Quebec community cool to Darwin

Montreal Gazette via Canada.com ^ | May 20 2006 | Alison Lampert

[Constantine XIII]

Hey, I'm all for evolution. I was just trying to get a laugh. :)

[Almagest]

I took it wrong. That kind of "argument" is about all we get from the overwhelming majority of the cre-ID-ers, so I was fooled.

My apologies.

[ketelone]

From O brother where art thou, the movie:

"Well Ah ain't come descended from no monkeys"!

[dartuser]

You have the original New Testament? ... could you send me that in softcopy? I would be very interested in that.

[Virginia-American]

...The supernatural realm has many more dimensions that we cannot conceive of which explains a lot about our beginnings ...

We cannot conceive of, yet you're able to talk about. Interesting

[metmom]

The weakness of science -- that's a good question for discussion. Human error, perhaps.

*Perhaps*? How about *absolutely!* Science is determined and performed by very error prone human beings. It is not some independent field that men stumbled onto that is outside of human experience. It is not all that objective because what it is, is determined by men.

[Almagest]

Me: The weakness of science -- that's a good question for discussion. Human error, perhaps.

You: *Perhaps*? How about *absolutely!*

That's fine. Every field of thought is subject to human error -- but nothing has proven more useful, and more successful, in mitigating that error than the methods of science. Even the claims of absolute authority for one's religious opinions does not do as much to eliminate error. Witness the thousands of competing doctrinal opinions among Christians, all based on only once source of authority -- one "piece of evidence."

[metmom]

One piece of evidence is all that's needed if it's true. The Bible is not invalidated just because it's *one*. As a matter of fact, until it was all collected and put together in one, easy to reference source, it wasn't just one piece of literature. It's one now for convenience but has many authors from many time periods.

[Almagest]

One piece of evidence is all that's needed if it's true. The Bible is not invalidated just because it's *one*.

I said nothing about invalidation. I said that the methods of science have been far more effective at overcoming human error than have arguments among Christians who all believe in that "one" source. My point was that, even working with only "one" source -- a source that just about all conservative Christians agree on -- there are still thousands of unresolved problems. If they problems are not due to the "source" -- they must be due to human error.

I am somewhat knowledgeable in the area of Christian hermeneutics. Those principles have been developed for this very purpose -- to help people more accurately interpret scripture. They are pretty good tools -- but still, there are thousands of unresolved problems. That is all I was pointing out.

[bvw]

"Biology" masquerades as biology. At work in the manufactured gullies that draw off the parking lot overflow and direct it into the catch basin there is eight inch size crushed rock. It's full of fool's gold. Nobody notices it, I see, except me.

Fool's gold -- iron pyrite, often found in proximity to real gold. And there -- a parking lot full of employed persons, earning their gold-equivalent.

Simple biology. In masquerade. Call Charles Lydell.

[Coyoteman]

"Biology" masquerades as biology. At work in the manufactured gullies that draw off the parking lot overflow and direct it into the catch basin there is eight inch size crushed rock. It's full of fool's gold. Nobody notices it, I see, except me.

Fool's gold -- iron pyrite, often found in proximity to real gold. And there -- a parking lot full of employed persons, earning their gold-equivalent.

Simple biology. In masquerade. Call Charles Lydell.

Sorry, you seem to be speaking in tongues or something tonight.

What is it you are really trying to say? I don't have the energy for a scavenger hunt.

[Almagest]

I think I can translate that gibberish for you:

The pellet with the poison is in the vessel with the pestle. The chalice from the palace has the brew that is true.

Or something like that.

[js1138]

Lurking...

[Revolting cat!]

Well said, metmom. To the persistent claims of superiority and near infallibility of science and the believers in science as the highest human pursuit, I'll just have to answer with an old observation: "the fish don't know they're wet!"

[Coyoteman]

To the persistent claims of superiority and near infallibility of science and the believers in science as the highest human pursuit, I'll just have to answer with an old observation: "the fish don't know they're wet!"

In response to this, Heinlein said it best:

What are the facts? Again and again and again - what are the facts? Shun wishful thinking, ignore divine revelation, forget what 'the stars foretell,' avoid opinion, care not what the neighbors think, never mind the unguessable 'verdict of history' - what are the facts, and to how many decimal places? You pilot always into an unknown future; facts are your only clue. Get the facts!

Robert A. Heinlein, Time Enough for Love, 1973

[Revolting cat!]

And in response to that, Akira Kurosawa said best.

[metmom]

Facts are the fossil and geologic record. You find a fossil, it's buried in dirt, radioactive dating can be done using known half-lifes of isotopes, presumng we know how much of the original material there was in the sample, but it's the interpretation of all that, that is a different matter. That's what the main disagreement appears to be over.

[metmom]

Buried in dirt=encased in rock=fossilized=whatever form they're in

Poor choice of words there. Benadryl taking effect. snore...

[tgambill]

Ahh you are right.....so, then what amobe or monkey do you look like? Just curious. I'm sure one of your ancestors was either a crawly thing or jumped from tree to tree. Maybe, just maybe with your intelligence IQ, one of your hairy ancestors invented fire.....hmmmmm :))) lolol

So, if I say that you or your favorite kid looks like a monkey I assume you wouldn't be insulted...right? :)))) wink.

[tgambill]

uh, nat me unhinged, you's became unhinged from da beginning swet pea. It muzt mean dat I musta hit a nerve in yor tineey tiny brain....:)) I wrote so that you could understand it.....naw hisn't dat better for ya....