"Religion is a common socially transmitted disease cured by reading or traveling."
-Anonymous
Religion
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Tommy Martyn
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Sloth, don't know how much you can follow this out there, but the "intelligent design" crew took control of the Kansas school board again in the recent elections. To get their views into school textbooks they have redefined the meaning of the word "science." It used to be about exploration of the natural world. They have now expanded it to include the supernatural. I'm not making this up.
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TragicPixie
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That makes me sad Tommy - but I already heard about that.
Their arguement is that evolution is a theory (it is) which isn't proven ... it's been scientifically proven until a better theory comes along and all but according to their arguement it's not set in stone. Of course, there isn't much if any proof against evolution.
Regardless, if they want to introduct aternate theories in textbooks that's fine - as long as they have been subjected to the same scientific scrunity that other theories have been. If ID were it wouldn't pass as something equally valid.
The problem is people are not acting as if all theories, opinion, etc. are equally valid and do not recongise that some are more valid than others.
... and that would be why I got out of the sciences.
Their arguement is that evolution is a theory (it is) which isn't proven ... it's been scientifically proven until a better theory comes along and all but according to their arguement it's not set in stone. Of course, there isn't much if any proof against evolution.
Regardless, if they want to introduct aternate theories in textbooks that's fine - as long as they have been subjected to the same scientific scrunity that other theories have been. If ID were it wouldn't pass as something equally valid.
The problem is people are not acting as if all theories, opinion, etc. are equally valid and do not recongise that some are more valid than others.
... and that would be why I got out of the sciences.
Lie to me, it takes less time to drink you pretty.
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Tommy Martyn
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Okay look. The most I'm making here is a transition from atheist to agnostic. No one need fear for me here.
The Kate Bush album just sounded like god to me. So I questioned my beliefs, naturally. I whimsically pulled out a religious book I read some of maybe 4 or 5 years ago that was not the bible. It still seemed silly, incomprehensible, but in a foggy state of mind eating my cereal in the morning, it can be fun to read for a bit.
Anyway...
I've decided the problem is if you ask me if I believe in a god, or gods or God, the problem is I don't know what we are talking about when we say "God". I decided that without us having first come to an agreement on what god actually IS, we simply can't connect, and I can't tell you whether I believe in god or not because I don't know what it is that you and I mutually understand god to be.
Some people think that god is the whole universe including ourselves, some people think god is a pateralistic or maternalistic force that takes care of the whole human race or maybe just our individual selves. Some people think that god moves in time with us, exerting will and taking actions. Some believe god is a stationary observer.
Some people believe god is in a Kate Bush album, even.
But the point here is I can think of some concepts of what "god" is, or MIGHT be, that seem more palatable to me than others, and indeed there do seem to be many of these different concepts of "god".
That's all I'm going to say at this juncture.
The last song is like a rave version of Led Zeppelin! Play Kate Bush's "Aerial" the title track, the last song and tell me that is not a rave version of Led Zeppelin. Does she NOT remind you of Robert Plant when she sings "I feel I wanna be up on the roof/I feel I need to be up on the roof"? Can you not imagine the fantasy extended version that lasts 20 min. on which 1000 people dance on E all night til 8 am?
The Kate Bush album just sounded like god to me. So I questioned my beliefs, naturally. I whimsically pulled out a religious book I read some of maybe 4 or 5 years ago that was not the bible. It still seemed silly, incomprehensible, but in a foggy state of mind eating my cereal in the morning, it can be fun to read for a bit.
Anyway...
I've decided the problem is if you ask me if I believe in a god, or gods or God, the problem is I don't know what we are talking about when we say "God". I decided that without us having first come to an agreement on what god actually IS, we simply can't connect, and I can't tell you whether I believe in god or not because I don't know what it is that you and I mutually understand god to be.
Some people think that god is the whole universe including ourselves, some people think god is a pateralistic or maternalistic force that takes care of the whole human race or maybe just our individual selves. Some people think that god moves in time with us, exerting will and taking actions. Some believe god is a stationary observer.
Some people believe god is in a Kate Bush album, even.
But the point here is I can think of some concepts of what "god" is, or MIGHT be, that seem more palatable to me than others, and indeed there do seem to be many of these different concepts of "god".
That's all I'm going to say at this juncture.
The last song is like a rave version of Led Zeppelin! Play Kate Bush's "Aerial" the title track, the last song and tell me that is not a rave version of Led Zeppelin. Does she NOT remind you of Robert Plant when she sings "I feel I wanna be up on the roof/I feel I need to be up on the roof"? Can you not imagine the fantasy extended version that lasts 20 min. on which 1000 people dance on E all night til 8 am?