You own wisdom thread --- say something quotable about whatever you want.

[rickymooston]

Interestingly enough, I agree. Many religious leaders have avoided addressing issues and properly educating people to have a stronger foundation in logic and evidence to lay their beliefs. However atheism's rise (though still a noticible minority) has served as a wake up call to many to reevalute their teachings and arguements, so we may be seeing a different picture in a decade or so. Interestingly most of the work is just passing on arguements Apologists have made centuries ago, as atheist's arguements today are just the same rehashing of criticisms that were made, and addressed, a few hundred years ago.

[rickymooston]

I was trying to show why we must have common ancestors by showing how improbable it was to evolve the same species more than once over time just as it would be unlikely to produce identical sequences of coin flips.

Of course there is not a 50-50 chance for each mutation, but as I roll a series of coins, it becomes increasingly unlikely that someone in another room is rolling the exact same SERIES.

[rickymooston]

Do you not mean "why are things as they are?" rather than "why is there something rather than nothing?"

[rickymooston]

How about "it's trusting something you do not have full knowledge of or access to"? That make it clearer? You can't 'see' or empiracly test when your parents say they love you. You just have to take their word on faith. Amazingly for all the condescension atheists throw on the concept of "faith" they can't help, but have it in some aspects of their lives.

[Ratman]

Okay I have thought of this one for a long time:  If a woodchuck could chuck wood how much would a woodchuck chuck?

also if Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers, how could he have picked a peck of piclked peppers?  I mean who pickled them before he picked them.

the only I can see clearly is She sells sea shells by the seashore.

[David M]

Okay I have thought of this one for a long time:  If a woodchuck could chuck wood how much would a woodchuck chuck?

also if Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers, how could he have picked a peck of piclked peppers?  I mean who pickled them before he picked them.

the only I can see clearly is She sells sea shells by the seashore.

If a woodchuck could chuck would , a wood chuck would chuck a chuckload of wood.

Jack and Jill picked pickeled peppers when they were tumbling down the hill to fetch a pail of water.  That's where the ring around the rosey comes from.  Itsy bitsy spiders have been eating curds and whey ever since, except when it rains.

[rickymooston]

Universal rights can be easily justified without appeals to metaphysics.  As I say above, universal rights can be described as providing a framework that allows each and every person the ability to develop to their full potential as human beings.

I'm not seeing where the contradiction is but, at any rate, you should concentrate on supporting your own position rather than using a perceived weakness on my behalf as adding authority to yours.  If my argument is weak then this does mean that your argument is any stronger.

So far, all you've done is claim that evidence is not required (while asking me for evidence that evidence is actually required).

[sky]

Religion saves us over night. And we're the same as we were yesterday. Our talents are buried in the dirt, and we're drunk as can be and claim the things of kings.

 ~A very good friend of mine.

[rickymooston]

No, it's not the charts that bother me, it's the ridiculous claim that science is giving you better answers then the Bible!

[rickymooston]

it would be wiser to go to the doctor upon the symptoms showing ;)
Poorly cooked meat would give you the same parasite, cat or not.
So the rule of thumb is.... If you get the symptoms, dont find a cat to throw about, go to doctor :)

[rickymooston]

you really think analysis and evaluation of fossils is analogous to reading tea leaves? Be honest, please.

[rickymooston]

I read somewhere that (mitochondrial)"Eve" was a 200,000 year old African and (y-chromosomal)"Adam" was a 60,000 year old African. Eve was a cradle snatcher!

[rickymooston]

Any scientist without a personal agenda is suspect.

[rickymooston]

I'm curious, though: D M, if someone claimed a metaphysical truth that was different from your metaphysical truth, how would you decide whose metaphysical truth was truer?

[rickymooston]

Apparently, we're having trouble deciding if there ever were only two humans, and it's kind of hard to tell for sure because none of us was alive back then and they didn't keep accurate birth records in those days.  So we're trading educated guesses, calling it "science", which I suppose is what you mean by "reality", and in between theories we're insulting the intelligence of people who are more convinced by the biblical version than any of our arguments.

[rickymooston]

In Canada, I've heard people complain about wait times, but I haven't really had much of a problem myself. I've been in various provinces across the country, and although health care is a provincial responsibility, and each province has its own medicare card, if you go from one province to another you can use your home province's card for a few months (if you take up residence in another province, you have to get a card from that province). And I haven't noticed much difference in levels of care between provinces. One province I haven't been in is Alberta, the most right-wing province in Canada - things might be a little different there, because I do recall some lawsuits launched to keep Albertans from running private health care by exploiting ambiguity in the legislation designed to prevent that.

I also have private insurance that covers 80% of all the drugs I've ever had to take. There are some very expensive drugs that aren't covered - for example, a friend of mine had Cystic Fibrosis, and had to take strong antibiotics on a regular basis, and some of the newest ones were not covered. She was also diabetic, and those were covered. I don't know the details of how much she paid for things, but I do know that she was a full-time student (eventually got a masters in nutrition and is currently working as a dietitian in a hospital I think) with no money from her family, and she still got by.

Overall I'd say our system is good.

[rickymooston]

The National Health Service here in the UK gets a 100%  from me, despite the tax implications. I am short of time at the moment but I could write a very long list of positive experiences both for myself, my family and students who I have had to take into hospital for various reasons. I have heard of bad things happening, but have never directly experienced them.

I am in favour of paying for basic health care out of taxation, it is a far better use of taxation than building huge palaces for the aristocracy and financing their family feuds (aka European Warfare), IMHO.

[sky]

Being an atheist is a luxury, we should all be so lucky to sit back and bitch about the world instead of being called to a higher ground.

~My son

[rickymooston]

If you tip do it on Credit Card so they cant lie it out of Taxes.

[rickymooston]

Can you say delusional, tooth fairy, tinkerbell, sand man, and santa all in one paragraph and direct it towards...the stupid people..???

[rickymooston]

Wixen,,I defended you while you were in the corner. Next time you get in im gonna mock you so bad you wont like it a bit. Besides why should you root for Canada? Remember Canada was part of the Brits at one time. And the Brits used Australia as a prison colony. Besides you should have rooted for America cause if it wasnt for the USA the Japs would still owned Australia during WWII. 

[rickymooston]

We're expecting a massive wave up to 11 inches in height.  It's not tall, but it's really, really wide!   

[rickymooston]

Do your own research.

[rickymooston]

You replaced "suck his cock" with "kneal to bob."  The latter is a euphemism for the former.

[rickymooston]

From taoism.net .

I made a donation to the Budha (at a budhist temple) with my macau money and the monk pointed out that the Budha doesn't accept Macau money for prayers ... ;).

Maybe because it's casino money? :)

I think it's because the Buddha hates Macau casinos after being kicked out of one when he was able to figure out what everyones cards were by looking within himself.

[rickymooston]

I'd like you to alert me the next time you see one. I haven't read anything new and compelling from a theist in years

[rickymooston]

Is to be awe inspired the same as worship? I don't think so.
If the Universe inspires "awe" in people...I think we need not give that any divine relevence. Awe is a very normal human emotion...and a wonderful one at that!
Nice thread Alkan....makes me want to try paint a Nebula.

In fact here is one my brother painted...well two if you notice "horsehead" in the background. Being a typical male he tried to hide a womans body in the pic...lol

[rickymooston]

I would even trust a chiropractor before I would trust God. God fails way more often.

[rickymooston]

The Rules are designed to make the Forum operate as intended, which is to say somewhere where God related issues (and other issues) can be discussed in a calm and reasonable atmosphere. People who want to spend their time winding each other up and engaging in ego contests have plenty of other places they can go if they don't like it here.

If you prefer to play rugby there is no point playing football and complaining about the rules; go and play rugby.

[rickymooston]

Compromise, as you say, is rampant in religion.  I understand the religions of the world today to be Babylon.  It certainly isn't New York City or San Francisco.