My Theory, That Which Is Mine, And Which Belongs To Me

[filkertom]

William Saletan dismembers Intelligent Design.

Nicked from kightp, who got it from phinnia and lysana, who might've got it from Agnes....

Comments

[delayra.livejournal.com]

... and she got it from Jim, we all agree it must have been Louise who gave it to him

Wow, that's a song I've not heard in about a decade. Wonder if it's available online anywhere?

[trdsf.livejournal.com]

I remember my college hosting an Evolution vs Creationism debate, with a local fundie minister and the head of our biology department. I asked what was so inconceivable about the Big Bang being the 'let there be light' moment instead of a wholly improbable six-day schedule. The answer I got was roughly "because the Bible says so". Feh.

The minister later said the single stupidest and most depressing thing I have ever heard a minister say: "It would destroy my faith in God if we ever discovered life on another planet." How tiny a god he believes in, if he really can't conceive of anything grander than Earth!

[wormquartet.livejournal.com]

Maybe. But buy the "Remains of Tom Lehrer" box set anyway if you can. It's some of the most brilliant musical satire ever created, and the fact that it still packs a punch now despite being topical over 40 years ago is staggering on many levels.

I got mine cheap at half.com (a seriously underrated online music source.)

-=ShoEboX=-

[wormquartet.livejournal.com]

Yeah, it's hard to have serious arguments with someone who views the text of a single book as "proof."

-=ShoEboX=-

[trdsf.livejournal.com]

Or more to the point, regards a work of theology to be scientific proof.

[filkertom.livejournal.com]

I'm involved in a long argument about this on another LJ. I guess I really am closed-minded... at least to people trying to pass off fairy tales as science, explain why people willing to believe anything they hear are "scientific minded", and spend lots of time reasonably and rationally chastising me for having a problem with superstitious asses trying to legislate their mythology into science classes.

[devospice.livejournal.com]

That's insane.

Of course you realize the first thing that would happen is they would set up some kind of ministry to spread "the word" to this new planet so they can marklar their marklar even though they're perfectly happy with their marklar.

I do like your Big Bang = "Let there be light" idea. It reminds me of a Far Side cartoon I saw in high school, which in my opinion bridges the gap perfectly between evolution and creationism. Two angles are standing on clouds looking down at the earth. One says "He calls it evolution. He says it'll put the whole process on automatic."

[trdsf.livejournal.com]

What really bothers me about the Evolution/Creationism debate is that I am, in fact, very religious at the core. I have strong beliefs about the existence of a divine force in the universe (I say there is one, but YMMV :)). However, I also recognize that religion is asking a totally different question about the universe than science is. Science wants to know 'how'; religion wants to know 'why', and I cannot scientifically prove any of my religious beliefs. As much as I "know" what I believe about the supernatural portion of the universe, I am bound by every precedent of intellectual and ethical behavior to limit myself to saying that I merely believe it--I freely admit that however strong my beliefs, there is the chance that I'm wrong, and that I'm going on the basis of faith as much as unrepeatable observation.

Such caveats aside, I am willing to say that "my" God is bigger than the god worshipped by fundies, Creationists, et al, because mine is capable of allowing fifteen billion years for a hot, expanding cloud of nuclear plasma to become everything there is--including us, and we're only a very tiny part of that everything. There's nothing more awe-inspiring than that. I see wonders greater than any myth--Biblical, classical Hellenic, you name it--every time I look through my telescope. To borrow from Carl Sagan in Contact, it may make Man awfully small, but it makes God awfully big.

[trdsf.livejournal.com]

I have *got* to get a copy of that cartoon. :)