Posted on 09/07/2004 12:47:31 PM PDT by PatrickHenry
Serbian Education Minister Ljiljana Colic has ordered schools to stop teaching children the theory of evolution for this year, and to resume teaching it in future only if it shares equal billing with creationism.
The move has shocked educators and textbook editors in the formerly communist state, where religion was kept out of education and politics and was only recently allowed to enter the classroom.
“(Darwinism) is a theory as dogmatic as the one which says God created the first man,” Colic told the daily Glas Javnosti.
Colic, an Orthdox Christian, ordered that evolution theory be dropped from this year’s biology course for 14- and 15-year-olds in the final grade of primary school. As of next year, both creationism and evolution will be taught, she said.
Creationism teaches that a supernatural being created man and the universe. Most scientists regard “creation science” as religious dogma, not empirical science.
[Snip here, because I don't know if we can reproduce all of this material.]
Belgrade University biology lecturer Nikola Tucic called the education minister’s ruling a “disaster.”
“This is outrageous ... We are slowly turning into a theocratic state and in the 21st century we are going back to the Book of Revelations,” Tucic told Glas Javnosti, referring to the final section of the Christian Bible.
[Another snip here.]
Lecturer Tucic suspected Colic’s order was a move by Prime Minister Vojislav Kostunica to bolster his conservative party’s flagging political strength by winning church support.
“This was a political decision which clearly shows the church is not minding its own business, but is deep into politics,” he said.
(Excerpt) Read more at msnbc.msn.com ...
> Without some sort of creator to set things in motion, these theories become somewhat absurd.
Actually, no. Just as virtual particle pairs can pop in and out of existence without violating conservation of mass, it's certainly possible that an entire universe (and it's negative-mass equivalent) could as well.
Also, one intriguing possibility is that the universe is self-creating, on a perpetual cycle. No real beginning, no real end. If there is no creation, there's no need for a creator.
And then there's the idea that was put forth 2-3 months back (and argued hereabouts) that a "pocket universe" could be created by human-level intelligence, with another century or so of technology and energy. Hence... there *could* be a "Creator," but that creator might no more be God than you are.
I thought 1+1=0. But then what do I know?
That's in Galois Field arithmetic, in this case in GF(2):
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Galois Field placemarker
Huh?
Since there seems to be an enormous amount of ignorance concerning the difference between a theory and law, I would suggest the following link:
http://pasadena.wr.usgs.gov/office/ganderson/es10/lectures/lecture01/lecture01.html
The automobile example I used could just as well have been nuts and bolts (much simpler) or stainless steel (simpler yet). The fact that life does reproduce only strengthens the argument for a designer. DNA alone and supposedly spontaneously assembled is insufficient for reproduction. The probability of random creation of DNA, as riduculously high as it is, becomes ridiculously higher when you start to add the other materials required for reproduction.
Automobiles don't reproduce, but an alloy as simple as stainless steel should be found in great abundance since the probability for spontaneous assembly is much less than that for all the materials required for reproducible life (DNA, transcriptase, etc.). Considering the time line required for evolution, there should be equally enormous amounts of the precursors for life, but there isn't. The automobile example only suggests an examination of your own thinking, which automatically accepts a designer in one case but not the other.
Modern communism involves gulags, secret police, and the replacement of the old family bonds and functions with state agencies. You can't get to that starting from Christianity; you can starting from Darwinism.
The ignorance is yours and the link is wrong about the definition of theory-to-Law progression (perhaps dumbed down to the point to stupidity might be a better description). In today's world you can probably find any idea expressed on the net but that doesn't make it correct.
> The probability of random creation of DNA, as riduculously high as it is,
The likelihood of DNA forming in conditions of those of the early Earth are not only better than 100%, it's very likely to have occured countless times.
Those who have told you that the chances of DNA forming naturally are "one chance in 10Ebajillion" are liars.
> but an alloy as simple as stainless steel should be found in great abundance since the probability for spontaneous assembly is much less than that for all the materials required for reproducible life (DNA, transcriptase, etc.).
No, it's not.
> Considering the time line required for evolution, there should be equally enormous amounts of the precursors for life, but there isn't.
You are incorrect. An examination of the universe shows that the precursors of life are everywhere in great abundance. Oceans of the stuff appear to be on Titan. The only reason why "primordial oooze" or whatever you might want to call it is not found naturally on Earth is because life already used it all up.
> You can't get to that starting from Christianity; you can starting from Darwinism.
I assume that was a typo; otherwise you're wrong on both counts. Christians have justified just such horrors via Biblical sources (largely OT); while trying to derive a social structure from Darwins observations of cause-and-effect would be like trying to order a society based on Keplers observations of planetary motion.
Primordial placemarker.
You beat me to it.
Of course, the answers to 1+1 are not arbitrary. Each case is separate. Integers, Boolean Algebra {0,1} and GF(2).
If 1+1=0 then 228+1=227. On the other hand, the clerk probably just pocketed the extra $2.
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