talkmagic.co.uk

...be very afraid.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/magazine/7613403.stm

there just across the water from me .
oh well each to his own i supose.

Wow 47% of Americans oppose Evolution?

Thank God I'm an atheist.

I've discussed this topic with several Vicars, Ministers and Priests in recent years. Not one of them has ever held the view that the Biblical account of Creation is a historical fact. They (and the UK CofE!) see no problems with Darwin, they're too busy dealing with the real problems in life, drugs, inner city gang warfare, homelessness, suicides, poverty etc.

Mandrake wrote:I've discussed this topic with several Vicars, Ministers and Priests in recent years. Not one of them has ever held the view that the Biblical account of Creation is a historical fact. They (and the UK CofE!) see no problems with Darwin, they're too busy dealing with the real problems in life, drugs, inner city gang warfare, homelessness, suicides, poverty etc.

Yes, the more sensible members of the Christian community must despair at times at the antics and downright silliness of some of their more hard-line bretheren.

I suppose it's the same in all belief (and dis-belief) systems - the silly minority make all the noise and get all the attention while the more moderate majority are left scratching their heads.

Has anyone noticed how the Creationist message has evolved, just as all things evolve? Frankly, if they have to trick visitors into thinking they're in a real museum, you have to ask why...

What irks me most is that the two sides can't open their eyes enough to agree on the point that life itself is miraculous. The fact that the right conditions came about to spark life into existance should be comfort for the religious and give them reason to believe in a god. For the secular community, the same miracle provides exciting grounds for debate and research.

Personally, I think the fact that we're here at all is absolutely mindblowing.

But then I'm easily pleased.

It's the Young Earth Creationists that really get my goat. They have that worryingly intense gaze and fixed smile of those who believe they have God on their side and the absolute belief that they are going to heaven (while you, probably, are not). There is also something in their manner which leaves you in no doubt that they will absolutely crucify (pardon the pun) anyone who crosses (pardon the pun) them.

No politician in the USA dare say they don't believe in God. No teacher in the USA dare say they don't believe in God. Be very afraid.

This is becoming increasingly surreal . From this week's New Scientist: http://tinyurl.com/6k5mp3

The mind boggles. An ordained Anglican priest is head of education at the Royal Society, and insists that creationism should be taught "by science teachers not as a misconception, but as a world view". What the hell for? No one's calling for RE teachers to also teach that reality casts serious doubt on traditional creation stories. Frankly, this whole bogus "debate" should be dealt with in media studies (if you have a degree in media studies, you'll realise that's not the insult it seems).

The world is slowly going mad. Let's sell tickets.

Tomo wrote:The world is slowly going mad

And the lunatics are in charge of the asylum. All very worrying.

themagicwand wrote:They have that worryingly intense gaze and fixed smile of those who believe they have God on their side and the absolute belief that they are going to heaven

It's the most certain way to spot such fanatics, very similar to the state induced by halucinatory drugs. So they tell me....

Check out http://www.creationists.org/index.html

There view on the co-existance of humans and dinasours is most enlightening. Apparently dinasours were vegetarians until Adam & Eve partook of the apple. Then they became meat eaters. Just like that.

As Adam said to Eve when he realised that those nice friendly Raptors had suddenly developed a taste for meat, "Run!"

Faith and education are difficult grounds. I've known head teachers get in trouble even within the UK from parents complaining that they the heads haven't been delivering the school prayers convincingly enough. If they won't their kids indoctrinated in the faith then they need to take responsibility for it themselves. I'm quite glad to have avoided having to do RE this year.

Mandrake wrote:And the lunatics are in charge of the asylum. All very worrying

A school friend of mine once chalked "The clowns have become the ringmasters" on the back of his blazer and we all laughed at him. Nowadays, I'd simply agree. Mind you, he also claimed that the warning on a bottle of hair bleach he once bought was "just words" and ended up with orange hair, so you never can tell...

All of which proves the point that as individuals we need to be able to be off target, surreal, weird and just plain daft. The far ends of the Creationist vs Non Creationist spectrum both seem to deny this in terms of dictating what we should believe. I reserve the right to be wrong and I reserve the right to be wrong my way as long as it doesn't adversely affect others. So there.