# Welcome MarkD

**URL:** <https://discourse.peacefulscience.org/t/welcome-markd/13098>\
**Category:** Conversation\
**Tags:** Introduction\
**Created:** [January 28, 2021, 7:03pm UTC](https://discourse.peacefulscience.org/t/welcome-markd/13098 "2021-01-28T19:03:00Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 13\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![system](https://us1.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/uploads/peacefulscience/original/2X/6/6b7bf72453a5c60b0919b6b89a27dc18bc52382c.png) [@system](https://discourse.peacefulscience.org/u/system)\
**Post date:** [January 28, 2021, 3:18am UTC](https://discourse.peacefulscience.org/t/welcome-markd/13098/1 "2021-01-28T03:18:33Z")

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Nice to meet you @MarkD .

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**Author:** ![MarkD](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/discourse.peacefulscience.org/markd/32/11266_2.png) [@MarkD](https://discourse.peacefulscience.org/u/MarkD)\
**Post date:** [January 28, 2021, 7:03pm UTC](https://discourse.peacefulscience.org/t/welcome-markd/13098/2 "2021-01-28T19:03:00Z")

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Thank you. Nice to meet you as well, @swamidass. I’d heard people refer to you and this website over at Biologos but I didn’t find my way here until you posted about this talk on the Celebrating Creation Facebook group.

I see you use the same platform as they do, which I like a lot. I wonder how your website is intended to be different from BioLogos. I suspect your ‘mission’ is similar though I haven’t checked carefully.

I find I’m interested in religion as an aspect of humanity. Even though I don’t practice one I find it very easy to attach meaning to many Christian terms. I feel as though there are depths within us where wisdom can outstrip our best rational efforts in some domains. “God” as a unified, external agency seems very unlikely to me. A personal afterlife and the supernatural generally are the other Christian ideas for which I find no affinity. But all in all, I think religion as a culturally evolved system for pointing the individual to look for what is greater than oneself has value. For that reason I am pro-religion although I’m also in favor of acquiring as much insight into ourselves and religion as possible.

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**Author:** ![swamidass](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/discourse.peacefulscience.org/swamidass/32/3_2.png) [@swamidass](https://discourse.peacefulscience.org/u/swamidass)\
**Post date:** [January 29, 2021, 3:32am UTC](https://discourse.peacefulscience.org/t/welcome-markd/13098/3 "2021-01-29T03:32:57Z")

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You can learn more about Peaceful Science here:

> **[Our Mission and Values](https://peacefulscience.org/mission-and-values/)**
>
> We fill a unique role in the conversation. Our values will be made more concrete as we align our organization, community, blog, and forum to this mission.

We have _some_ overlap with BioLogos, but not much. This article from @sfmatheson might also help:

> **[A Humanist’s Invitation to Peaceful Science](https://peacefulscience.org/stephen-matheson-humanists-invitation/)**
>
> Former Christian turned atheist, Stephen Matheson, invites fellow secular humanists to join the growing conversation at Peaceful Science.

Of course, there is also the GAE:

> **[The Genealogical Adam and Eve](http://peacefulscience.org/genealogical-adam-eve/)**
>
> Some think Adam and Eve are a myth. Some think evolution is a myth. Either way, science opens up space to engage larger questions together.

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**Author:** ![MarkD](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/discourse.peacefulscience.org/markd/32/11266_2.png) [@MarkD](https://discourse.peacefulscience.org/u/MarkD)\
**Post date:** [January 29, 2021, 5:48am UTC](https://discourse.peacefulscience.org/t/welcome-markd/13098/4 "2021-01-29T05:48:25Z")

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Those are helpful, thanks. I especially appreciated Stephen Matheson’s:

> Peaceful Science’s [mission](https://peacefulscience.org/mission-and-values/) is explicitly humanistic: “…encouraging conversation around the grand question: _what does it mean to be human?_ ”

That is really what interests me. The science emphasis is probably a good balance for my humanities background.

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**Author:** ![swamidass](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/discourse.peacefulscience.org/swamidass/32/3_2.png) [@swamidass](https://discourse.peacefulscience.org/u/swamidass)\
**Post date:** [January 29, 2021, 5:55am UTC](https://discourse.peacefulscience.org/t/welcome-markd/13098/5 "2021-01-29T05:55:29Z")

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That’s great. Glad you found us and looking forward to the conversation with you.

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**Author:** ![Michelle](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/discourse.peacefulscience.org/michelle/32/7229_2.png) [@Michelle](https://discourse.peacefulscience.org/u/Michelle)\
**Post date:** [January 30, 2021, 2:20pm UTC](https://discourse.peacefulscience.org/t/welcome-markd/13098/6 "2021-01-30T14:20:16Z")

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Nice seeing you here, Mark. There are a few of us here who engage over at BioLogos, as well. The topics and directions of the discourses do differ on the two forums.

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**Author:** ![Jordan](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/discourse.peacefulscience.org/jordan/32/756_2.png) [@Jordan](https://discourse.peacefulscience.org/u/Jordan)\
**Post date:** [January 30, 2021, 2:26pm UTC](https://discourse.peacefulscience.org/t/welcome-markd/13098/7 "2021-01-30T14:26:40Z")

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> [@MarkD](#):
>
> > Peaceful Science’s [mission](https://peacefulscience.org/mission-and-values/) is explicitly humanistic: “…encouraging conversation around the grand question: _what does it mean to be human?_ ”
> 
> That is really what interests me. The science emphasis is probably a good balance for my humanities background.

Could you tell us more about your background? We have quite a broad set of backgrounds and interests here and it’s always interesting to hear where people are “coming from”.

I’m a science professor at a small Christian liberal arts university. I love having conversations with my humanities colleagues, both seeing the differences in approach and similarities.

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**Author:** ![MarkD](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/discourse.peacefulscience.org/markd/32/11266_2.png) [@MarkD](https://discourse.peacefulscience.org/u/MarkD)\
**Post date:** [January 30, 2021, 3:25pm UTC](https://discourse.peacefulscience.org/t/welcome-markd/13098/8 "2021-01-30T15:25:36Z")

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Thanks Michelle. I’m noticing a more culturally open feel here. While I’m most familiar with Christianity I am definitely more interested in how people can peacefully coexist and learn from each other in a pluralistic society. The segment of Christianity and Islam which obsess over cultural domination distress me no less than anti-theistic atheism.

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**Author:** ![MarkD](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/discourse.peacefulscience.org/markd/32/11266_2.png) [@MarkD](https://discourse.peacefulscience.org/u/MarkD)\
**Post date:** [January 30, 2021, 3:25pm UTC](https://discourse.peacefulscience.org/t/welcome-markd/13098/9 "2021-01-30T15:25:38Z")

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Sure. I’m not that developed in any particular field. I’m retired now from having taught middle school mathematics for 25 years. My first obsession when I was in middle school myself was everything to do with the diversity of animals and their behavior. After leaving college for a while I became interested in all things spiritual eventually becoming interested in psychology, especially Jung and Hillman. Back in college in my late twenties i majored in philosophy as an undergrad before getting into education. Since retiring five years ago I’ve read many more wonderful novels than I had in all the rest of my life. I think it has taken me this long to become as interested in our humanity as I had started off being in other animals. But when I want to think hard some more about how we are now, I turn to Iain McGilchrist’s The Master and His Emissary which I read between novels.

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**Author:** ![Michael\_Okoko](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/discourse.peacefulscience.org/michael_okoko/32/13148_2.png) [@Michael\_Okoko](https://discourse.peacefulscience.org/u/Michael_Okoko)\
**Post date:** [January 30, 2021, 5:12pm UTC](https://discourse.peacefulscience.org/t/welcome-markd/13098/10 "2021-01-30T17:12:21Z")

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Welcome MarkD. There is always an empty chair reserved for you 😉

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**Author:** ![swamidass](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/discourse.peacefulscience.org/swamidass/32/3_2.png) [@swamidass](https://discourse.peacefulscience.org/u/swamidass)\
**Post date:** [January 30, 2021, 6:38pm UTC](https://discourse.peacefulscience.org/t/welcome-markd/13098/11 "2021-01-30T18:38:39Z")

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> [@MarkD](#):
>
> I am definitely more interested in how people can peacefully coexist and learn from each other in a pluralistic society.

That is what we are about, in a very central way. Have you seen this yet?

> **[John Inazu: Humility, Tolerance, Patience](https://peacefulscience.org/articles/inazu-humility-tolerance-patience/)**
>
> We disagree. These disagreements matter. Still, we can find a better way than conflict. Let us move towards one another from here.

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**Author:** ![MarkD](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/discourse.peacefulscience.org/markd/32/11266_2.png) [@MarkD](https://discourse.peacefulscience.org/u/MarkD)\
**Post date:** [January 30, 2021, 11:25pm UTC](https://discourse.peacefulscience.org/t/welcome-markd/13098/12 "2021-01-30T23:25:08Z")

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I see what you mean, a very similar direction. Started listening and things came up. Will come back for the rest soon.

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**Author:** ![system](https://us1.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/uploads/peacefulscience/original/2X/6/6b7bf72453a5c60b0919b6b89a27dc18bc52382c.png) [@system](https://discourse.peacefulscience.org/u/system)\
**Post date:** [February 6, 2021, 11:25pm UTC](https://discourse.peacefulscience.org/t/welcome-markd/13098/13 "2021-02-06T23:25:14Z")

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Closed on February 6, 2021, 11:25pm UTC

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