5th October 2010
“Can religion survive for very long by arguing that empirical evidence is fiction? Can it successfully argue that the science which has produced huge technical understanding and improvement in quality of life is at the same time fundamentally flawed? My suspicion is ‘no’, but it looks like a great many are going to try.”
Jake Young
October 5th, 2010 at 12:44
Sure when people don’t care about what they think, whether it is true or not, and would rather believe in what makes them feel better rather than follow the evidence. Empirical evidence carries no weight with such people.
October 5th, 2010 at 14:09
I as well suspect he is right. If I were to make a prediction, it would be that science will eventually open doors to places so much more facinating than the intellectual dregs that represent heaven, places that we may be able to travel and touch and see, people will eventually just opt for the real world instead.
October 5th, 2010 at 14:27
Well yes I suppose science has done a lot to debunk myth in just a couple of hundred years so time is relative. I imagine it could do much more in 2000 years.
October 5th, 2010 at 16:58
What do you all know what is really real? The atheists are not using science to find truth. They’re misusing it to hide truth. How can you say science is real & how can you also say heaven or hell is not real? You can’t really be sure about it can you? Something that have not been seen or unreacheable yet does’nt mean it does not exists.
October 5th, 2010 at 18:14
WHASOLO………………
sounds a lot like poor old ” sol ” to me !!!!!
” lousy bloody nature “………….ELOQUENT !!!!!
October 5th, 2010 at 18:14
Whasolo, we can say science is real because it produces real results. We can see and experience these results. They improve our lives daily. Of heaven & hell, we have seen nothing. True, no one can really be sure about it. But then why commit your life to things you cannot be sure about? Invest in the things you CAN be sure of. Medical advancement. Technological improvement. The end of disease, hunger, suffering. No one in heaven or hell is working on these problems, but science makes strides daily.
Who takes care of the tranquility in life? Who indeed? No one that has revealed themselves, that’s for sure. And does everyone have tranquility? There are millions of starving, dying children in Africa right this second. Many will not survive 2010. Where is their tranquility?
Are we to thank invisible beings from saving us from constant earthquakes and catastrophes? Does that mean that we can also blame them for the few that DO happen? Or are those deliberate? Are they vague lessons, mysterious punishments for the crimes of a few, delivered upon all?
You earn no points for speculating, for assigning meaning to things where we have no research, no study, no answers. We respect science for what it CAN and DOES tell us. Faith is a useless guessing game.
October 5th, 2010 at 18:17
We know why earthquakes happen. We also know it takes a great deal of work, by farmers, to provide us food. Are you so ignorant you don’t know? There’s no magic man in the sky. Time for you to grow up whasolo and leave all those fairy tales behind. Oh, by the way, Santa doesn’t exist and neither does the Easter Bunny. Sorry.
October 5th, 2010 at 18:52
What about the tooth fairy?
October 5th, 2010 at 19:02
Whasolo – Are we being punked here? Science attempts to find facts. I’m not sure what you mean by ‘truth’. Objective reality can be tested and verified by the tools of science. Science is why we have germ theory and how we know the age of the Earth and can listen to the radio. True that just because you can’t observe something doesn’t mean it doesn’t exist but if there is not a whiff of proof for a proposition why would one design their life around it?
If that is the low bar you use then why don’t you believe in unicorns? You can’t prove they don’t exist! I saw in a book that there are invisible pink unicorns that watch over us. It was in a book therefore it exists? I think your standards for belief are, uh, loose.
October 5th, 2010 at 19:02
I glad of one thing.That is that we are not all as stupid as the Atheist thinks we are.Look around people,we have Christian doctors ,lawyers and yes even Christian Scientists. Just to name a few. Also I consider myself A mature being. So guys stop refering to us as if we can’t think for ourselves.You need people to tell you guys something and you either believe or you don’t.Where we as Christians have experienced Gods Love and Redemption.
October 5th, 2010 at 19:29
Tech it is typical for people to compartmentalize the various aspects of their lives in order for them to be able to function. That is how we can have a Christian doctor. He may offer to pray for you but if he is a well trained professional he will also determine and recommend the most effective medical treatment. If all he offers is a prayer then find another doctor.
For the record I do not think you are stupid. But there is a good chance that if someone comes in spouting off nonsense like whatsisname some people here will respond appropriately. It usually doesn’t help though.
You should actually be asking whatsisname what the heck he is doing?
October 5th, 2010 at 22:53
Tech, What is the deal on you? Intelligence does have a direct correlation on your beliefs. It’s been proven, people with higher IQ’s are less likely to believe in God. There are exception to every rule, however. It amazes me we have doctors and scientist that believe in God or Allah or whatever. I couldn’t begin to tell how messed up those people are. As for you, are you looking for a reason not to believe? Why are you here?
October 5th, 2010 at 23:51
Tech, people have so many reasons for believe. Much of that reason is because of habit. People get so set into their ways, it’s hard to imagine something outside of their realm. Remember, people are naturally afraid of, and hate change. Then, there are also those that say they’re Christian all because they simply follow family traditions like Christmas, or even simply because they’re slightly above agnostic.
@Kaptain It amazes me that there are psychologists that are still believers. Everything that believers base their faith on can be completely destroyed through basic psychology. Even the base notion that man created God can easily and rationally be explained through the psychological needs and greeds of human beings.
October 5th, 2010 at 23:54
kaptain,
Do people with high IQ’s came up to be the most successful in life? Theres so much doubt in the IQ approach.
October 6th, 2010 at 9:00
Just to echo my reaction as well…
It really does amaze me that there are medical doctors who are religious: Either there really is a just God that gives a damn about his faithful (in which case you would want to go to a preist before going to the doctor), or it doesn’t matter (you’re going to heaven anyway). That is, if there is a God worth worshiping, why waste time with medicine at all??
I don’t believe in gods though – I actually think that life matters and you’re better off treating disease. I’m sure you disagree, Tech, but which would you have more faith in: treating a disease or trying to pray it away?
October 6th, 2010 at 9:06
I think a lot of people in the medical profession say they believe in God because in the U.S in particular it would be professional suicide not to.
October 7th, 2010 at 17:52
I posted this quote on my facebook yesterday and I got a whirlwind of responses. Apparently science is a religion of its own and end results of a scientific test are pre-planned. *Sigh* What can a creationist come up with next?