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-   -   Proven in the lab? (https://www.askmehelpdesk.com/showthread.php?t=182291)

  • Feb 9, 2008, 07:51 PM
    De Maria
    Proven in the lab?
    This is related to my nothing from nothing thread.

    Some scientists claim that science can only accept that which can be reproduced in the lab. But that seems far from true. Lets examine some well known theories.

    Take the Big Bang theory. Here's a definition from a science website. It is the same as what I was taught as a child in public school:

    Big Bang Theory - The Premise
    The Big Bang theory is an effort to explain what happened at the very beginning of our universe. Discoveries in astronomy and physics have shown beyond a reasonable doubt that our universe did in fact have a beginning. Prior to that moment there was nothing; during and after that moment there was something: our universe. The big bang theory is an effort to explain what happened during and after that moment.
    Big Bang Theory

    And take the theory of evolution and abiogenesis for another:

    In the natural sciences, abiogenesis, the question of the origin of life, is the study of how life on Earth might have emerged from non-life.
    Abiogenesis - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

    These are obviously assumptions which science accepts as truths. No one can produce something from nothing in the lab or anywhere. And no one can produce life from non life.

    Yet the theories based on these obviously false assumptions are now passed on as facts.

    Sincerely,
  • Feb 12, 2008, 06:35 PM
    Donna Mae
    Very true. It's so sad that these lies are being taught as truths.
  • Feb 13, 2008, 11:56 AM
    michealb
    I don't know how many times that you have to be told that the web site you are looking at are wrong before you understand. Web sites can be wrong it happens, kind of like how priests can molest children they shouldn't but it happens.

    Evolution is the theory of how from the first replicating organism diversified and evolved. I always recommend the good people at Berkeley to explain evolution in a correct and easy to understand way. Here is their web site and the definition of evolution from their web site. Stop using the web site you have and use Berkeley one they have the entire theory correct on their site.
    Understanding Evolution
    "Biological evolution, simply put, is descent with modification. This definition encompasses small-scale evolution (changes in gene frequency in a population from one generation to the next) and large-scale evolution (the descent of different species from a common ancestor over many generations). Evolution helps us to understand the history of life."

    For the Big bang I suggest you read the article from the University of Michigan they have a very good article that explains it very well. It even points out a few holes in the theory(oh my). Here is the web site and a highlight from the site.
    THE BIG BANG
    About 15 billion years ago a tremendous explosion started the expansion of the universe. This explosion is known as the Big Bang. At the point of this event all of the matter and energy of space was contained at one point. What exisisted prior to this event is completely unknown and is a matter of pure speculation.

    If you want to question theories good for you, science is about questioning theories but you should at least understand the existing theories and the evidence behind it. Otherwise you are wasting your time and appear to be uneducated.
  • Feb 13, 2008, 12:17 PM
    NeedKarma
    Quote:

    Originally Posted by Donna Mae
    Very true. It's so sad that these lies are being taught as truths.

    Many feel the same about the bible Donna.
  • Feb 13, 2008, 12:51 PM
    Choux
    1. If there was a god as depicted in the Bible who created the Universe out of nothing, THEN **THERE WAS NEVER NOTHING**... there was always god.

    2. Evolution is **not** about the origin of life from non-living matter.


    I really get tired of Christians lying about science. How morally bankrupt can they be?
  • Feb 13, 2008, 01:00 PM
    spitvenom
    I can't believe people site Wikipedia as a real source!!
  • Feb 13, 2008, 01:14 PM
    NeedKarma
    His other source is a no-so-cleverly disguised site devote to the bible and intelligent design. It links to content like this: Intelligent Design
    And this: Who Wrote The Bible?

    Whenever someone feels the needs to register domain names like that versus having subdomains/subdirectories off the main domain (i.e. http://www.allaboutgod.com/bigbang) then there is some deception at work. This is often seen in MLM schemes.

    He is passing the domain off as a definitive scientific reference when its owners actually professs the following:
    Quote:

    ABOUT US
    We write compelling websites that reach out to skeptics, seekers, believers, and a hurting world with powerful evidence for God and the Good News of Jesus.

    We believe truth transforms lives. Therefore, we place our content on the first few pages of the most popular search engines in the world. That way, when people seek answers on the Web, we're there with the truth at the top!
  • Feb 13, 2008, 01:38 PM
    De Maria
    Quote:

    Originally Posted by michealb
    I don't know how many times that you have to be told that the web site you are looking at are wrong before you understand. Web sites can be wrong it happens, kind of like how priests can molest children they shouldn't but it happens. ....
    If you want to question theories good for you, science is about questioning theories but you should at least understand the existing theories and the evidence behind it. Otherwise you are wasting your time and appear to be uneducated.

    Are you saying that Science does not now and never has taught that the universe came from nothing?

    Are you saying that Science does not now and has never taught that life on this earth evolved from non living matter?

    Sincerely,

    De Maria
  • Feb 13, 2008, 01:53 PM
    De Maria
    Quote:

    Originally Posted by NeedKarma
    His other source is a no-so-cleverly disguised site devote to the bible and intelligent design. It links to content like this: Intelligent Design
    and this: Who Wrote The Bible?

    Whenever someone feels the needs to register domain names like that versus having subdomains/subdirectories off of the main domain (i.e. http://www.allaboutgod.com/bigbang) then there is some deception at work. This is often seen in MLM schemes.

    He is passing the domain off as a definitive scientific reference when its owners actually professs the following:

    1. Its not my domain.
    2. All you have to do is Google the either evolution or the big bang and you will see that the explanations I presented are accurate.
    3. Essentially, what Michealb is doing is pitting one scientist against another. However, I think I can prove that most scientists once believed and continue to believe that the universe came from nothing and that life evolved from non life.
    4. Whether they once believed or continue to believe those unverifiable theories is proof that science violates its own standards, since science purports to contain only quantifiable, testable data.

    So, let the discussion continue.

    Sincerely,

    De Maria
  • Feb 13, 2008, 02:14 PM
    michealb
    Quote:

    Originally Posted by De Maria
    Are you saying that Science does not now and never has taught that the universe came from nothing?

    Science isn't one person or even one group of people. So to say that science does or doesn't say something is impossible to do. All I can say is that current widely accepted theory doesn't state that the universe came from nothing. Have people that called themselves scientist been wrong in the past absolutely without question. Could we still be wrong absolutely without question. Should we teach the theories that support the evidence the best at the time they are being taught absoutely without question.


    Quote:

    Originally Posted by De Maria
    Are you saying that Science does not now and has never taught that life on this earth evolved from non living matter?

    I'm saying that there are many competing theories about how life came into existence from non-living matter. While I know of a few that sound reasonable and fit the evidence well. Until more work is done we don't have a solid theory that fits all the evidence yet. We may never be able to prove one theory over the other in this particular case. Abiogenesis may also be what prevents evolution from becoming a complete law versus a theory. It's okay we know we don't have all the answers yet but we will continue to study and refine our theories and maybe even find new ones.
  • Feb 13, 2008, 02:30 PM
    templelane
    Hi, I can't discuss the big bang as I am not a physicist and do not know let alone understand the maths behind the thoery. All I know is a little red shift theory.

    As for the thoery of evolution. You can see evolution everyday in and out of the lab. The AIDs virus and other viruses are really good examples as they replicate and evolve so fast. That's why you need a new 'flu shot every year. The virus has modified itself to evade our defences via a process of genetic recombination and selection. You can see it in animals that have been separated to live on different parts on an island, it starts with genetic drift and ends up with two species who are completely adapted to their environment and cannot interbreed.

    Evolution has been inferred, seen, recorded and recreated. Saying it doesn't exist is like saying cars can't move because I don't understand or have ever seen an internal combustion engine work.
    “I'm smart, I don't understand this therefore it must be God!”

    As for abiogenesis, yeah they've done loads of experiments on that causing the building blocks of life such as RNA, amino acids and even simple polypeptides to emerge from nothing but chemicals put under conditions replicating those at the beginning of the earth.

    Just because I've never seen a black swan doesn't mean they don't exist. Considering faith without seeing is something you're taught by the bible you're not very good at it.

    In science theories are based on facts and evidence, peer review, and testing of hypothesis. No one claims it to be the undying truth, it is just the best model we have to date. Sometimes theories held for years are overturned in a heartbeat when new evidence comes along. The closest I've ever seen to that in religion is the pope saying actually your right we made up the whole limbo thing unbabtised babies do go to heaven!

    I know I'll never convince you otherwise of you beliefs and I'm not even going to try. But could you refrain from using ignorance as a position to argue from?
  • Feb 13, 2008, 02:59 PM
    Capuchin
    I guess you made this topic because you didn't believe me in the other thread, I'm glad that more of the scientifically minded members have replied here and backed up what I said.

    Just one question, Why is this in religious discussions? - There seems to be nothing religious in your question, perhaps it would be better suited to a science board.
  • Feb 13, 2008, 03:00 PM
    ordinaryguy
    He's trolling. Let him be.
  • Feb 13, 2008, 07:07 PM
    De Maria
    Quote:

    Originally Posted by Capuchin
    I guess you made this topic because you didn't believe me in the other thread, I'm glad that more of the scientifically minded members have replied here and backed up what I said.

    Lol!! How does that song go? You're so vain. No this song is not about you.

    Look at the dates of the OP. They are both my threads. I started the nothing from nothing thread in response to Roblobster's illogical challenge on another thread.

    I let that slide for a while because I had to go out of town and I was engaging other people on other websites, as well I believe as TJ3 on this website.

    I recently rejoined the discussion and engaged you because you were there.

    I started this one much after listening to a scientist whom I don't know say that he couldn't believe anything that could not be proved in the lab. Then he said that since the existence of God could not be proved in the lab, he couldn't believe that God existed. Which led me to wonder how many things could actually be proved in a lab.

    Quote:

    Just one question, Why is this in religious discussions? - There seems to be nothing religious in your question, perhaps it would be better suited to a science board.
    Because I am proving the illogical position of concluding that God does not exist based on bad science which contradicts its own standards and can't even address the question because it doesn't have the evidence.

    Sincerely,

    De Maria
  • Feb 13, 2008, 07:11 PM
    De Maria
    Quote:

    Originally Posted by ordinaryguy
    He's trolling. Let him be.

    That's what all you atheists say. Yet you are the ones that come to the religious threads and put down our faith. You won't find me on the atheist threads putting down your beliefs or lack there of.

    So, between you and I, it is you who more closely fits the description of troll.

    Sincerely,

    De Maria
  • Feb 13, 2008, 07:30 PM
    De Maria
    Quote:

    Originally Posted by templelane
    Hi, I can't discuss the big bang as I am not a physicist and do not know let alone understand the maths behind the thoery. All I know is a little red shift theory.

    Knowing one's limitations is a good thing.

    Quote:

    As for the thoery of evolution. You can see evolution everyday in and out of the lab. The AIDs virus and other viruses are really good examples as they replicate and evolve so fast. That's why you need a new 'flu shot every year. The virus has modified itself to evade our defences via a process of genetic recombination and selection. You can see it in animals that have been separated to live on different parts on an island, it starts with genetic drift and ends up with two species who are completely adapted to their environment and cannot interbreed.
    Did I claim that the entire theory of evolution was wrong? Or, like the other atheist before you, are you jumping into this discussion debating against your assumptions rather than what I've actually said.

    Quote:

    Evolution has been inferred, seen, recorded and recreated. Saying it doesn't exist is like saying cars can't move because I don't understand or have ever seen an internal combustion engine work.
    “I’m smart, I don’t understand this therefore it must be God!”
    I challenge you to find any statement in which I have denied the possibility of evolution.

    Quote:

    As for abiogenesis, yeah they've done loads of experiments on that causing the building blocks of life such as RNA, amino acids and even simple polypeptides to emerge from nothing but chemicals put under conditions replicating those at the beginning of the earth.
    Have they proven it?

    Quote:

    Just because I've never seen a black swan doesn't mean they don't exist. Considering faith without seeing is something you're taught by the bible you're not very good at it.
    Are you saying that you believe in God although you haven't seen him. Or do you just believe in black swans?

    Quote:

    In science theories are based on facts
    I think I've proven that much information such as the existence of nothing before the Big Bang and the spontaneous generation of life from non living matter is illogical speculation passed off as science.

    Quote:

    and evidence,
    Provide evidence that there was nothing before a point in space appeared that exploded for no apparent reason. Go ahead, reproduce that event in the lab.

    Produce life from non living matter in the lab.

    Then you'll have evidence to prove your theories. Otherwise you are speculating or believing the wild speculation of others.

    Quote:

    peer review, and testing of hypothesis.
    Yeah right. How do you test the explosion of a point in space 15 billion years ago? If the hypothesis of life from non life has been tested, it has failed every test to this day. Yet the theory persists.

    Quote:

    No one claims it to be the undying truth
    No. But they deny that anything else could be true except their version of the truth which is based on nothing but speculation.

    Quote:

    , it is just the best model we have to date. Sometimes theories held for years are overturned in a heartbeat when new evidence comes along. The closest I've ever seen to that in religion is the pope saying actually your right we made up the whole limbo thing unbabtised babies do go to heaven!
    The Pope never said such a thing.

    Quote:

    I know I’ll never convince you otherwise of you beliefs and I’m not even going to try.
    Good idea.

    Quote:

    But could you refrain from using ignorance as a position to argue from?
    I'm certain I'm not the one arguing from ignorance.

    Sincerely,

    De Maria
  • Feb 13, 2008, 08:12 PM
    De Maria
    Quote:

    Originally Posted by michealb
    Science isn't one person or even one group of people.

    True.

    Quote:

    So to say that science does or doesn't say something is impossible to do.
    Ok. I'd have to agree. But there are generally accepted theories which become like fads though out the years.

    Quote:

    All I can say is that current widely accepted theory doesn't state that the universe came from nothing.
    Widely accepted? I agree. In some circles.

    In others circles the idea that nothing existed before the Big Bang remains in vogue.

    And those that don't believe that version believe that a point in space existed before the Big Bang.

    And those that don't believe that believe that another universe existed before the Big Bang and it collapsed causing the Big Bang.

    And guess what? None of those "theories" are provable. They can't be tested, there is no evidence to support them.

    Its very much like the guy that went out into the wilderness and heard a bunch of howls and yowls and was convinced that it was the Big Foot.

    They see something in a telescope and make wild speculations. But they can't prove any of it. Yet they claim they are producing scientific facts.

    Quote:

    Have people that called themselves scientist been wrong in the past absolutely without question.
    Agreed.

    Quote:

    Could we still be wrong absolutely without question.
    Agreed.

    Quote:

    Should we teach the theories that support the evidence the best at the time they are being taught absoutely without question.
    But not exclusively. Because, as you agreed, it might be wrong. The previously held theory might come back in vogue. Other theories which are not widely held might be held in higher favor in the future.

    And the theory which is held as the best theory at the time should be taught as theory, not fact. Unless of course, it is proven true.

    This is done in other subjects because people learn from history and from other people's mistakes.

    For instance, the theory of evolution is a theory. It could be proven wrong at any time. Yet, any challenge to it, like say, the theory of Intelligent Design is not permitted

    The stock answer is, "we can't test the existence of God." But you can't test the existence of a point in space 15 billion years ago. You can't test the existence of another universe which collapsed and created this universe. Yet many accept these ideas and deny the most logical idea of all, the existence of God.

    Because any person who finds something like a watch on the ground does not assume that it happened by accident. They conclude immediately that it was created by some intelligent form. But, they see things a million times more wonderful all around and they conclude that they came to be as a result of random events?

    Quote:

    I'm saying that there are many competing theories about how life came into existence from non-living matter. While I know of a few that sound reasonable and fit the evidence well. Until more work is done we don't have a solid theory that fits all the evidence yet. We may never be able to prove one theory over the other in this particular case. Abiogenesis may also be what prevents evolution from becoming a complete law versus a theory. It's okay we know we don't have all the answers yet but we will continue to study and refine our theories and maybe even find new ones.
    In the meantime scientists and science teachers refuse to hear that abiogenesis and evolution may not be true. And they exclude the possibility of the existence of God based on non-verifiable, non-testable information which is passed on as science.

    It doesn't make sense.
  • Feb 14, 2008, 12:08 PM
    templelane
    Right, I really don't see playing verbal gymnastics with you as a productive way to utilise my time. Here are some news reports about what I was talking about with the pope and limbo, I feel I should have supported my claim earlier.
    Limbo consigned to history books - Times Online
    BBC NEWS | Magazine | How can limbo just be abolished?
    When you have read the papers and studied the evidence personally and still find fault in the hypothesis I will be willing to discuss evolution and abiogenesis with you. Creationist scientist throw out much better arguments than you are trying to and they are valuable to talk to as they aid the integrity of science and make sure those extra experiments are preformed to tuck in any loopholes. For that I thank them. As for this debate I'm out.

    Anyway michealb is much better at his than I'll ever be ;)
  • Feb 14, 2008, 03:36 PM
    michealb
    Quote:

    Because any person who finds something like a watch on the ground does not assume that it happened by accident. They conclude immediately that it was created by some intelligent form. But, they see things a million times more wonderful all around and they conclude that they came to be as a result of random events?
    Evolution isn't random and until you understand that you will not understand evolution.

    Evolution is random changes that are then SELECTED by the ability for that change to be passed on. Your watch doesn't get to play the selection game because it is what it is it can't change. If life was static then it too would require a designer but it's not static. It changes to fit its environment. Saying that evolution doesn't work because a watch requires a designer just shows that you need to learn more about the theory from a reputable location not a site that is promoting a theology.
  • Feb 17, 2008, 11:58 AM
    N0help4u
    Quote:

    Originally Posted by NeedKarma
    Many feel the same about the bible Donna.

    True but the point is why can people accept the Big Bang theory of nothing coming from nothing and yet use the same reasoning to discredit God creating?


    Limbo along with quite a few church beliefs are nothing more than man made tradition.
  • Feb 19, 2008, 08:54 AM
    HistorianChick
    Bottom line is this argument (I used "argument" because it is and forever shall be, an argument):

    Both theories require faith.

    There were no witnesses to Creation or the Big Bang. There were no witnesses to the beginning of life as we know it. Therefore, believing that God created the earth, life, and the elements requires just as much faith as believing that the collision of nothing created the same.

    (Oh, and wikipedia? Great, entertaining, and often enlightening reading, but honestly stinks as a reference or point of argument!)
  • Feb 19, 2008, 09:11 AM
    Capuchin
    Quote:

    Originally Posted by HistorianChick
    Bottom line is this argument (I used "argument" because it is and forever shall be, an argument):

    Both theories require faith.

    There were no witnesses to Creation or the Big Bang. There were no witnesses to the beginning of life as we know it. Therefore, believing that God created the earth, life, and the elements requires just as much faith as believing that the collision of nothing created the same.

    (Oh, and wikipedia?? Great, entertaining, and often enlightening reading, but honestly stinks as a reference or point of argument!)

    This is an absurd point of view. Your brain doesn't know when a photon hits your eye, but it knows it gets an impulse that tells it that some point in the past a photon did hit your eye and that the photon was purple and so you are seeing something that is purple. Does that require faith on the part of your brain? Do you not trust your brain's interpretation because it is acting only on what it thinks happened? - If you carried your argument to it's logical extreme, then reality is merely faith, which seems like a fairly pointless conclusion.

    In the same way, we didn't see the beginning of the universe, but we can see what it has triggered since then and infer back in time. The difference between the scientific and the religious point of view is that the Big Bang theory can be tested and has been tested, we observe the CMB, homogeneity, and many other evidences.

    In the same way, we see life, we see the building blocks of life and we imagine how they could have formed. There is no widely accepted theory of abiogenesis yet but we have models and are studying them and understanding more and more. We just don't have enough evidence to make a solid enough claim yet.
  • Feb 19, 2008, 09:22 AM
    HistorianChick
    Quote:

    Originally Posted by Capuchin
    In the same way, we see life, we see the building blocks of life and we imagine how they could have formed. There is no widely accepted theory of abiogenesis yet but we have models and are studying them and understanding more and more. We just don't have enough evidence to make a solid enough claim yet.

    You call it imagining, supposition, theory.

    I call it faith.

    Never the twain shall meet.

    It's simple, really, when you correctly define the terms.
  • Feb 19, 2008, 09:27 AM
    Capuchin
    Quote:

    Originally Posted by HistorianChick
    You call it imagining, supposition, theory.

    I call it faith.

    Never the twain shall meet.

    It's simple, really, when you correctly define the terms.

    I still don't see how you can call theory "faith", or even bundle theory with imagining and supposition (both of which I never said), which have very different meanings. A theory is a rigorous model that has been proven time and time again by observations and predictions that fit the observed evidence. Faith is when a belief is held in the absence of evidence or even if there is contradictory evidence.
  • Feb 19, 2008, 09:36 AM
    HistorianChick
    I'm not asking you to understand nor define my faith. Its not necessary for you to do so.

    Its why I love this website... AMHD is where people can express personal opinions on a variety of situations. We don't ask everyone to adhere to or buy into our own personal explanations of issues, we are simply given a soapbox on which to pronounce our views.

    And that's what I did. I used my soapbox and gave my opinion. I was called absurd in the process, but that's OK. It goes with the territory of using a soapbox... I'm just glad you didn't have a rotten e-tomato! ;)

    **Edit**
    Actually, you did use "imagine" - we see the building blocks of life and we imagine how they could have formed.... I threw in "supposition," but blame that on my writer's mentality... thesaurus' fascinate me... but that is neither here nor there...
  • Feb 19, 2008, 10:01 AM
    Capuchin
    Quote:

    Originally Posted by HistorianChick
    **Edit**
    Actually, you did use "imagine" - we see the building blocks of life and we imagine how they could have formed..... I threw in "supposition," but blame that on my writer's mentality... thesaurus' fascinate me ... but that is neither here nor there...

    Sorry, you're right, but I used imagine because we do imagine, we don't have a theory yet. But imagining in the scientific sense is based on making models and seeing if they produce the observed conclusions if you carry them through. It's still an evidence based activity.
  • Feb 19, 2008, 10:02 AM
    HistorianChick
    It was actually childish of me to get my little touche' in there... So, apology not necessary.
  • Feb 19, 2008, 02:21 PM
    Allheart
    Quote:

    Originally Posted by HistorianChick
    Bottom line is this argument (I used "argument" because it is and forever shall be, an argument):

    Both theories require faith.

    There were no witnesses to Creation or the Big Bang. There were no witnesses to the beginning of life as we know it. Therefore, believing that God created the earth, life, and the elements requires just as much faith as believing that the collision of nothing created the same.

    (Oh, and wikipedia?? Great, entertaining, and often enlightening reading, but honestly stinks as a reference or point of argument!)


    That's how I see it as well HC. Faith, trust and believe what we are being told is fact.
    Something's can be proven in science and religion but not all things. The remainder does take some sort of faith, trust to believe that is true.

    That was my EXACT problem in school. History. I used to think to myself, how do you know, what you are teaching from that book in your hand, actually happened. But then I did of course, trust what the teacher was saying did happen. But I still had a hard time
    Buying all of it. Oddly, enough, religion class, I never had those doubts. That's odd isn't it.

    But yes, for both sides, it does take a bit of faith and trust.
  • Feb 19, 2008, 09:50 PM
    inthebox
    Capuchin


    Hebrews 11:

    1Now faith is being SURE of what we hope for and CERTAIN of what we do not see.




    Don't you see that evolutionists have this kind of "faith" in their theory.



    And your analagy to vision:

    Your eye, the retina, the optic nerve and all the connections can work and make its way to the occipital lobe, so technically you can "see" but it is the [ occipital ] brain that actually comprehends what it is seeing.

    Evolutionists are cortically blind. They can "see" the evidence but are blind to comprehending God's work.
  • Feb 20, 2008, 01:21 AM
    Capuchin
    Quote:

    Originally Posted by inthebox
    Capuchin


    Hebrews 11:

    1Now faith is being SURE of what we hope for and CERTAIN of what we do not see.




    Don't you see that evolutionists have this kind of "faith" in their theory.



    And your analagy to vision:

    Your eye, the retina, the optic nerve and all the connections can work and make its way to the occipital lobe, so technically you can "see" but it is the [ occipital ] brain that actually comprehends what it is seeing.

    Evolutionists are cortically blind. They can "see" the evidence but are blind to comprehending God's work.

    But scientists do see evolution - It happens every day, your medicines and your food are based around it. We observe animals changing, we observe DNA, the medium through which changes propagate, we observe selection, when multiple organisms compete for a limited resource. We observe these EVERYWHERE and they form the basis for evolutionary theory. This is why evolution is theory.

    We don't see a being who can create, we don't (really) see a possible physical pathway for creation. Aliens could have created us through significantly advanced technology, but you still have to wonder what created the aliens. This is why creationism is faith.
  • Feb 20, 2008, 06:39 AM
    ordinaryguy
    Quote:

    Originally Posted by Allheart
    Somethings can be proven in science and religion but not all things. The remainder does take some sort of faith, trust to believe that is true.

    Proof is in the eye of the beholder, and in my eye, neither science nor religion offers proof of anything. What they both offer are assumptions, explanations and inferences. Each of us judges for ourselves the persuasiveness and plausibility of these assumptions and the explanations derived from them.

    Does it take "faith" to accept the assumptions and methods of science? No, it just takes a willingness to be bound by the limits of observation, measurement, and reasoning in formulating explanations. Faith is simply the choice not to be bound by those limits, so that the set of all possible explanations is much larger.

    For myself, the limits imposed by the scientific method are quite acceptable for exploring questions of how the physical world, including life, actually works. Science is also adequate for exploring some aspects of the question of how the universe and our world came to be the way they are. But it is utterly unsuited to the task of finding out why there is something rather than nothing, where the biological urge to survive and propagate comes from, or whether our individual life has a value, meaning, and purpose that transcends the urge to survive.

    A lot of the arguments between proponents of science and religion boil down to the issue of which kinds of questions are interesting and important. I think both kinds are, so for me, it's just a matter of choosing the right tool for the job.
  • Feb 20, 2008, 07:17 AM
    Allheart
    [QUOTE=ordinaryguy]

    Does it take "faith" to accept the assumptions and methods of science? No, it just takes a willingness to be bound by the limits of observation, measurement, and reasoning in formulating explanations. Faith is simply the choice not to be bound by those limits, so that the set of all possible explanations is much larger.

    QUOTE]

    I started thinking I would hightight all the points that seemed to hit home and I find myself wanting to hightlight your entire quote. :).

    But the above is spoken with such reasonable sense and a feeling of great truth that it was one paragraph that did strike me the most.

    OG - all of what you shared seems to tie it all up and summarize so nicely what is debated
    What seems forever with no real conclusion.

    To me, you seemed to address it all and lay a lot to rest. So very well done OG.
  • Feb 20, 2008, 04:45 PM
    inthebox
    Quote:

    Originally Posted by Capuchin
    But scientists do see evolution - It happens every day, your medicines and your food are based around it. We observe animals changing, we observe DNA, the medium through which changes propogate, we observe selection, when multiple organisms compete for a limited resource. We observe these EVERYWHERE and they form the basis for evolutionary theory. This is why evolution is theory.

    We don't see a being who can create, we don't (really) see a possible physical pathway for creation. Aliens could have created us through significantly advanced technology, but you still have to wonder what created the aliens. This is why creationism is faith.

    You have said that evolution is not random, due to "natural selection."

    But the changes you mention, such as anti microbial drug resistance, or dog breeding, or the widening of fast food fare to include Hispanic influences are due to humans. Humans as a agent of selection. And what are humans, but INTELLIGENT.

    Besides MSSA may become MRSA, but it remains Staph.
    Man may select special features to develop breed a dog, but it stays a dog.

    What is the agent of change that explains
    - bat echolation
    - the biological big bang during the Cambrian period
    - humans becoming bipedal
    - the development of organ systems
    - flowering plants?
    among others?

    This can never reproduced scientifically, it is all a theory and supposition, and yet people claim it as the truth when there is no proof.

    How did these genetic changes come about.. Mutations? Because without this natural selection has nothing to work with.

    Here is a scientific site

    Genes and disease

    "Most of the genetic disorders featured on this web site are the direct result of a mutation in one gene."

    This is the mechanism by which one celled organisms became us??
  • Feb 20, 2008, 04:47 PM
    NeedKarma
    You must have a lot of free time to spend all day looking for an exception to disprove the rule.
  • Feb 20, 2008, 06:22 PM
    ordinaryguy
    Quote:

    Originally Posted by inthebox
    This can never reproduced scientifically, it is all a theory and supposition, and yet people claim it as the truth when there is no proof.

    I'm wondering what you would consider to be "proof" in this case? Or are you saying that the answers to these questions are beyond the scope of science?
  • Feb 20, 2008, 07:10 PM
    michealb
    Flatearthers,

    If you would take the time to study the theory instead of blindly saying it's wrong because the church says so maybe you would understand it. You might as well learn the theory learn why is a good theory and about why it's still a theory instead of a law, so you don't make America the laughing stock of the entire developed world. People who understand the theory tend to put those that don't in the same category as the lady from the view.
  • Feb 20, 2008, 08:15 PM
    inthebox
    Am I blindly saying its wrong?

    Or am I asking specific scientific questions that evolutionists cannot answer and have no proof of, so the religious diversions begin.

    What specific mutations in the "common ancestor" of primates led to humans vs apes?
    What was the "selection" factor?


    That is one of hundreds of questions that cannot be proved or answered by evolutionists blindly, religiously saying it is because of "selection" or "mutations.

    Evolution cannot withstand critical scientific evaluation.

    And it does take time to evaluate data rather than just, without thinking, spouting the party line.
  • Feb 21, 2008, 06:01 AM
    ordinaryguy
    Quote:

    Originally Posted by inthebox
    Am I blindly saying its wrong?

    To me, it appears that you are.

    Quote:

    Originally Posted by inthebox
    Or am I asking specific scientific questions that evolutionists cannot answer and have no proof of, so the religious diversions begin.

    Some of the questions you ask have been answered long ago, some have not been answered yet, but may be in the future, and some have no answers at all because they are based on a misunderstanding of how the physical world works.

    Quote:

    Originally Posted by inthebox
    What specific mutations in the "common ancestor" of primates led to humans vs apes?
    What was the "selection" factor?

    I'm not knowledgeable enough to say for sure, but this is probably a question that hasn't been answered yet, but may be eventually.

    Quote:

    Originally Posted by inthebox
    That is one of hundreds of questions that cannot be proved or answered by evolutionists blindly, religiously saying it is because of "selection" or "mutations.

    The fact that you can think of a question that hasn't been answered yet has no bearing at all on the validity of the theory that underlies the study of biological processes. Why would you think that it does?

    Quote:

    Originally Posted by inthebox
    Evolution cannot withstand critical scientific evaluation.

    This is simply not true. The evolutionary model has been subjected to intense critical scientific evaluation for almost 150 years and has withstood the scrutiny exceptionally well, as scientific theories go.

    It is true, I'm sure, that in the eyes of creationists such as yourself, it cannot withstand the rantings and railings of creationists such as yourself. Big deal.
  • Feb 21, 2008, 03:58 PM
    Galveston1
    I think I remember just a few years back that someone working with DNA found that all us humans trace our ancestry back to to a single couple. Anyone have any information about this?
  • Feb 21, 2008, 05:15 PM
    michealb
    Quote:

    Originally Posted by Galveston1
    I think I remember just a few years back that someone working with DNA found that all us humans trace our ancestry back to to a single couple. Anyone have any information about this?

    I remember the article and it wasn't that all humans traced back to a single couple is was that most people that don't live in Africa trace back to a small group of people that could have been tossed out Africa which to could have been the origins to the Adam and Eve story. I'll look later to see if I can find the article. Apparently though inbreeding really wasn't a problem with our ancestors cause recently, they found that blue eyes traces back to a very few amount of people as well. I guess it just shows that even if a small population has a beneficial mutation that it gets distributed fairly quickly through out a population.

    Found it.
    Massive Genetic Study Supports "Out of Africa" Theory

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