why interrupt the experiment for some discomfort?
this whole experiment idea is a pretty weak argument to the lack of a compassionate omnipresence.
If anything it proves the point.
if I take a cage full of animals and infect them with some disease, I clearly have no compassion or respect for the creatures I'm experimenting with.
which proves the point of the atheism quote, either there is a God, and said god has no compassion or love for the people, or there just is no God.
if indeed there is a God then clearly said God is not a loving God, which kinda disproves most of the new testaments message of a compassionate God.
Adam and Eve ( are believed to have) lived for 900+ years as they were once perfect, their offspring therefore did not suffer the same deformities we now see in inbreeding.
you don't think that's kind of contradictory? Adam Eve were perfect, and so was their offspring, and that offspring was perfect because Adam and Eve were perfect, why are these perfect genes not still here why does inbreeding lead to "imperfect" genetic offspring today? if this perfection was able to pass down from Adam and eve through their two sons, then be passed down again through intergenerational interbreeding to create other people not genetically malformed, then why no today?
the basic facts (if there are any in this argument) is that it just couldn't have happened. at least not in the way that you describe.
incest it's self doesn't provide genetic mutation, it just allows genes that would otherwise be recessive to become dominant. if adam and eve were genetically perfect then they could (and their offspring could) interbreed as much as they liked. but if that were the case there would still be no mutations today.
The earth was then populated ubiquitously when man attempted to build a tower to the heavens and was thus made to speak different languages and scatter, thus giving us the unique race traits we now have. Just thought I'd throw that out there...
which brings us to the real crux of what I hate about religion. the there was one true race argument. which has been used time and time again by severely bad people.
It's hard, however, to believe that out of nothing, and I mean no life, came a single celled organism that was very complex.
hard to believe, but perfectly possible, in fact scientists have created their own life, all you need are the right molecules (which form naturally as simple molecules) and a whole bunch of energy.
(they've smashed simple molecules in a large particle accelerator in some university (Caltech) and created complex molecules that scientists say are complex enough to be the single celled organisms from which life could have started. (this is explained in an episode of "through the wormhole")
How Did We Get Here : Through the Wormhole : Science Channel I haven't bothered looking for the video, but there are pictures with some explanation of what's going on.
Indeed. The theory of creation doesn't discount the creation of prehistoric life forms. The bible merely starts out as a story* when humans were created. If you had the power to create something, wouldn't you practice a little before making your masterpiece? Not saying the God needed 'practice' but you understand my point.
I'm not picking on you,
but this is the other thing that gets me about religion.
in the beginning someone who is religious will say that the bible is the word of God, and it's true.
in the bible God made everything in seven days up to and including man.
then someone comes along and says what about dinosaurs, we know that they were about and we say before man existed.
then someone points to some obscure point in the bible, and says that dinosaurs feature in the bible.
someone says what about carbon dating we know that they were about before man, what about fossils that show evolution over millions of years.
and the argument always comes back that it's either fake, or God made it that way to test us.
then inconsistencies are pointed out in the bible.
and suddenly the bible isn't the word of God, the bible is actually the message or God written by man, and because it's written by man it is therefore prone to typographical mistakes. or mistranslations, or perhaps the gospels were having a bad day.
to me, the cold hard facts of religion in general (not just Christianity) is this.
A long time ago, we knew nothing, literally nothing, we had no idea why it rained, or why it didn't rain, we didn't know why there was lightening, or indeed even why the sun went down at night and the moon came up. we had no idea about either solar or lunar eclipses, why there were stars in the sky. we didn't know why there were tides, how to make fire, or how we got here.
To stop everyone sitting around wondering about all these things, somebody who was very clever decided to make up a story to explain it all.
so too much rain was a punishment from a supreme being.
too much sun was a punishment from an supreme being.
disease was a punishment from a supreme being,
basically there were Gods and they messed about with us, seemingly for fun.
we could see fires burning after lightening strikes.
one day man figured out how to make fire, other men are in awe of this so they say that s/he must have stolen it from the Gods.
nowadays we dismiss Greek mythology as a bunch of fairy tales. nobody climbed a mountain to steal fire.
we got the knowledge of how to do things because two dudes ate an apple.
anyway, I'll stop digressing.
someone made up a story, there was a supreme being that could punish us at will, all we have to do is keep said supreme being happy by worshipping the supreme being...
the trouble is that as we've gained more knowledge as a species, we have started to realise.
fire is caused by heat/friction and can easily be made.
the earth revolves around the sun, not the other way around.
there is fossil records that support evolution. as opposed to being created as is now.
there are successful experiments that support the theories of how life was created.
we can see weather patterns and know about seasons.
we know why the nights get shorter and don't sacrifice animals (or people) to earth goddesses any more at solstices.
The reason that religion is struggling so much in today's world is that more and more we are able to answer the difficult questions that previously were so big that a supreme being creator was not just the most likely explanation, but the ONLY explanation imaginable, we are now starting to be able to understand and answer for ourselves without the need for religion.
To answer the original question of the thread "what do you think of Christianity"
I think of Christianity the same way I think of Roman fables and Greek mythology. it's a load of stories made up by man to explain the impossible.
that is not to say that it's pointless though.
the stories of the bible contain a guide to how a person should live their life, not necessarily in a God fearing or worshipping way, but how as a society we should act such that we can all get the most benefit an enjoyment out of it.
The stories and explanations of the origins of life and species provide comfortable answers to difficult questions.
The stories of the bible provide comfortable answers to questions of what happens when we die.
Not just Christianity but all religions provide guides for life. and most religious practices have a purpose...
to look at the Jewish faith for example.
you're living in a dessert it's hot it's sweaty and the water to wash is likely unavailable. -circumcision is a good practice in this instance, it provides an answer to a problem. it stops people becoming sick through infections "down there" in a time when hygiene was impossible to be good.
Not eating pork is another good point in some countries, pigs do live in filthy conditions (if they are allowed to). there are texts that say that you should wash your hands after touching the flesh of a pig. a brilliant practice to quell the spread of diseases such as cholera.
From Christianity,
Even going to church on Sundays has a real practical purpose, it ensure community cohesion, people get together they talk and the socialise. (perhaps this is more important than ever in today's society!)
From the Muslim faith, not worshipping false gods or idols. if everyone follows the same religion then there is only one moral code, not several.
From practically all religions, not having sex with animals, animals carry disease for a start and they can't tell you that they have problems in that way. also it would from a moral standpoint not be good to take advantage of an animal that couldn't say no.
again from most or all religion, not having sex with your relatives. this is covered amply above with the idea of genetic mutations and causing disabilities.
my point, religion has two purposes,
1 to explain the unexplainable
2, to cause us to live good lives and be good to each other.
the first point of religion is becoming less and less important as time goes on and we are able to explain more.
the second point is a bit messed up by the amount of religions that are intolerant of each other. and the second point of religion is ignored more and more in today's society as religious people seem to scramble to put more and more weight of religion onto the first point.
the second point of religion, (to me) is the most important.
not matter how unpalatable "control of the masses" is to say, religion is very good at controlling masses, and masses need to be controlled.
