Occam's razor precludes this argument. Of the two explanations: a) we can calculate the 14 billion year age of the universe thanks to measurements using the laws of nature or b) some capricious deity arranged for everything in the universe to only *look* that way but really popped everything into existence last Thursday, the more likely scenario is a).
Cornbread
JoinedPosts by Cornbread
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160
Beliefs About What Caused the Universe
by Perry inthe universe can be observed to be expanding.. an expanding universe must have had a beginning.
whatever begins to exist had a cause.
therefore the universe had a cause.
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160
Beliefs About What Caused the Universe
by Perry inthe universe can be observed to be expanding.. an expanding universe must have had a beginning.
whatever begins to exist had a cause.
therefore the universe had a cause.
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Cornbread
So now complete your argument about how "the universe had a cause" 14 billion years ago equals jealous voyeur sky father of the Hebrews. -
Our bacterial heritage and future
by Cornbread inpeople who believe in the theory of evolution state (correctly) that we humans are descended from the same common ancestors as modern-day primates.
people willfully ignorant of the science behind this assertion sometimes lash out in fear for their beliefs, finding it offensive that we are somehow related to chimpanzees and not perfectly created by a mythical being.
i say take the comparison further.
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Cornbread
People who believe in the theory of evolution state (correctly) that we humans are descended from the same common ancestors as modern-day primates. People willfully ignorant of the science behind this assertion sometimes lash out in fear for their beliefs, finding it offensive that we are somehow related to chimpanzees and not perfectly created by a mythical being.
I say take the comparison further. Not only are we directly related to lowly chimpanzees but we can trace our evolutionary lineage all the way back to the first bacteria. Anybody with a passing interest in science already knows this, but a close reflection upon this evolutionary journey just might point us towards the meaning for existence along the way.
Bacteria are the most plentiful form of life on the planet and they are the first signs of life that scientists look for in outer space. Bacteria are remarkably resilient and can multiply their numbers exponentially given the right resources, not unlike humanity.
We've carved out niches in almost every environment on our planet and already have started looking at the stars like Tiktaalik peered out of the primordial water at the unexplored universe. We have left such an imprint with climate change and modification of the environment that geologists now refer to our time on earth as the beginning of the anthropocene.
Could we, or the artificial intelligence we eventually create, be simply giant bacteria magnified through the lens of evolution? Our purpose in life may be simply to spread as far and wide through the universe as resources allow until it too dies the slow death of entropy. -
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Beliefs About What Caused the Universe
by Perry inthe universe can be observed to be expanding.. an expanding universe must have had a beginning.
whatever begins to exist had a cause.
therefore the universe had a cause.
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Cornbread
Like I said, debate causality and the big bang all you want, we know it happened.
Don't conflate that with proof of the existence of the god of the Bible.
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160
Beliefs About What Caused the Universe
by Perry inthe universe can be observed to be expanding.. an expanding universe must have had a beginning.
whatever begins to exist had a cause.
therefore the universe had a cause.
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Cornbread
I also find it hilarious that Perry is getting bent out of shape over the preposterous notion of magic cereal boxes appearing out of thin air when he unquestioningly rejects evolution. Species weren't "magicked" into existence either, bud.
Evolution is a slam-dunk theory, just like gravity. We're just unsure of the .mechanisms involved.
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160
Beliefs About What Caused the Universe
by Perry inthe universe can be observed to be expanding.. an expanding universe must have had a beginning.
whatever begins to exist had a cause.
therefore the universe had a cause.
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Cornbread
I find it very disingenuous for Perry and other creationists to harp on the supposed causality of the singularity at the beginning of the universe as being proof of the angry shepherd God of the Hebrews. It's one mighty anthropocentric leap of reasoning and quite frankly it's ridiculous.
We are infinitesimal specks in the grand scheme of the cosmos. Debate the origins of the Universe if you want but don't try to convince me there's some supernatural being who gets upset if you masturbate.
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Outstanding new book out today for you atheists, agnostics, humanists, naturalists and free thinkers
by Cornbread ini just got back from the bookstore and i can't wait to sink into it based on all the reviews and press it has been getting.
it's called the big picture - on the origin of life, meaning, and the universe itself by sean carroll.. “weaving the threads of astronomy, physics, chemistry, biology, and philosophy into a seamless narrative tapestry, sean carroll enthralls us with what we’ve figured out in the universe and humbles us with what we don’t yet understand.
yet in the end, it’s the meaning of it all that feeds your soul of curiosity.” —neil degrasse tyson, host of cosmos: a spacetime odyssey*publishers weekly #1 most anticipated science book of spring 2016*"already internationally acclaimed for his elegant, lucid writing on the most challenging notions in modern physics, sean carroll is emerging as one of the greatest humanist thinkers of his generation as he brings his extraordinary intellect to bear not only on higgs bosons and extra dimensions but now also on our deepest personal questions.
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14
Outstanding new book out today for you atheists, agnostics, humanists, naturalists and free thinkers
by Cornbread ini just got back from the bookstore and i can't wait to sink into it based on all the reviews and press it has been getting.
it's called the big picture - on the origin of life, meaning, and the universe itself by sean carroll.. “weaving the threads of astronomy, physics, chemistry, biology, and philosophy into a seamless narrative tapestry, sean carroll enthralls us with what we’ve figured out in the universe and humbles us with what we don’t yet understand.
yet in the end, it’s the meaning of it all that feeds your soul of curiosity.” —neil degrasse tyson, host of cosmos: a spacetime odyssey*publishers weekly #1 most anticipated science book of spring 2016*"already internationally acclaimed for his elegant, lucid writing on the most challenging notions in modern physics, sean carroll is emerging as one of the greatest humanist thinkers of his generation as he brings his extraordinary intellect to bear not only on higgs bosons and extra dimensions but now also on our deepest personal questions.
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Cornbread
I just got back from the bookstore and I can't wait to sink into it based on all the reviews and press it has been getting. It's called The Big Picture - On the Origin of Life, Meaning, and the Universe Itself by Sean Carroll.
“Weaving the threads of astronomy, physics, chemistry, biology, and philosophy into a seamless narrative tapestry, Sean Carroll enthralls us with what we’ve figured out in the universe and humbles us with what we don’t yet understand. Yet in the end, it’s the meaning of it all that feeds your soul of curiosity.”
—Neil deGrasse Tyson, host of Cosmos: A SpaceTime Odyssey
*Publishers Weekly #1 Most Anticipated Science Book of Spring 2016*
"Already internationally acclaimed for his elegant, lucid writing on the most challenging notions in modern physics, Sean Carroll is emerging as one of the greatest humanist thinkers of his generation as he brings his extraordinary intellect to bear not only on Higgs bosons and extra dimensions but now also on our deepest personal questions. Where are we? Who are we? Are our emotions, our beliefs, and our hopes and dreams ultimately meaningless out there in the void? Does human purpose and meaning fit into a scientific worldview?
In short chapters filled with intriguing historical anecdotes, personal asides, and rigorous exposition, readers learn the difference between how the world works at the quantum level, the cosmic level, and the human level--and then how each connects to the other. Carroll''s presentation of the principles that have guided the scientific revolution from Darwin and Einstein to the origins of life, consciousness, and the universe is dazzlingly unique.
Carroll shows how an avalanche of discoveries in the past few hundred years has changed our world and what really matters to us. Our lives are dwarfed like never before by the immensity of space and time, but they are redeemed by our capacity to comprehend it and give it meaning.
The Big Picture is an unprecedented scientific worldview, a tour de force that will sit on shelves alongside the works of Stephen Hawking, Carl Sagan, Daniel Dennett, and E. O. Wilson for years to come." -
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epica- ice cores
by joey jojo inepica- european project for ice coring in antarctica.. kind of old news but fascinating.
over the last 10 years or so, this organisation has analysed ice core samples taken from antarctica.
drilling more than 3000 metres into the permafrost, they produced the longest, continuous record of earths climate extending back almost 800 000 years.
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Cornbread
I wrote to Bethel a few months back on this very subject. Here's the thread, their official response is on page 5.
http://www.jehovahs-witness.com/topic/487530006/my-letter-bethel-about-flood?page=1&size=10
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Cuban Cigars
by OnTheWayOut inso mrs. otwo and i see something on television about cuban cigars.
she asks me if they are allowed into the united states.
i told her that i believe there is a softening of the rules, but they are still difficult to get.
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Cornbread
Mmm, Cohibas.
Although for the price of a good cigar you can get a nice little baggie of other stuff. I find the latter a much more enjoyable smoke.