God vs. Darwin: no contest

Boston Globe ^ | 08.08.05 | Cathy Young

[wallcrawlr]

THE GOD VS. Darwin debate went to the White House last week when President Bush weighed in, stating in a roundtable interview with reporters that ''intelligent design" should be taught along with evolution in public schools. It's a move that has undoubtedly pleased the president's conservative religious base. However, it has also caused much unhappiness among those conservatives who want the Republican Party to be something other than a political arm of the religious right, including such strong Bush supporters as columnist Charles Krauthammer and University of Tennessee law professor/blogger Glenn Reynolds.

[Right Wing Professor]

So If I say creationists are by and large lovely people; but creationism is a strange and obsolete belief, I'm attacking creationists?

And if I say Darwinism is correct, but Darwinians argue by demeaning and insulting their opponents, I'm not attacking Darwinians?

How odd!

[joyspring777]

I appreciate what you say, but the Roman Republic and its lives lived as they were...gave us the degeneration into Caligula and Nero.

[joyspring777]

No. I was simply quoting a portion of the article by the writer that commenced this thread.

Did I say it is what I felt or thought? No. But one national writer thinks it is so.

The question is, is it accurate or not?

[js1138]

There are certainly bad people in the world, but there's precious little evidence a religion ever made a bad person good.

One could argue that in the absence of coersion, organized religions are made up of self-selected people.

[Right Wing Professor]

But if you compare the relative downward spiral of the value of human life that allows the killing of millions of babies, lack of regard for sexual morality, the sanctity of marriage (a pillar in a civilized society), rampant abuse of children, and respect for right and wrong (you should be able to observe that clearly at the university level), our overall society has radically declined.

I'm not pro-abortion; but the numbers of abortions have declined quite a lot recently. I don't think child abuse rates have gone up; I see no evidence there is any less respect for right and wrong around here; our society is more affluent and better educated that it's ever been; and murder, rape and other violent crime rates have been declining for years. So, no, I don't see it.

But in any case, I'm going to be off FR for a few days; so this seems to be a good place to terminate the discussion. Have a good week!

[Tribune7]

You could see through the microscope that individual cells of Volvox looked very similar to single-celled algae like Euglena. It wasn't hard, therefore, to see how multicellularity could have evolved.

So how did they? :-)

[plain talk]

Not really following your train of thought. I was just commenting on your statement "The government does not have the right, nor the duty, to determine the content of education for citizens". Local governments do that every day. The school boards and teachers determine the contents of what is taught. What you said about publishing houses is also true and they shape the secular crap we get etc etc But your original statement I commented on is not correct.

[Tribune7]

I'd be satisfied if the science class simply taught observable, present-day facts:

Ditto that.

[joyspring777]

The government does not have the right, nor the duty, to determine the content of education for citizens".


This was not my thought or statement, but that of another.

[Right Wing Professor]

Volvox evolution: there are whole books written about it. Alas, I haven't read them:

David L. Kirk
VOLVOX, Molecular-Genetic Origins of Multicellularity and Cellular Differentiation

There's also this and this. I have access to the second article; I'll read it and post a summary in the next few days.

[Right Wing Professor]

The question is, is it accurate or not?

Many Darwinians think creationists are ignorant. This is probably because we're so used to hearing gross distortions, fallacies, and outright falsehoods about evolution from its opponents; and because, from the standpoint of science, there is no valid case against evolution. I'm not saying I don't resort to ad hominems myself; I do, mostly out of frustration. But there is a distinction between attacking the person and critiquing the idea, and it would be better if we all did the latter.

In any case, I'm going to be really busy for a few days, so I'm winding this up here.

[ohioWfan]

You have a good week too! Thanks for the conversation.

Enjoy your break from us right wing crazies. ;)

[joyspring777]

Regards to all....

[RipSawyer]

They are NOT our descendant as I had always been taught.>>>>


Sorry, but this one sentence reveals that you have no idea what you are saying.

[Elsie]

The government does not have the right, nor the duty, to determine the content of education for citizens.

Maybe not; but they DO have the POWER, that the money that was yanked from YOUR pocket gives them!

[Matchett-PI]

"Now "if" the debate can be cast in the light of a bunch of "holy rollers" playing with serpents .."

Never happen - they're in over their heads already. Our big boys will chew them up and spit them out before they can say, "WTF??" LOL

[Elsie]

We've already begun a debate here in Nebraska about whether we should accept Kansas high school biology credits.

Seems simple eough to me: See if the little buggers can pass the Kansas test!

Might as well see if them 'Huskers can pass the Kansas test as well!

[Right Wing Professor]

Might as well see if them 'Huskers can pass the Kansas test as well!

Oh, this year's going to be a whole lot better....

[Tribune7]

OK, thanks. If anything can show evolution from a single cell to multi-cell it will be Volvox.

[Elsie]

...they said that the neantherdal man was a DIFFERENT SPECIES than modern humans.

Don't know, but the Bible has these verses on something similar, perhaps....

---

Genesis 6:4.  The Nephilim were on the earth in those days--and also afterward--when the sons of God went to the daughters of men and had children by them. They were the heroes of old, men of renown.

 

 Numbers 13:33
  We saw the Nephilim there (the descendants of Anak come from the Nephilim). We seemed like grasshoppers in our own eyes, and we looked the same to them."

 

 

 

EVERYTHING got wiped by the flood: 

 

 

definitions

Topics: Nephi'lim

 

Text:  Gen. 6:4; Num. 13:33, R.V.), giants, the Hebrew word left untranslated by the Revisers, the name of one of the Canaanitish tribes. The Revisers have, however, translated the Hebrew gibborim, in Gen. 6:4, "mighty men."