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To: Mrs. Don-o
Ok, but some time to think has produced a few other examples:

Evolution, whereby we scientifically understand how things came to be, and continue to evolve. Even people who steadfastly cling to some sort of biblical creation myth benefit from doctors and scientists using the truths uncovered by evolutionary science to cure their ills.

Birth control, whereby people can decide to space out their families, or have no offspring at all, if that's what suits them.

Astronomy, whereby we come to know the origins of our own planet by exploring the other bodies in the universe, either directly, or by observation. We're no longer mired in the idea that our planet is the center of creation, and can go forth both triumphantly, and humbly.

Of course, there are those who see these things as part of the cultural war, and cling to the old ideas because they don't jibe with ancient books. Many of them are here at FR, but I respect their rights to their opinions.

75 posted on 11/30/2007 3:55:45 PM PST by hunter112 (Change will happen when very good men are forced to do very bad things.)
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To: hunter112
Birth control, whereby people can decide to space out their families, or have no offspring at all, if that's what suits them.

This is a cultural achievement?

79 posted on 11/30/2007 5:07:01 PM PST by frogjerk
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To: hunter112; frogjerk; Rutles4Ever; Gumdrop
I do wish I had more time to continue this intriguing discussion, but I'll be out most of the weekend.

Let me throw this into the stew.

"...[Everyone] benefits from doctors and scientists using the truths uncovered by evolutionary science to cure their ills."

I don't know of any such truths which have any relevance to medical advancement. Creationists and ID-ers have no problems with the genetics of microbiology and the shifting variation and distribution of traits through what some would term "micro-evolution": the things we can see happening today. The things which are actually observable, testable, and predictable.

They dispute the never-observed long-ago macro-processes whereby all phyla supposedly descended from a common ancestor.

Present-day medicine, in my view, owes nothing to an evolutonary worldview which purports to explain "the origin of species and the descent of man."

Our understanding of the actual microprocesses you refer to, owes much more to scientists like Gregor Mendel, Louis Pasteur, Jerome Jeune (all Catholics, by the way)--- whose key discoveries owed nothing to the metatheory of dogmatic materialism, and whose discoveries are both scientifically impeccable and actually usable.

"Birth control, whereby people can decide to space out their families, or have no offspring at all, if that's what suits them."

My dear, people have always been able to space out their families or have no offspring at all, if that's what suits them. It's a question of method.

If you want to claim for atheism the glory of the technologies which do this by weakening, impeding, or sabotaging natural sexual functions, you're welcome to it. The people who developed natural and healthy ways to control fertility (people like Dr. Konald A. Prem, Drs. John and Lyn Billings) were, both excellent Christians and excellent scientists.

"Astronomy, whereby we come to know the origins of our own planet..."

...was not developed by atheists.

Many cultures developed accurate observations of the skies (Mayas, Hindus, classical Greeks, Egyptians, Confucians, etc.) but the ones who really developed the modern science of astronomy were (brace yourself) largely Catholics. The Catholic Church and the Universities of Europe founded by the Church were the overwhelming promoters,and practitioners of modern astronomy in the 14th, 15th, 16th centuries. (Don't forget that Copernicus lived and died a good Catholic cleric and academic, in no ecclesiastic trouble at all!) Here's an excellent book (read revciew) for you to digest.

I respect your rights to your opinions, too.

Gotta go now. Have a good weekend.

90 posted on 12/01/2007 6:03:58 AM PST by Mrs. Don-o (Cordially.)
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