete quote, out of context, to make it sound like this guy is admitting that evolution is wrong but he is forced to play along. It is dishonest and a lie. Here: http://evolutionwi ki.org/wiki/Lewont in_on_materialism Read this page. It presents the quote as you present it, then it gives you the ENTIRE quote as it was actually written. In context. This man is an evolutionary biologist. Evolution is WHAT HE DOES FOR A LIVING. You are abusing his words and it is deceitful. Didn't god have something to say about liars? (10 hrs ago | post #104052)
Bible study rules for public schools proposed
Smug Creationist dodges never get old. (13 hrs ago | post #104039)
Bible study rules for public schools proposed
So you think the 10 year old child should have had the baby? She went through a body-altering pregnancy that could have killed her. She had to have a c-section, otherwise she would have died in childbirth. And you're ok with all of this? You don't think it would have been the moral choice to terminate the pregnancy? You are so enamored with this idea of magical souls that you would put a child's life in jeopardy? Regarding that last question you asked: of course not. Killing a child is murder. Having an abortion is a medical procedure. That's why you make the decision early if it is on the table for you. We don't need religious men dictating that decision for women. It's their body, their choice. And if you think kids having kids is OK you've got a serious brain problem, dude. Get off the Bible juice for a while. Join us here in reality. It's nice. (13 hrs ago | post #104038)
Bible study rules for public schools proposed
Yes, it does make me feel better to know that if a woman elects to end her pregnancy the fetus will never know about it or feel it in any way. That should make you feel better too. Then she can get on with her life. Go to school. Fulfill herself. And when she's ready to have a kid, if she wants to, she can do it. The kid she has will benefit from her wisdom and her love. We won't agree on this. Ever. But for me this is about suffering vs. not suffering. I don't care about god, souls, or magic. I care about reality. In Mexico last year there was a 10-year-old girl who was raped repeatedly. She got pregnant. Because their abortion laws are so strict, she was denied an abortion. She had a baby at 10. "She was raped repeatedly by her stepfather when she was 10 years old, but local laws do not allow terminations after three months." http://www.nydaily news.com/news/worl d/10-year-old-mexi can-girl-birth-bab y-boy-31-week-preg nancy-article-1.97 5740 Does that make you feel better or worse? (20 hrs ago | post #103973)
Bible study rules for public schools proposed
Yeah, the religion problem is that they assume a soul. Therefore the only rational line they can draw between human and not human is when the egg is fertilized. Once that happens, you have a baby. If you choose to abort, you are a murderer. Their logic is valid. The problem is their premise - that souls exist - is not. There is no evidence AT ALL for souls. ALL the available evidence points to the fact that we are what we are...physical entities in time. We live, we die, end of story. But if you are enamored of this idea of a soul then all other options seem scary. But I like what the late, great film critic Roger Ebert said about his own impending death: "I know it is coming, and I do not fear it, because I believe there is nothing on the other side of death to fear. I hope to be spared as much pain as possible on the approach path. I was perfectly content before I was born, and I think of death as the same state." http://www.salon.c om/2011/09/15/roge r_ebert/ As long as 85% of Americans continue to be obsessed with magical thinking, the rights of women to control their own reproductive health will be in jeopardy. (21 hrs ago | post #103961)
Bible study rules for public schools proposed
The foundation of science is observation, data collection, theory, criticism/review, and revision. The foundation of science is NOT "not knowing". And you should not assume "unexplainabl e circumstances ". If it is natural, we can study it. You need to look into theories of abiogenesis. Look at RNA world, for example. Look at thermal vents as a constant source of energy. MUCH work has been done in this field. Your characterization of this as being founded on "not knowing" is pure ignorance on your part. And laziness. Hell, ten minutes of honest research should *at least* make you acknowledge that this is a robust fiend of study. Stop being a dumb Creationist kook and learn something. Your repeated logical fallacies are tiring. http://en.wikipedi a.org/wiki/Abiogen esis http://www.talkori gins.org/faqs/abio prob/ http://wiki.ironch ariots.org/index.p hp?title=Abiogenes is http://en.wikipedi a.org/wiki/RNA_wor ld_hypothesis http://exploringor igins.org/rnaworld .html http://www.chem.du ke.edu/~jds/cruise _chem/Exobiology/s ites.html (21 hrs ago | post #103957)
Bible study rules for public schools proposed
When you look at the aggregate data on fetal development it seems that the ability to sense pain forms around 26 weeks. The number varies according to which researcher you are reading. Most put it between 24-29, but some say 18-28. Prior to this time period there is NO pain for the fetus. Also, there is no awareness in this time period. It isn't even clear when awareness actually begins. It certainly isn't prior to this time period. Without awareness it is hard to imagine that pain has any meaning at all. If your brain was in a state of complete unconsciousness without the ability to wake up and I stuck you with a needle would you feel it? It does get us into all sorts of moral/ethical questions. It is a messy, messy topic. I go with the science for my facts and I base my morals on the idea of well being. The mother is already an invested human being. Her rights are paramount. If she wants to end her pregnancy and if it reasonable to say that her fetus is incapable of feeling pain or being aware then abortion presents no dilemma. And since reproductive rights are a proven way to increase general well being I say it is a moral good to allow it. It is rare for abortions to be done past this time period anyway. The vast majority of them are done very early. An abortion done within the first three months should be no problem for any rational person. Unless you believe in magic, in which case you are possibly a nutter. (23 hrs ago | post #103931)
I have to admit, this guy trolls right on the fuzzy edge. Sometimes you think he's actually serious, other times he is obviously trolling the living sh*t out of the thread. The internet is like a museum of nuthuts when you get into these controversial topics. (23 hrs ago | post #1695)
Assuming you are serious, how did you go about determining that what you saw was Bigfoot? (Yesterday | post #33)
Bible study rules for public schools proposed
No, I'm not saying treat the symptom instead of the cause. I'm pointing out the fact that allowing women to choose their own reproductive futures reduces poverty. Restricting women's reproductive rights *increases* poverty. This is a fact. It is not controversial, it is not speculative, and it is not subject to your opinion or mine. The numbers bear it out. Do some poking around outside of religious websites and you will see what I mean. Regarding the second issue I understand where we have a breakdown in communication. I do not believe in magic or souls, I do not think that when my sperm busts into an egg God zaps a soul into the mix. I am a naturalist. It is biology and nothing more. My moral foundation is about well being. Suffering is a moral issue. If a fetus does not have the wiring hooked up to have feelings then there cannot be any suffering *by definition*. Therefore there is no moral problem. I don't care if the fetus might become a great person, that is not something I can know. All I can know is the statistics and the desires of the human being who is 100% responsible for growing the fetus into a real baby or deciding not to finish the process. As long as the fetus has not yet developed into a person who can feel, know, or sense anything at all then there simply CANNOT be any suffering involved. That is why I say prior to 26 weeks should be nobody's business. And I'm only saying it that way because I can accept that once the wiring is all hooked up suffering CAN happen. Then it becomes a moral issue. Messy, but morally important to talk about. (Friday | post #103901)
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