[Tribune7]

Something inspired Stalin to conclude that Christ's teachings were irrelevant. According to E. Yaroslavsky, it was Darwin's writings. . . .And this invalidates the theory of evolution in which way?

Are we in agreement that evil exists and that Stalin embraced it?

If you believe that good and evil exist, that right and wrong are absolutes, and that the spiritual is ultimately far more important than the material; you will be suspicious of ideas which lead to evil.

But I agree, that Stalin's deeds don't invalidate the science of Darwin. It is a huge warning, however, that we should not use science as a basis for morality or put scientific thinking above moral thinking.

[Gumlegs]

If you believe that good and evil exist, that right and wrong are absolutes, and that the spiritual is ultimately far more important than the material; you will be suspicious of ideas which lead to evil.

Can you come up with an idea that cannot possibly in any way, no matter how its twisted, ever lead to evil?

But I agree, that Stalin's deeds don't invalidate the science of Darwin. It is a huge warning, however, that we should not use science as a basis for morality or put scientific thinking above moral thinking.

Would an example of some loon (or group thereof), using religion for evil ends convince you that we should not use religion as a basis for morality or put religious thinking above moral thinking?

[Iota]

>>>be suspicious of ideas which lead to evil.<<<

You have a chicken-or-the-egg problem here, don't you? To phrase it otherwise, do you really believe Stalin would have been a good person (or at least neutral) rather than an evil SOB if he hadn't been exposed to the theory of evolution? That's a hard one for me to swallow.

Along similar lines, does the Reverend Jim Jones make you suspicious of the ideas of Christianity or organized religion? Or do you agree with me that evil SOBs will adopt/pervert any convenient argument to serve their evil purposes? And if so, do you concede that it's possible Stalin declined to follow Christ's teachings because it would have cramped his evil SOB style, rather than because Darwin convinced him to do so?

[VadeRetro]

Are we in agreement that evil exists and that Stalin embraced it?

How about agreeing that Stalin's birth post-dates the origin of the human species (and of life on earth, the earth itself, and the universe) and thus none of the latter are influenced by the former?

[BMCDA]

and that the spiritual is ultimately far more important than the material

I've no problem with the spiritual being more important than the material, however, I'm not convinced that the spiritual is separate from the material. I think the spiritual is the manifestation of the material.