CJ Morgan,
Have you reverted to believing that Wikipedia is authoritative?

Oliver,
You said some Christians take the Bible literally (in the context of a flat earth).

I explained that the Bible has many literary genres (poetry, prophecy, love letter, etc). One is history (mostly Jewish history). Genesis is part of that history; it explains the origins of the Jewish people, including the origins of the world and all its peoples.

The Jews have traditionally dated their calendars from the first man and woman, Adam and Eve. This is an example of how Genesis was generally always plainly interpreted as a Jewish history book. The current Jewish year, I understand, is 5770, as counted from the from the creation week.

Nowhere in Genesis does it hint of a flat earth.

-

You ask me about the miracles of Jesus. The greatest miracle in the Bible, or the central focus of the New Testament, is the resurrection of Jesus. This is a miracle of unsurpassed magnitude. It’s about as tricky as creating the first man in the first place. Creating a star is not nearly as complex. A star is just a big ball of gas. A man is, arguably I guess, more complex than a galaxy. So we might conclude that man is the pinnacle of creation.

So, you asked me about the miracles of Jesus. Christians believe in the resurrection of Christ (the focus of the New Testament). Once you believe in that one, the other miracles are small by comparison.

David f,
The last time we spoke on this topic, you accused me of not understanding science, and you said that you regretted ever speaking to me. I’ll take your questioning of me as a change of heart.

To answer your question: have I investigated other religions? I like to think of myself as having a fairly broad education. I have travelled fairly extensively. And I have done some reading and study of various faiths. But my main interest and study is in the Christian faith.

Do you agree with Zimmerman that ID is ‘dead’ considering the hundreds of posts that the subject seems to generate?

Oliver you write

'runner,

I believe that the Earth is at least as old as the oldest tree.

Well finally we agree on something. Congratulations you do appear to believe in logic despite your evolutionary dogma.

Dear Vanna,

I don't try to answer 'why' questions. I think the ultimate 'why'
question is, "Why does anything exist?"

I am satisfied to try to answer the 'how' questions. How do things work and fit together? I know of no reason to assume that a supernatural exists. If something is beyond nature it is merely a human invention to talk about it. If something can be shown to exist it exists in the natural world and is not supernatural. http://www.onlineopinion.com.au/view.asp?article=10065
contains my article "God is a Human Invention" which is an online opinion article.

You asked why do organisms want to live. They don't always want to live. When organisms lose too many faculties or are in terrible pain that cannot be relieved they usually do not want to live. I belong to Exit International which seeks to restore The Rights of the Terminally Ill (ROTI ) law which allows physician assisted suicide.
It was legal for several months in the Northern Territory until the
Commonwealth Parliament negated the NT law.
http://www.exitinternational.net/page/Home is the website of Exit
International.

I study fungi with the mycological society. We know certain fungi have
symbiotic relationships with other organism. eg. If we see an ash tree we look for an ash tree bolete which has a symbiotic relationship with ash trees. The mycelia of the fungi extend the root system of the tree providing more nourishment for both organisms. The how is fascinating. The why I leave for theologians.

Asking ‘why’ may be a cry of despair. “Why did this happen to me?” “Why am I distant from my family?”

From Gilbert and Sullivan:

Never mind the why and wherefore,
Love can level ranks, and therefore,
Though his lordship's station's mighty,
Though stupendous be his brain,
Though her tastes are mean and flighty
And her fortune poor and plain.

Dear Squeers,
I frequently consult “Keywords “ by Raymond Williams. In telling of the history and development of certain words used in “Culture and Society” it carries a wealth of useful and fascinating information.

I wasn’t aware I was hosting a thread on ethics. Tell me more.

Rousseau did not believe in a technological march to human perfection. However, he did believe that human beings were almost infinitely malleable. He also believed in the will of the people which some individuals in society might not share because of a lack of awareness. I believe these two ideas were basic to the oppressiveness of both Marxist and Fascist societies. The concentration camp and the psychiatric ward housed those who rejected the people’s will or needed further conditioning.

You are probably familiar with the relationship between Rousseau and Hume. If not http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2006/apr/29/philosophy carries a review of a book about their relationship and quarrel. The book is “Rousseau's Dog: Two Great Thinkers At War In The Age of Enlightenment” by David Edmonds and John Eidinow.

Where would the artistic heirs of Hieronymus Bosch be if we got rid of humanity’s demons?

Dear Dan,

I did not accuse you of misunderstanding science. I accused you of not knowing what it was. I wrote that after reading your definitions of science.

You may take my questioning as a change of heart. What right do I have to reject another human being?

ID is alive. That does not mean that there is anything worthwhile about it.

The resurrection is a common theme in pagan mythology. Mithra was buried in a tomb, from which however he rose again; and his resurrection was celebrated yearly with great rejoicings.

Osiris’ body was placed in a box but came again to life, and, as in the cults of Mithra, Dionysus, Adonis and others, so in the cult of Osiris, an image placed in a coffin was brought out before the worshipers and saluted with glad cries of "Osiris is risen."

“Pagan & Christian Creeds: Their Origin and Meaning” by Carpenter has further details. The Jesus story incorporates pagan myth.

david/says..the bible is a myth
i say..evolution...out of genus..is a myth

so we have two opinions..
.
but lets see that people/swear on the bible
i have yet to see any-one swear on darwins evolution of species

i was raised an evolutionist...knew there was no god..for many years..but via activism..soon concluded i needed to read/what the courts/pasrliment/etc..regarded as the law/or rather the basis of law/govt

at this time/i was fully versed in evolution...found gregor mendel/and corrosponding with many experts in genetics..mendelic inheritance..for egsample..refutes evolution...

[no where in the mendelic/ratio's..is there made provision..for a change of genus..let alone species..inheritors..distribute.according to mendelic ratio's...live with it

those with less understanding..of the rules of genetics..think in species...even the media/..talks in species..

[like today/on abc...they talk of many species..going extinct..on the great/barier-reef

WHEN what they are really meaning..is extiction of families..or rather.families...of species..[genus falls between those two hard science classifications

darwin knew of genus...families/species..but chose to use evolution of species...[ie micro evolution..within the genus species..thus he talked of doves/pigions..in the genus liva..

thus he talked of dogs..in the genus canna..but those getting their spin friom media..simply dont get the science..think that applicable to species/ALONE..applies thus to genus./families etc...but it cant..due to the genus barrier

we have people speak of species...as if thats it...but there are species..that NEED symbiotic relationships...[no gall wasp...no figtree/no fig...

no fungi..no lillypilly...there are literally hundreds of codependant relationships such as these..

but those ignorant of this will yet be decieved..not fully knowing the rules/laws..of science..but content to play word play with why/who..in lue of explaining the clear how..;

let alone explain..that they claim to believe.
.or rather the science..they claim..
underpins their FAITH..in science.....ie faith..not fact
if its not fact..its not science

i should let them decieve themselves

they endlessly demand evidence of others..yet in their hearts know they are too dumb..to grasp the basics of the science..they trust so blindly...decievers/..claiming the science

they think they are so smart...backing the guys in labcoats..
but they simply speaking have bought ignorantly..into a deception

if the truth be known...none but god..really knows
and god is content..for us to believe/as we chose..

thats freewill