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Author Topic:   Evolution or Creation
Doddy
Member (Idle past 5939 days)
Posts: 563
From: Brisbane, Australia
Joined: 01-04-2007


Message 39 of 301 (395853)
04-18-2007 4:32 AM
Reply to: Message 33 by ICANT
04-18-2007 12:52 AM


Re: Re-Answers
ICANT writes:
So what would I gain from being an atheist
Well, it frees up time spent at church, or praying, or giving thanks for food. But that's not really a big benefit. It also frees you from the rituals and tenets of any religious book (weddings, Christmas presents, Ten Commandments etc), or at least provides no obligation to follow it. That frees you from any messages of intolerance or ignorance preached within that holy work or by holy men , and
I guess it would also get you into heaven if the philosophical "reverse god" (who punishes thesst and rewards non-theists).
You could also get along better with atheists, which could be useful had you just fallen in love with one or if one of your family was one.
Lastly, and probably the biggest benefit, would be the exact same as you would receive with any belief - the feeling that your belief about reality actually matches reality, based upon your experience of that reality. This is the main reason why people opt for a belief, and it is entirely under the influence of what glimpses of reality they receive.
ICANT writes:
and believe I evolved from from a single cell life form, that nobody knows where it came from, how or why?
Well, the 'why' question there is useless if you already chose the above atheist idea. But if you didn't, then they why would be "because the Creator(s) willed it so" or something like that.
Anyway, the main benefit of accepting the idea that you are descended from an ancient microbe is the same as the main one for atheism - it matches what you see in reality.
Another benefit is that it allows you to understand the rest of biology much better. As Theodosius Dobzhansky said in the title of his famous paper: "Nothing in biology makes sense except in the light of evolution" (I suggest you read that paper if you can get it; Dobzhansky was a theistic evolutionary biologist). Without evolution, the only explanation is "That was how it was created", but with no 'how' it came to be.
Lastly, it is could offer much better experiences with plants and animals, as you would know that they were once your relatives, and aren't really that different from you. Compare this to the idea that man can do whatever he likes to animals or the environment, because he was given "dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth." (Genesis 1:26). Note it says dominion, as in dominate, not custody or care.

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This message is a reply to:
 Message 33 by ICANT, posted 04-18-2007 12:52 AM ICANT has not replied

Replies to this message:
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Doddy
Member (Idle past 5939 days)
Posts: 563
From: Brisbane, Australia
Joined: 01-04-2007


Message 40 of 301 (395854)
04-18-2007 4:34 AM
Reply to: Message 38 by Larni
04-18-2007 4:03 AM


Re: Re-Answers
That beleif you have appears to bring you as much peace of mind and comfort as my understanding that every atom in my body is as old as the universe does for me.
This is off-topic, but your atoms are likely much younger, formed in nuclear fusion in stars rather than in the Big Bang.

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This message is a reply to:
 Message 38 by Larni, posted 04-18-2007 4:03 AM Larni has replied

Replies to this message:
 Message 41 by Larni, posted 04-18-2007 6:24 AM Doddy has not replied

Doddy
Member (Idle past 5939 days)
Posts: 563
From: Brisbane, Australia
Joined: 01-04-2007


Message 74 of 301 (396041)
04-18-2007 6:24 PM
Reply to: Message 61 by ICANT
04-18-2007 5:36 PM


Re: Everything in Life is a Choice
But if you are wrong and there is a God and a place prepared for all those who do not trust in Him. You Lose big time.
We're getting into the philosophy of Pascal's Wager here, but I suppose that's ok given the forum section and the topic.
If there is a God, you must also have spent your life worshipping that God, and not some other one, right? So really, the benefits of being theistic hinge upon what branch of theism you choose, because if theism is true, that doesn't necessarily mean that all theists are rewarded.
And, because the number of branches of theism can number in the millions, or even be theoretically infinite, there is a very slight, or zero, chance of picking the right one just on faith. So, if you look at it like that, an atheist isn't really that much worse off, if at all, when it comes to chances at eternal life.
Edited by Doddy, : spelling

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This message is a reply to:
 Message 61 by ICANT, posted 04-18-2007 5:36 PM ICANT has replied

Replies to this message:
 Message 77 by ICANT, posted 04-18-2007 10:17 PM Doddy has replied

Doddy
Member (Idle past 5939 days)
Posts: 563
From: Brisbane, Australia
Joined: 01-04-2007


Message 86 of 301 (396192)
04-19-2007 1:13 AM
Reply to: Message 77 by ICANT
04-18-2007 10:17 PM


Re: Everything in Life is a Choice
ICANT writes:
Doddy, you are absolutly correct except for the number of groups. Last time I checked there were 34,000 different groups in the world...
But how do you know that only current groups have the truth? What about past and future groups?

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This message is a reply to:
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Doddy
Member (Idle past 5939 days)
Posts: 563
From: Brisbane, Australia
Joined: 01-04-2007


Message 188 of 301 (396724)
04-21-2007 9:04 PM
Reply to: Message 176 by ICANT
04-21-2007 7:29 PM


Re: Biologist
I am saying there have been many frauds that have been caught.
How many are there that have not been caught.
In science and so called christianity.
How come Christianity gets the "so-called" qualifier, but science doesn't? Are you implying that frauds are a part of real science?

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This message is a reply to:
 Message 176 by ICANT, posted 04-21-2007 7:29 PM ICANT has replied

Replies to this message:
 Message 192 by ICANT, posted 04-21-2007 11:56 PM Doddy has not replied

Doddy
Member (Idle past 5939 days)
Posts: 563
From: Brisbane, Australia
Joined: 01-04-2007


Message 205 of 301 (396803)
04-22-2007 5:26 AM
Reply to: Message 204 by dwise1
04-22-2007 4:02 AM


Re: Biologist
That story is amazing. I have goosebumps! Thanks for showing that to me!

Help inform the masses - contribute to the EvoWiki today!
Contributors needed in the following fields: Physical Anthropology, Invertebrate Biology (esp. Lepidopterology), Biochemistry, Population Genetics, Scientific Illustration, Scientific History, Philosophy of Science, Logic and others. Researchers also wanted to source creationist literature references. Register here!

This message is a reply to:
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