![On atheists and those with weak faith. [Gandhi]](/img/uisvg/forum-heading/spirituality.svg){kind=icon}
06 Jun 11
I endeavor always to invest my "faith" in hypotheses that are, as much as possible, a continuous linear extrapolation of what science has shown, with high probability, to be true of the physical universe. A "living god" does not fit. It would be a jump discontinuity in logic, and all "reasoned" arguments that "prove" the existence of a god turn out to be either self-contradictory, or else based on axioms that are not in fact self-evident.
Oh, I have a mystical streak in me -- a "spiritual" side. But it is inspired and sustained by the wonders of the Universe and Mathematics, both of which are there for all who are willing to explore for a lifetime.
07 Jun 11
Originally posted by ThinkOfOneThe belief that God does not exist is strictly a matter of faith.
Confidence can be based on reason.
The belief in the existence of God is strictly a matter of faith.
Since you are unable to accept this fact, you project your own deficiency on others.
That belief is the religion of atheism. Evolution is another
belief that can not be proven and is strickly a matter of faith.
07 Jun 11
Originally posted by RJHindsEvolution in the sense of adaptation of species to their evnironment has been observed many times. Other types of evolution with new species emerging has also been observed and therefore proven. There are some types of evolution which are not yet proven.
The belief that God does not exist is strictly a matter of faith.
That belief is the religion of atheism. Evolution is another
belief that can not be proven and is strickly a matter of faith.
07 Jun 11
1 edit
Originally posted by RJHindsEvidently you don't understand the definition of "faith" or are not being intellectually honest.
The belief that God does not exist is strictly a matter of faith.
That belief is the religion of atheism. Evolution is another
belief that can not be proven and is strickly a matter of faith.
From Wiki:
"Faith is hope and belief in the goodness or trustworthiness, of a person, concept or entity, despite insufficient or contradicting evidence".
The belief that God does not exist is simply a LACK of faith.
There IS sufficient evidence for evolution.
08 Jun 11
Originally posted by Rajk999You used the right word when you said adaptation.
Evolution in the sense of adaptation of species to their evnironment has been observed many times. Other types of evolution with new species emerging has also been observed and therefore proven. There are some types of evolution which are not yet proven.
There is no evolution.
08 Jun 11
1 edit
Originally posted by ThinkOfOneYou have to have a lot of faith to believe in evolution and
Evidently you don't understand the definition of "faith" or are not being intellectually honest.
From Wiki:
"Faith is hope and belief in the goodness or trustworthiness, of a person, concept or entity, despite insufficient or contradicting evidence".
The belief that God does not exist is simply a LACK of faith.
There IS sufficient evidence for evolution.
everything just happened by chance. I don't have enough
faith for that. So it is not my religion of choice.
08 Jun 11
Originally posted by lauseyWell do you believe that all life evolved from a common ancestor?
If you think that evolution is an ape becoming a man then you will be right to say it is just nonsense.
That is what most evolutionist believe, including Charles Darwin.
They say, in that chain of ancestors, the ape comes just before man.
Didn't you know that?
08 Jun 11
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Originally posted by RJHindsIt is funny with you trying to be patronising about something which you do understand yourself. I know what most evolutionists believe, but you clearly don't. Ape does not come just before man, because humans ARE apes. More specifically part of the Hominidae family (great apes), which also include chimpanzees, gorillas, humans and orangutans. If you are talking apes in general (Hominoidea), this will include Hylobatidae (lesser apes), which include gibbons and the siamang.
Well do you believe that all life evolved from a common ancestor?
That is what most evolutionist believe, including Charles Darwin.
They say, in that chain of ancestors, the ape comes just before man.
Didn't you know that?
They do all, however, have a common ancestor, which will be a species quite different from modern apes.
This is all fact due to evidence from fossils, DNA, Speciation, etc. Many modern day experiments conducted on a regular basis will not even work if evolution by natural selection was incorrect.
08 Jun 11
Originally posted by lauseystrange that you can fit the amount of fossils linking humans to Apes on a modest sized coffee table, given that there are over 100 million catalogued and extant fossils, how do you account for this scarcity, given that we are supposed to have evolved as recently as eighty thousand years ago?
It is funny with you trying to be patronising about something which you do understand yourself. I know what most evolutionists believe, but you clearly don't. Ape does not come just before man, because humans ARE apes. More specifically part of the Hominidae family (great apes), which also include chimpanzees, gorillas, humans and orangutans. If you are talki ...[text shortened]... onducted on a regular basis will not even work if evolution by natural selection was incorrect.
08 Jun 11
Originally posted by robbie carrobieThere are actually thousands of hominid fossils which link humans to apes, but you don't even have to look at just the fossils, there is also DNA evidence which show strong correlation between humans and other apes.
strange that you can fit the amount of fossils linking humans to Apes on a modest sized coffee table, given that there are over 100 million catalogued and extant fossils, how do you account for this scarcity, given that we are supposed to have evolved as recently as eighty thousand years ago?
From the DNA alone, it is possible to trace back the branch off from other species, which fit exactly with the fossil evidence.
New fossils are being discovered on a regular basis, and my bet is that only a tiny fraction has been discovered of what is out there.
08 Jun 11
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Originally posted by lauseyhow do you account for these statements,
There are actually thousands of hominid fossils which link humans to apes, but you don't even have to look at just the fossils, there is also DNA evidence which show strong correlation between humans and other apes.
From the DNA alone, it is possible to trace back the branch off from other species, which fit exactly with the fossil evidence.
New fossils ...[text shortened]... egular basis, and my bet is that only a tiny fraction has been discovered of what is out there.
Newsweek: “‘You could put all the fossils on the top of a single desk,’ Elwyn Simons of Duke University.”
The New York Times: “The known fossil remains of man’s ancestors would fit on a billiard table. That makes a poor platform from which to peer into the mists of the last few million years.”
Science Digest: “The remarkable fact is that all the physical evidence we have for human evolution can still be placed, with room to spare, inside a single coffin! . . . Modern apes, for instance, seem to have sprung out of nowhere. They have no yesterday, no fossil record. And the true origin of modern humans—of upright, naked, toolmaking, big-brained beings—is, if we are to be honest with ourselves, an equally mysterious matter.”
New Scientist: “Judged by the amount of evidence upon which it is based, the study of fossil man hardly deserves to be more than a sub-discipline of palaeontology or anthropology. . . . the collection is so tantalisingly incomplete, and the specimens themselves often so fragmentary and inconclusive.”
you will note that we are talking of fossil evidence, how do you account for these conflicting views with your assertion that there are thousands of so called humanoid fossils?
08 Jun 11
Originally posted by robbie carrobiePlease back up that claim with modern scientific reference.
strange that you can fit the amount of fossils linking humans to Apes on a modest sized coffee table,
given that there are over 100 million catalogued and extant fossils, how do you account for this scarcity,
Please back up that claim with statistics. How many species exist on earth today?
How many species are represented in the fossil record to date?
On average, how many fossils have been found per species?
What is the expected number of fossils per species?
given that we are supposed to have evolved as recently as eighty thousand years ago?
We are evolving all the time. The split between us and apes is estimated to be between 8 and 4 million years ago.
The split between the 'races' of man or rather the most recent common ancestor is around 80,000 years ago.