Honest Question

I know many of you are going to think I am being a smart butt, but honestly I am not.

Question:
Why do you care what we believe as far as the BBT and Evolution goes? How does me believing GOD DID IT, affect your life?

Does it truly bother you that much? Why do you work so hard to try and prove to use God didn't do it?

Again no sarcasm intended, I'm just curious.

God Bless
Melissa

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Matthew 6:33
But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.

Why in the formal debate section?

As for your question, this comic classic sums it up pretty well in my case.

Besides, I'm an evolutionary biologist in training. Of course I care that people not only reject my favourite theory in all of science, but do so based on a mightily mucked up "understanding" of it.

Just to be 100% clear, I don't care if you believe that the Christian God or Ptah or the Rainbow Serpent Did It. I don't think you'll often see me try to convert someone to atheism. I only care if you ignore observable reality in favour of your pet beliefs. Especially if you want those pet beliefs in the science class.

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"There is much we do not understand about the history of life, and the same will be true of our grandchildren. But, then, if we knew all there was to know, scientific interest would cease. Textbooks may portray science as a codification of facts, but it is really a disciplined way of asking about the unknown." - A.H. Knoll, Life on a Young Planet

"Come on, put your bloody thinking caps on!" - Dr Tony Prave, geology lecture

Originally Posted by Naraoia

Why in the formal debate section?

As for your question, this comic classic sums it up pretty well in my case.

Besides, I'm an evolutionary biologist in training. Of course I care that people not only reject my favourite theory in all of science, but do so based on a mightily mucked up "understanding" of it.

Just to be 100% clear, I don't care if you believe that the Christian God or Ptah or the Rainbow Serpent Did It. I don't think you'll often see me try to convert someone to atheism. I only care if you ignore observable reality in favour of your pet beliefs. Especially if you want those pet beliefs in the science class.

Fair enough, like I said it was an honest question.

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Matthew 6:33
But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.

Speaking for myself naturally...

"BBT" is of no particular interest to me. Maybe it is so, maybe it isnt. Here we are, after all, that is what counts. It is not equivalent to "In the beginning, God..." . I know a lot of Christians think of it as the atheist version of "In the beginning..." but it isnt. Because "In the beginning, God..' HAS to be true, for a Christian. BBT? doesnt matter. Does not HAVE to be true, or everything I believe falls apart. Maybe a god did it. I think that is less likely than that it managed on its own, but, who am I to say? There is no evidence to go on. Its like wondering what color dinosaurs were.

What you believe, or dont believe has no effect on me of course, not really.
Nor does what I think affect you, except to the extent that we might discuss it.

You have a couple of wrong assumptions, at least where i am concerned.


Your question "does it truly bother you that much"? is the wrong question, it does not apply at all. It doesnt bother me at all, let alone "that much".
Turn it around. Does what I think bother you that much? I have no idea.


Now as to why I would make any effort at all to show someone what evolution is really about, rather than the rather cartoonish, and very inaccurate versions presented by those opposed to it?


I guess there are a few reasons.

-I like to argue (not my best characteristic)
-I enjoy teaching (I do volunteer English language tutoring, i am also a teaching assistant at the U here)
-I think evolution is very interesting and worth knowing about
-Teaching / arguing is a way to make sure you know what you are talking about
-I am also curious about what sorts fo things people will believe, what level of evidence they need, how logical lthey will be. Did they just "decide" to believe, so they do, or is there a factual reason?

Here is another way to see it thru my eyes.

Suppose I said to you, well I dont want to be a Christian because they think that you have to eat fish on friday and i hate fish.

You might say something like, "No that is not so! "If you are going to accept or reject Christianity, then do it for a real reason, not for imagined or false reasons".

Then you could explain the whole history of the fish friday thing, and how I am simply mistaken in thinking I have to ear fish to be a Christian.

So by the same token, I see people rejecting evolution for equally senseless reasons, I feel like I want to say that if they want to reject it, then do it for a real reason, not some cartoon nonsense reason.

Several times I have asked people to put forward one, just one would do, fact / data based reason to say that the ToE is false. I never get one.
Maybe some day there will be one, and that person may well get the Nobel prize. So I dont think there is a REAL reason to reject evolution.

If a person wants to say that God guided earth and man thru millions of years' development, thats fine with me. I dont think so, but I cant prove, dont care to try to prove, that it isnt so. So, its not at all about "prove that God didnt do it".

If they want to say that it all happened in a week a few thousand years ago, then there is fuel for a debate.

Long answer... did it explain anything to you?

It doesn't bother me that people believe it individually. What I am bothered by is that people with these (your) beliefs often want to teach either that evolution is not really correct or teach that creationism and/or ID are possible alternatives. The only way to stop this madness is to make the people who really believe in ID and creationism see that they're wrong. It might be a futile exercise, but it needs to be done. My sensabilities are offended when people say things like "Evolution is just a theory" or suggest that creationism and ID are just as valid viewpoints as evolution. And to teach this nonsense to children is bad for society.

In several US states atheists are prohibited against holding public office or testifying in court. Now, let's try to turn the tables for a second. What if it was illegal to hold public office or testify in court unless you submitted yourself to Allah or had to denounce the existance of God? Would you care?

Peter

Those prohibitions are of course voided by the Fourteenth Amendment.

That's good to hear, though perhaps not that surprising.

Still, I find it rather scary how eager people are to legislate their religiously based bigotry. Makes me glad to live in an atheist majority country.

Peter

I believe in the BBT and Evolution because it explains how things happened. It explains things about stars, planets and life on earth. I find that interesting, the idea that some random superpower of awesome decided to create the universe and we're being conrolled? I'd like to think humans are developing on their own, discovering new things.
I like to prove my point, because, just like and delusional christian, I want to save people.
Not really
I wouldn't try to change anyone. I just liek to state what I believe, should anyone ask - especially those who would try and change me.

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I really don't care what anyone else thinks. As for these forums, it consumes roughly .01% of my time, and I use it basically to shore up my argument when I have occasion (very seldom sadly) to debate with a creationist.

My bachelor's was in Biology, and I spend a fair amount of time reading science books as time permits. So, for me, I dig science. My seven and four year old daughters are discovering the excitement with science as well. (My seven year old goes to a private school, and much to my chagrin, as her teacher was talking about dinosaurs, she raised her hand and stated that dinosaurs lived way before humans did... so we had to have a little talk that evening )

I do take exception when pseudoscience demands to be taught along legitimate, globally accepted real science. It is the height of human arrogance for a religious group to demand that a religious view be taught in the classroom as a viable alternative to real science. It should be left in a Eastern/Western religious studies course, where all creation stories are presented.

BTW, you do know this is the debate section of the forums.

Do you care what we think regarding science?

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We are surrounded by endless forms, most beautiful and most wonderful, and it is no accident, but the direct consequence of evolution by non-random natural selection - the only game in town, the greatest show on Earth. ~R.D.