Today me, {idiot}, and my friend from the Religious Right, {RR}, thought we'd discuss the debate over Evolution versus Creation; what should be taught in the classroom?
idiot: Obvious question, what do you think should be in our textbooks?
RR: Obvious answer, creation.
idiot: But since the theory of creation is religious, and we have separation of church and state, how would you justify that position?
RR: That's such a loaded question...
idiot: That's why I get paid the big bucks!
RR: Okay, first of all, creation isn't a theory, it's fact; recorded in Genesis, which was written long ago. It's not just religious, a majority of the scientific community accepts it. Also, "separation of church and state" is not even in the constitution.
idiot: Some would say the account of creation in Genesis is purely allegorical.
RR: "Some" would be wrong.
idiot: So you're saying all of creation happened in six days?
RR: No, that's what the Bible says.
idiot: Would you be willing to accept both evolution and creation to be taught side by side?
RR: When I was younger, I might have said yes; but now I would say no.
idiot: Wow, you don't even believe they should get "equal time"?
RR: No, because evolution isn't even a valid theory anymore. If "survival of the fittest" were true, and man is highest on the food chain, there would be no other species on the planet. Also, if life "mutates", as they call it, why haven't we seen a carp walk out from the ocean, and onto the beach?
idiot: So you're saying that our tax dollars should never pay for any textbook that has the word, "evolution" in it?
RR: Of course not, english teachers sometimes use science fiction books.
Commercial break.
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I think the problem is, our Country based the Constitution on a United States that would be religiously free-yet they based many of their rules on religious texts.
They knew some religious texts had good ideas, but they didn't think of what could possibly happen 200+ years down the road.
The US of today isn't even really devout in any sort of religion. We're a country that has a doctrine telling it to do one thing, and then it goes and does something else.
Kinda like....hmm...oh, here we go: It's kind of like parenting. Rules have to change as a child grows. You can't tell a child that it can drive when it's only 10 years old. Yet, at the same time, when that child is 16, you can't tell the child it's nap time.
Same as our country. You can't expect our mindset to be the same as that of our ancestors. Our ancestors were doing what we are now: revolting against rules that no longer fit their maturity. We're doing some growing up now, as a country, and we're confused. We have one foot firmly stuck in the rigid system laid down some 200 years ago, and one foot hovering over a dark black hole that leads to an unknown place. America is scared, and is somewhat clinging to it's old doctrines. We're in-between a comfortable place that works, and it's messing us up. It's gonna come to a point where we have to decide where religion stands in our country, and where the Government stands, and then keep it that way, for the time being. We've evolved past the religious mindset that EVERYONE had back when this country started, and we don't all think the same way anymore. Heck, some of us don't even believe in a God.
We're a messed up country. Oy vey.
And Darwin, yeah, Darwin, that guy the fundies like to throw ridiculous and deceitful insults at to try and discredit what is one of the best supported theories in all of science. I think these people actually believe that all evolutionary discovery stopped with Darwin's observations. Forget the hundred plus years that have followed where we have again and again put the theory of evolution to the test and seen it come through with flying colors, above and beyond all expectations.
This is the problem with the education system in the U.S.. The facts of the theory of evolution should be common knowledge, but they are not. People are learning their "science" from their religious leaders and fundy websites, and as a result we are woefully behind Western European and Asian nations in the fields of science and mathematics. We are raising a country of backwoods doofi. When will the religious right realize they are poisining the well and that soon we will have nothing worth drawing from it?
Let the religious leaders teach all the warm fuzzy they want in the church, but make sure the children hear from the scientists where science is concerned. You don't see scientists performing baptisms, do you?
Hmmmm, so what is that 'molded from the dust of the earth and quickened with the breath of God' stuff (stated in various ways) all about? And do you ACTUALLY believe I'm part of your rib cage? ROTFL
It would appear to me that the biblical creationism tale, "In the beginning", was simply based upon what scribes used to forego the system of evolution, of which they were so sorrowfully ignorant.
It's about 'power' and 'control'. IMO Then, now and always, the masses are fed 'what feels good' to keep them in their place.
Myself? I can live with primordial slime--just don't give me any edification on Eden. ROTFL
Yeah that first energy/matter is hard to reconcile, but how much harder is it to reconcile that first matter plus an infinite being of infinite knowledge and his origins as well. Adding a god to the equation doesn't make it any easier to understand how the first matter/energy came into existence. Scientists use something called Occam's razor which basically says, when confronted with two possiblities the least complicated should always be considered most reasonable until proven otherwise. In this case, matter coming into existence from unknown origins is far more reasonable than an infinite being coming into existence from unknown origins and then causing matter to come into existence from unknown origins.
String theory actually postulates some fairly shaky premises for the beginning of the beginning, but as of yet there is no solid theory. There very likely never will be. Still, a god in no way helps to make sense out of anything.
Of course, there may be creatures that evolved somewhere out there, and who are we not to believe that they are the original "Adam & Eve" and we are the product of their banishment from their 'Eden'? (I like fairy tales just like the next person, you know? lol)
Not to be denied its place in any discussion of who/what/where we came from is that ever ringing bell that everything, everywhere, is part of the source. We are just putting our time in here until we return. Maybe?