Hi Patrick. I saw a bumper sticker on a car today that i thought you’d like: “Atheism is a non-prophet organization” that was a creative one.
I dont know that you can rule out darwinian thought embedded in evolution teaching in schools today all together. I realize that evolutionary ideas have evolved. The evolution from a darwinian focus makes selection its key player. Now selection takes a back seat behind genetic mutation but selection is still in play. The other darwinian concept still in play is the need for a lot of time needed for purely naturalistic evolution from a simple celled common decent. That hasn’t changed. Much of the mainline thinking of darwinian evolution seems still in play whether they call it by that label or not it seems. I could be wrong so please inform me otherwise.
As far as the idea of God being involved in creation being neutral…first of all. Why are you capitalizing the “G” in “God?” Most guys like yourself keep the g in lower case…thankyou if this is to respect my belief in a Great God!
Anyway, in respect to this neutrality, are you telling me that school textbooks actually do give as an option for the existence of complex bio machines in this world the idea that God just created them? If science is truely “neutral” about either God or no God involved in the process, then you would think that God is brought into the equation so our kids can freely make the decision for themselves about God or no God. If God is left out of the argument all together in the science of our beginnings, then neutrality is out the door for an indoctrination of the religion of humanistic materialism or atheism. My wife and i dont force our kids to believe what we believe or else! To do so is the grounds for creating a fake hypocritical Christian. Instead, we relay to our kids all of the options, admitting to them that we rationally and experientially very fond of the Christian worldview and have them read of the tremendous good done in the name of Christ. And we are happy to share with them stories of many of the wrongs produced by Christians as there are plenty. We show how these things are not observing Scriptural principle and may have been accomplished by people who SAY they are Christians but are really more interested in a potential selfish benefit of taking on the name.
We will also explain the consequences to behavior not in line with Scripture. The big 10 commandments alone, if they were obeyed in American society today would make this country a much better place to live in with far less consequences of every sort. And we are glad to share stories of relationships we have with people like yourself who do not believe in God. My kids know about my discussions with you. They know you are seeming caring about stopping they evil amongst some priests and evangelical pastors alike yet you dont believe in God. We want our kids to be well informed. From there, they are free to choose and our prayer and guidance hopes that they choose wisely.
Yes, we have a good marketing department. Here are some items to buy for your friends or ministers. Oh, have you ever heard of “The Clergy Project”?
What is the problem with the neutral theory of evolution being taught in public schools? Regarding the time line from simple cell to all living plants and animals, that is pretty much set in the fossil record from 4.1 billion years old until now. The tree of life is pretty much complete with branching dates verified. Where is the problem in teaching these dates?
I use upper case God for the Abrahamic god of the Old Testament, a lower case god for Greek or Egyptian gods. No, it is not to be respectful as I usually try to be as blasphemous and heretical as possible.
No that would be unlawful and unconstitutional for a school textbook to give the idea that the Christian/Judeo/Islamic God exists.
No, God can’t be brought into the equation. And neither can atheism be brought into the classroom as atheism is the belief that God doesn’t exist, which isn’t allowed either.
What you do with your kids at home is your business (as long as you don’t abuse your kids and the State’s Child protection agencies need to be involved). But if you are normal parents, you will indoctrinate your children into your religion. And as the become teenagers or in their twenties, they will most like leave that faith and become Nones.
The 1st command is unconstitutional so that is out. Then 2nd and 3rd Commandants are out as they have to do with God. Coveting your neighbors goods is good for the economy so that is out. Adultery is not a crime any more so that is out. The laws and trials on murder require many lawyers and the crime justice system to adjudicate, so that commandment is subject to interpretation. Honor mother and father is what Mother’s day and Father’s day are for, so they are out and replaced with cards, flowers, and phone calls. Lying is out as we have a President who lies about 50 time a day and is endorsed by the Christian right. So what left - don’t covet your neighbors wife. I okay with that one, as long is she isn’t hot, and sunbathing nude.
Well Patrick. Thankyou for verifying through these quite childish responses (you are a dad?) where you cannot even admit that the adherance to a command of not murdering isnt helpful. This along with the other childish banter, add meaning towards all my Christian brethren in earshot of this exchange how naturalistic evolution or even proposed evolutionary methodologies that leave God largely out of the creation equation by Patrick are not becomming of our faith. God in His grace and ultimate favor created Adam and Eve, the mother of all the living and created animals according to their kinds, male and female for procreating and filling this planet with beauty that gives Him glory!
This non neutral unproven and perhaps unprovable proposition that Patrick thinks is “neutral” in the below quote is not ours to own in any stretch of the imagination:
:[quote=“Patrick, post:22, topic:1622”]
What is the problem with the neutral theory of evolution being taught in public schools? Regarding the time line from simple cell to all living plants and animals, that is pretty much set in the fossil record from 4.1 billion years old until now. The tree of life is pretty much complete with branching dates verified. Where is the problem in teaching these dates?
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The US military spends $600 billion dollars a year to have the finest killing arsenal the world have ever seen.
I think that is the whole point of this site - whether Adam and Eve were created by God or are just characters in a fictional story. Everything I have seen continues to point to a purely fictional story. Or perhaps a literary pointing to the founders of the priestly group of an ancient people - @Alice_Linsley
In general response to the above comments, what would be appropriate in schools is a Survey of Religion class, which can discuss hese topics separately from the science curriculum.
It’ll be quite hard for me to explain the difference between killing and murder to someone like yourself who develops his entire ethic on personal feelings and no true standard (if that is really you), but i will try anyway: killing in self defense of someone trying to take me or my family out is quite different than murdering out of anger over a dispute.
The arsenal especially of atomic weapons in the hands of a peaceable country keeps any anger from an enemy who wants to murder us at bay.
Patrick- are you being for real in these posts? Sometimes i feel u throw these odd arguments just to catch what you would see as an “idiot” “psycho” yec in a silly response or something. You are a man with a phd and your arguments are not at all attractive towards a materialistic worldview you adhere to at all unless this is just some type of act. For real, whats up?
Life is too short to be telling other people what they should believe, at least where religion is concerned. Facts and science are worth arguing over, but not beliefs.
If there is anything I would argue for it is secularism, and this is something that many atheists and theists agree on. We should celebrate and support religious freedom which is what secularism is all about.
We have already opened Pandora’s box. We can’t simply forget how to make these weapons. Mutually Assured Desctruction has brought 70 years of the most peaceful times in modern history, so it can’t be all bad.
MAD hasn’t been the reason for the peace we have enjoyed for the past 70 years. Peace came about because of the rise of the true global economy. It is too expensive and disruptive to wage war between nations any longer. Stephen Pinker in Enlightment Now argues that Secular Humanism of the Enlightenment is happening now on a global scale and is the primary reason for war becoming a thing of the past.
Murder and poverty are way down globally. The Human Condition is actually getting much better globally as time goes on. There are still problems, but the advanced of science and secular humanism is really providing improvements in most people lives all over the planet.
@Patrick, I noticed that there is an important follow-up story about the “Indiana Satanists Adopt a Highway” news item. The latest headline is “Indiana Highway Petitions Court for Emancipation from Parents”
(@Michael_Callen dared me to go ahead and post that. Yes, we are easily amused.)
