Scientific "facts" change over time. When I was younger, I visited a lot of caves. Often, when I encountered stalactites and stalagmites, I was told their age, based on their size, and the "fact" that it took hundreds of years for them to increase an inch in length. I believed it until I visited a cave in Arkansas, which had only one natural entrance. To facilitate tours, there was a man-made concrete tunnel used as an exit. There were stalactites hanging from the concrete roof of the tunnel, some of which were over four inches long.

Knowledge can be divided into three parts: what we know that we know, what we know that we don't know, and what we don't know that we don't know. The last part is by far the largest, and the easiest for the smug egotists among us to be totally unaware of. Don't be too sure of anything, and question every "fact," especially those found on Wiki-pedia.

 

I completely believe and accept the theory of evolution.

I also completely believe and accept that God created the universe some 4 to 6 thousand years ago.

I don't see any contradictions here, as no where is it stated that God created a brand new universe. He may have created a universe already a few billion years old. That's covered in the "omniscient" clause.

Science does a great job in explaining "how." It takes religion to explain "why."

You of course are free to accept or deny any or all of this as God already gave you free will.

What you see in life depends upon where you stand, or what you bring to your point of vision. William Blake was standing on the shore one morning watching the sunrise. He turned to a friend who was standing nearby and asked:"What do you see when you see the sun rise?"

"I see a big round golden coin." His friend replied.

There was an embarrassed silence. Then the friend said to Blake: "What, Sir, do you see?"

And Blake replied: "I see an innumerable company of angels, crying Holy, Holy, Holy, the whole earth is filled with the Glory of God."

 

Send me $100 and a self addressed, stamped envelope and I'll mail you 'proof' of anything your little mind would care to know.

 

And the thread is closed in 3... 2... 1...

 

Our every decision in life is based on a belief system. When we step out of bed in the morning, we "believe" that the floor will support our weight. When we go to work, we "believe" that we will be paid for our efforts. When we attend college, we "believe" that our teachers will tell us the truth, but they actually tell us only what they "believe."

Without having been there and witnessed an event, our entire knowledge store is based on "believing" someone else's account of what happened. And even if we were there, we have to "believe" our own cognition and memory, and that we weren't somehow mislead by circumstances.

Thus, "facts" in the sense of absolutes, are almost absent from my world; I have to choose moment by moment, what to "believe." Happily, I make those choices based on Whom I believe.

 

Why do we pray & why do they preach?

MHO......click click... , Bill or Geo.

 

And the thread is closed in 3... 2... 1...

0

-1 -2 -3 , no end huh !

 

@ErnieM

You of course are free to accept or deny any or all of this as God already gave you free will.

Why do state this as though it were fact?

Seems to me this is just your belief, and is 100% wrong by according to my belief.

Why has this thread not been closed yet?

 

@ErnieM

Why do state this as though it were fact?

Seems to me this is just your belief, and is 100% wrong by according to my belief.

Why has this thread not been closed yet?

I think that statement was just based on his belief. He wasn't trying to push it as a fact. It's 100% right according to my belief, 100% wrong according to your belief. Nothing is going to change it either way, I'm sure.

Honestly, I have no idea why it hasn't been closed These threads don't usually last beyond the first two posts!

 

OMG please censor us! We just can't help ourselves!

 

OMG please censor us! We just can't help ourselves!

I agree with you.

Nothing good can come of continuing this thread.

EDIT: And I admit, I am the worst for rising to the bait

 

I agree with you.

Nothing good can come of continuing this thread.

EDIT: And I admit, I am the worst for rising to the bait

Oh yes, hexreader is the worst!

Just kidding

 

Oh yes, hexreader is the worst!

Just kidding

Happy to be the worst, as long as we all agree that I am right

 

Happy to be the worst, as long as we all agree that I am right

I still disagree, so perhaps I'm the worst. But I'm saying that I can't prove I'm right, and you can't prove you're right. There is nothing in this world that can prove religion is true or false. You're welcome to your beliefs, but you can't say it's a fact that there is no God, just like I can't say it's a fact that there IS a God. See what I'm saying?

 

I still disagree, so perhaps I'm the worst. But I'm saying that I can't prove I'm right, and you can't prove you're right. There is nothing in this world that can prove religion is true or false. You're welcome to your beliefs, but you can't say it's a fact that there is no God, just like I can't say it's a fact that there IS a God. See what I'm saying?

Did I say you were wrong? Did I say that I could prove that you were wrong?

Must have missed those posts

And I agree with you, there is no proof either way, just differing beliefs

EDIT : and post 34 has a smiley at he end. Not to be taken literally

 

Did I say you were wrong? Did I say that I could prove that you were wrong?

Must have missed those posts

No, you were just urging people to agree that you were right


Seriously, this thread is STILL going??? Hahahaha

 

looked more like a mobbing than a debate.

I could hear the younger fellows arguing thier point, but I suspect it was because they didn't want to be wrong. However, one must carefully pick thier audience, otherwise face the onslaught.

If you consider that the majority of the worlds' population belief in one faith or another, there's got to be something to it.

 

No, you were just urging people to agree that you were right

You misunderstand me. I am fairly confident that I am approximately right, but others must come their own conclusions. And it does bother me that others with opposite views have equal conviction to me.

GetDeviceInfo: If you consider that the majority of the worlds' population belief in one faith or another, there's got to be something to it.

Disagree

 

You misunderstand me.

Oh, then I apologize. My mistake.

 

Oh, then I apologize. My mistake.

Please do not apologise.

What is the way forward when I sincerely believe one thing, and you (I sense) sincerely believe something incompatible with my belief? (EDIT: or should I have phrased that the other way around to eliminate my bias?)

We can't both be right, but we are both sincere.

Maybe the respectable answer is that neither of us know for sure?

I am genuinely interested in your opinion.