Dear runner,

I read the article you referred me to. It is an example of distortion. The author of the article referred to Pierre Grasse as an opponent of Darwinism. That is true, but Grasse did not deny evolution. He denied Darwinian theory which is another matter. He supported Lamarck who explained evolution differently from the way Darwin did.

Look up Pierre Grasse in Wikipedia. Grasse who the article referred to according to Wikipedia "occupied the Chair of Evolutionary Biology of the Faculty of Paris, of which the two previous occupiers, Alfred Giard (1846–1908) and Maurice Caullery (1868–1958), were both also supporters of lamarckism. Only after Grassé's retirement did the chair become occupied by a partisan of Darwinism, Charles Bocquet (1918–1977)."

The author referred to 'the myth of evolution', and then for support cited a scientist who accepted evolution but not Darwinian theory.

It's dishonest to cite a professor of evoltionary biology as opposed to evolution. I looked up the the author of the article. He is a Protestant evangelist who is apparently not too scrupulous with facts.

david f

'He is a Protestant evangelist'

Oh so he can't tell the truth along with the numerous others who disagree with your faith.

I thought this forum was about same sex marriage.

Please tell me what religion has to do with the matter.

What is being proposed is a form of civil marriage, which I fail to see , has anything to do with any religion.

Many couples chose this form of marriage, because they do not wish to have any connection to any church or religion.

Dear runner,

Certainly Protestant evangelists can tell the truth, but that one didn't. That one lied. Calling science faith or theology is no argument, either.

The author of the article lied, and I pointed out where he lied.

You would rather believe nonsense like a virgin birth which is merely the result of a mistranslation. You are free to believe in nonsense.

http://www.talkorigins.org/faqs/ce/3/part11.html is a website which tells how Pierre Grasse has been misquoted to support creationists. Lamarckism has gone out of fashion since we have found more about heredity. Lamarck believed in the transmission of acquired characteristics to offspring. However unless those acquired characteristics somehow affect the germ plasm they are not transmitted. There is a small possibility that it can happen, but natural selection is the main mover of evolution.

I wish you would learn something about biological science. It makes my life fuller, and you might find enjoyment in it, too.

Flo wrote: "What is being proposed is a form of civil marriage, which I fail to see , has anything to do with any religion."

Dear Flo,

You are absolutely right. Who churches decide they should marry is not an issue.

However, the Bible bashers chime in because they apparently want to control people's lives even though the people are not part of their religion. It has nothing to do with religion whether we have same sex civil marriage.

They spout nonsense about its effect on the institution of marriage. I am a man happily married to a woman. I can't see how any body else getting married affects that in any way.

Dear Flo,
Yes, the discussion started out on gay marriage, but we seem to have been sidetracked a little.
Religion is involved because much of the opposition in Australia and some other countries comes from people of strong religious faith – mostly Catholic, Protestant, Muslim and Jewish – who believe their written texts condemn all homosexual activity.
If this is so – that the Bible, Qur’an and Torah do prohibit all gay relationships – then of course they must protest.
The point of the original article was to suggest that most, if not all, of the Judeo-Christian texts referred to by anti-gay people are in fact mistranslations or misinterpretations.
But because the anti-gay position has been held so strongly for some centuries now, it is naturally difficult for people to change. But change is happening. Churches and synagogues are increasingly accepting people in same-sex relationships into membership and into ministry. Christian and Jewish scholars are revising their understanding of the ancient texts. (How things are moving within Islam I don’t really know.)
In many countries here in Europe, the debate is over. Netherlands, Belgium, Spain, Norway, Sweden, Portugal and Iceland all have same-sex and opposite-sex marriage. France and others have same-sex civil unions and will soon have full marriage rights.
On balance, the changes seem for the better. I’m pretty sure this will be true also in Australia – both for the religious organisations and the community as a whole.