Religion: Real or Fake

[Jon Miller]

How would I assign a probability to a "creator"? And how do you determine probability of life existing on one planet?

By looking at how life came to exist on this planet, in our current understanding of the universe.

And then looking at how big the universe is out there. And how long it has existed (and will exist).

People do give relative probabilities to things (even if it isn't something quantifiable). At least, I assume so, otherwise how can you talk about whether you think something is true or not?

To put it another way, I am far far far more likely to believe in homeopathy than I am to believe that (baring the actions of God) life on earth is unique.

JM

[giblets]

So after 330 posts I think we've established the people that are religious believe it's real and the people that don't think it's fake. Wow.

What were you expecting from a thread involving such star participants as Kidicious?

[Imran Siddiqui]

So after 330 posts I think we've established the people that are religious believe it's real and the people that don't think it's fake. Wow.

Progress

[Jon Miller]

Really? That's not even a God in the gaps argument. Developmental biology is pretty well understood.

My understanding is that how DNA instructs things to transform from two cells to a human is not well understood, despite the Human Genome Project/etc.

JM

[Docfeelgood]

Really? That's not even a God in the gaps argument. Developmental biology is pretty well understood.

I'm trying to be philosophical and your ruining it for me.

[Imran Siddiqui]

Really? That's not even a God in the gaps argument. Developmental biology is pretty well understood.

One can see God's design and imprint on everything (such as the beauty of a forest or the way the solar system works). He's not saying biology doesn't exist or work, but he can see God's work in it.

I'm not sure he agrees, but when I think on evolution, I see God's handiwork (I'm, of course, an Evolutionary Creationist).

[N35t0r]

My point is not to claim that people's opinions are not true.

Yet you are constantly dissing other peoples' opinions

That's a pretty unreasonable opinion as well.

I'm sure you're an expert.

Most people disagree.

And? You're saying this as if it mattered.

All I've done is claim that what I believe is true because I have faith, not what you've accused me of.

Then you must not be reading what you're typing.

[Docfeelgood]

One can see God's design and imprint on everything (such as the beauty of a forest or the way the solar system works). He's not saying biology doesn't exist or work, but he can see God's work in it.

I'm not sure he agrees, but when I think on evolution, I see God's handiwork (I'm, of course, an Evolutionary Creationist).

TY

[N35t0r]

One can see God's design and imprint on everything (such as the beauty of a forest or the way the solar system works). He's not saying biology doesn't exist or work, but he can see God's work in it.

I'm not sure he agrees, but when I think on evolution, I see God's handiwork (I'm, of course, an Evolutionary Creationist).

He believes he sees God's work...

[MikeH]

Cherry picking the good stuff to see God's hand in, if he did create stuff he also created a lot of ugly, mean, nasty **** as well.

[Lorizael]

My understanding is that how DNA instructs things to transform from two cells to a human is not well understood, despite the Human Genome Project/etc.

JM

My understanding is that there are a lot of specifics biologists are missing, but there don't seem to be any holes in the general idea.

[giblets]

By looking at how life came to exist on this planet, in our current understanding of the universe.

And then looking at how big the universe is out there. And how long it has existed (and will exist).

People do give relative probabilities to things (even if it isn't something quantifiable). At least, I assume so, otherwise how can you talk about whether you think something is true or not?

JM

Saying "it's likely aliens exist because I think it's sufficiently easy for life to form" makes sense. But saying "I think it is unlikely that life formation would have the level of difficulty necessary for it to only exist on one planet" doesn't make any sense to me.

[Docfeelgood]

Cherry picking the good stuff to see God's hand in, if he did create stuff he also created a lot of ugly, mean, nasty **** as well.

Ya have to blame the parents for that.

[Jon Miller]

Cherry picking the good stuff to see God's hand in, if he did create stuff he also created a lot of ugly, mean, nasty **** as well.

I haven't seen anything ugly, mean, nasty in physics.

It is arguable in biology. But many people don't see anything ugly, mean or nasty there either.

It definitely exists in humanity, and in how we treat eachother.

But that is the central problem that Christianity deals with.

JM

[Jon Miller]

Saying "it's likely aliens exist because I think it's sufficiently easy for life to form" makes sense. But saying "I think it is unlikely that life formation would have the level of difficulty necessary for it to only exist on one planet" doesn't make any sense to me.

I don't you think understand just how unlikely this is.

The rejection of this idea is the core of scientific thought since Copernicus.

The mediocrity principle is the notion in philosophy of science that there is nothing special about humans or the Earth. It is a Copernican principle, used either as a heuristic about Earth's position or as a philosophical statement about the place of humanity. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mediocrity_principle

JM