Why is it such a crime to believe in an intelligent creator?

[DominionSeraph]

I know belief in God is majorly unpopular on this forum but even still I can't help but to ask the question why is it so hard to believe that it's possible that God could have created life?

It's a non-answer as there's no method. "Magic" is not a method -- all using "magic" as an explanation says is that you actually have no clue as to how things got from point A to point B; i.e., "I have no idea by what method this happened."

Using "Magic" or "It just happened" also completely strangles finding the real answer. Using those is actually saying, "We'll never know the answer," which leads you to give up on the search. You have to search for the answers to find them -- you can't know reality without studying it.

Science uses methodological naturalism because it keeps us plugging away at the answers. It dismisses bullshit "We'll never know"'s and keeps working the problem. If we don't know something, we don't know it -- we live with the uncertainty. We don't just throw up our arms and declare defeat and believe it with absolute certainty just to get a feeling of certainty -- that's for idiot rednecks to do.

On another note, here:

This is an evolved antenna. Humans set up the evolutionary system, but no one actually designed this: It is the output of a trial-and-error system, and it fits the parameters that NASA was going for.

Evolution is quite capable of design.

 

[darkswordsman17]

Like you're gonna get that out of ATOT? Surely you jest.

Maybe if you or these other people posting this would start by providing a bit of it yourselves we might have something to go with. Instead we get constant whining about how your ideas are every bit as valid as others despite you providing nothing to substantiate, well pretty much anything.

Oh that's right, its just enough to believe it and then it is true.

 

[Cerpin Taxt]

What is the method for producing wind without mechanical or other artificial means? Is wind magical?

Wind is the consequence of differences in barometric pressure. You can create it in an aquarium using hot and cold on opposing ends of a tank, for example. I'm pretty sure I saw it on Mr. Wizard once.

Got any other head-scratchers, Poindexter?

 

[WaTaGuMp]

Wind is the consequence of differences in barometric pressure. You can create it in an aquarium using hot and cold on opposing ends of a tank, for example. I'm pretty sure I saw it on Mr. Wizard once.

Got any other head-scratchers, Poindexter?

Is a fart wind? If so is it based on barometric pressure?

 

[Arkitech]

Perhaps they do happen on a consistent basis, at unprecedented rates... It's just that within the span of infinite time, and expansive distance, the "consistency" and those "rates" are exponentially greater than humans existence. Thus, you would never witness those miracles.

Perhaps so. But there is an estimated 1.7 million species on the planet, surely with that many life forms in existence we should be able to document some form of radical evolution.

 

[Wingznut]

What is the method for producing wind without mechanical or other artificial means? Is wind magical?

Yes, it must be God who makes the wind. Or wait, perhaps one of the other sixteen gods once believed to be responsible for wind.

 

[Cerpin Taxt]

Lack of evidence of the existence of creator does not mean that the creator does not exist.

Please show me where I have ever proffered an argument which concluded "therefore a creator does not exist."

The inventor of the wheel is unknown, yet we clearly must accept that the wheel did not come into existence by itself.

It arguably didn't have an inventor, since roughly circular shapes occur naturally (the cross section of a tree, for example). That's not really the point, however. We can demonstrate a number of methods by which a wheel can be developed, naturally. Likewise, we can demonstrate the methods by which biological organisms diversify into reproductively isolated populations.

 

[busydude]

Perhaps so. But there is an estimated 1.7 million species on the planet, surely with that many life forms in existence we should be able to document some form of radical evolution.

I think we could have made a lot of progress in science had religion not fuck humanity up for >1000 years.

 

[WaTaGuMp]

Religion is man made. /end thread.

 

[Wingznut]

Perhaps so. But there is an estimated 1.7 million species on the planet, surely with that many life forms in existence we should be able to document some form of radical evolution.

Really? I mean... Presuming that evolution is true, how long do you think it takes a species to evolve?

It's kind of ironic how in your initial post you talk about how there's more to existence than your current consciousness... Yet, within the scope of considering possibilities other than an almighty creator, you can't seem to see outside your current time frame.

 

[busydude]

Perhaps so. But there is an estimated 1.7 million species on the planet, surely with that many life forms in existence we should be able to document some form of radical evolution.

I wonder why we have to take flu vaccines every year? :hmm:

 

[lxskllr]

The greater point is none of this is worthy of discussion. We can either use facts, or we can make shit up. Facts don't tell us the origin of anything, and we still don't know how the uni(multi)verse works, but it beats making shit up.

 

[DominionSeraph]

What is the method for producing wind without mechanical or other artificial means? Is wind magical?

Oh Jesus Christ. He doesn't know about differential heating?

You must either not be out of high school or you went to a really shitty one.

 

[IronWing]

Did half the ATOTosphere kick off the school year by attending the religious study group of their choice this evening? We gots a creation thread, an atheists is wrong thread, and now a theists are victims thread all in a couple hours.

 

[SparkyJJO]

On another note, here:
http://img197.imageshack.us/img197/6534/st5ealongsmaller.jpg

This is an evolved antenna. Humans set up the evolutionary system, but no one actually designed this: It is the output of a trial-and-error system, and it fits the parameters that NASA was going for.

Evolution is quite capable of design.

lol seriously? There was a person, and intelligent being behind that. Sure, it was trial and error, but it was all done by someone with a measure of intelligence.

The trial and error of a person trying to make something work does not support the theory of evolution. If anything, it slightly lends credence to the idea of an intelligent creator because of there being someone behind it, someone forming it.

Did half the ATOTosphere kick off the school year by attending the religious study group of their choice this evening? We gots a creation thread, an atheists is wrong thread, and now a theists are victims thread all in a couple hours.

It comes and goes. Usually, someone posts one of those, which then almost always results in the rest being created. They get argued over for a while, then people get sick of it, and the threads fall into the recesses of the forum, and nothing, nobody has changed their minds. Then a while later, it gets all started up again.

 

[DominionSeraph]

Did half the ATOTosphere kick off the school year by attending the religious study group of their choice this evening? We gots a creation thread, an atheists is wrong thread, and now a theists are victims thread all in a couple hours.

How about we turn these into goddess threads?

I'll start:

So ATOT, post your goddesses.

 

[Arkitech]

Wind is the consequence of differences in barometric pressure. You can create it in an aquarium using hot and cold on opposing ends of a tank, for example. I'm pretty sure I saw it on Mr. Wizard once.

Got any other head-scratchers, Poindexter?

you are correct. so where did these differences in hot and cold temperatures occur from? the point is origins. we have to back step until we come to the issue of either randomly appearing elements that created the basis of life as we know it or a creator who designed things as we know it. we will never truly know through first hand eye witness accounts of what occurred billions of years ago. so we must speculate were there always random elements in the universe that came from something or somewhere we can't explain that formed into the highly regulated states of universal laws and mathematics or was it a designer or god who always existed that we can't explained who designed the highly regulated states of universal laws and mathematics that we are now aware of.

billions of people over the history of mankind's existence seem to believe that a creator is responsible for the beginning of life. however the majority rules type of thinking is not always a valid or accurate conclusion to a matter. i did'nt create this thread topic to decisively point out that god created life, i just merely wanted to make the point that it is not such a wild or unintelligent point of view to believe in god as a creator. many atot posters would have you believe that it is pure stupidity or idiocy to even remotely consider that an intelligent creator exists, but in reality proving that life and the universe as we know exists by mere coincidence is not a proof of greater intelligence or elevated thinking.

 

[busydude]

Oh Jesus Christ.

When ever some one yells JESUS... a snake eats an apple.

 

[busydude]

we will never truly know through first hand eye witness accounts of what occurred billions of years ago.

We can.. by observing distant stars/galaxies billions of light years away.

 

[Arkitech]

Really? I mean... Presuming that evolution is true, how long do you think it takes a species to evolve?

It's kind of ironic how in your initial post you talk about how there's more to existence than your current consciousness... Yet, within the scope of considering possibilities other than an almighty creator, you can't seem to see outside your current time frame.

what is the purpose of evolution? I'm not saying this to prove any particular point, I'd just like to hear your definition. The reason for this question is because I've heard people describe it many different ways.

 

[Cerpin Taxt]

you are correct. so where did these differences in hot and cold temperatures occur from? the point is origins.

What origin?

 

[Cerpin Taxt]

what is the purpose of evolution? I'm not saying this to prove any particular point, I'd just like to hear your definition. The reason for this question is because I've heard people describe it many different ways.

Evolution doesn't have a "purpose." It is simply what happens to imperfect replicators.

 

[IronWing]

How about we turn these into goddess threads?

I'll start:


So ATOT, post your goddesses.

Everyone likes Kali!

 

[Arkitech]

We can.. by observing distant stars/galaxies billions of light years away.

even by observing things of that nature there is a limit on what can be inferred from the available data. there are still many questions that are unanswered.

 

[Arkitech]

What origin?

what are the origins of hot and cold? what are the origins that created the elements to produce hot and cold?