Although here you are talking here about Very recent history!
Max.

Yeah I know. So it should not be too hard to find fossilized evidence of these transitional species right? I don't even know if it can be rightly called the "theory" of evolution if without evidence it is just a hypothesis.

 

Why does The Atheist outlash always seem to be aimed at Christianity? .

I don't think that is entirely true, I don't have a dog in the fight, as Dr Phil would say, but Although I have no wish to belong in a member sense, I do keep tabs on the N.A. Humanist Society movement, we have a local one, and they do try and present a informed logical view against all types of the oppressive religions, and do encourage intelligent debate on the subject of religion (or not).
Max.

 

I would be less skeptical if there more fossil evidence of the transitionary species. For example the chart in every science classroom showing the progression from chimp to man, and the talk of "the missing link." To my understanding there is more than one missing link; in fact there is no fossil record for most of the primates on that chart. The ones for which there is an actual record, it is shaky at best. One or two examples dug from a pit of other bones. I'm no archeologist so my calling their work into question holds little water, but as a layman it is hard for me to be confident that they know what they are talking about.

Edit:
If archeology is anything like meteorology, then they could be wrong as often as they are right. Just like the weather forecast.

Does the bible say anything definitive about Neanderthals a now proven genetic cousin to us modern homosapians?

Archaeological study plus genealogical testing has proven that they existed plus interbred with our early ancestors so how exactly does that work into the Adam and Eve story? Was there an unmentioned Og and Uge somewhere off in the sidelines too that religion just didn't feel worth mentioning?

 

Yeah I know. So it should not be too hard to find fossilized evidence of these transitional species right? I don't even know if it can be rightly called the "theory" of evolution if without evidence it is just a hypothesis.

Actually it has been to the point the now more defined evolutionary tree looks far more like a weed thicket!

Just one example of what the more comprehensive evolutionary trees look like and this one still just resents the larger primary section.

https://www.pinterest.com/pin/547117054716195181

 

I don't think that is entirely true, I don't have a dog in the fight, as Dr Phil would say, .

Touche. If someone were to say " all Christians are idiots," or some such, I might take minor offense to that. Because my parents and lot of my family are Christian. While I don't share their beliefs I do still love them.

 

Actually it has been to the point the now more defined evolutionary tree looks far more like a weed thicket!

Just one example of what the more comprehensive evolutionary trees look like and this one still just resents the larger primary section.

https://www.pinterest.com/pin/547117054716195181

That image is from 1879.

 

Does the bible say anything definitive about Neanderthals a now proven genetic cousin to us modern homosapians?

Archaeological study plus genealogical testing has proven that they existed plus interbred with our early ancestors so how exactly does that work into the Adam and Eve story? Was there an unmentioned Og and Uge somewhere off in the sidelines too that religion just didn't feel worth mentioning?

There was a lot of things that religion didn't find worth mentioning. That's among one of the many reasons that I wasn't able to believe it.

 

If you Google "Bill Nye destroys" you will find all kinds of videos where Bill Nye systematically disassembles all kinds of people's beliefs, like creationism, global warming, vaccinations, Etc. He is well within his rights to do that and I even agree with a lot of his videos. He is one of the outspoken minority, but I see his videos posted on my Facebook all the time by people who don't voice their own opinions they just use him to do it. Him and a handful of other prominent people in the scientific Community are doing it. It's my impression that most of the quiet majority support them.

And that leaves me with another question, why is there no Bill Nye destroys Islam video or Bill Nye destroys Hinduism or Bill Nye destroys Greek mythology? Why does The Atheist outlash always seem to be aimed at Christianity?

Unfortunately bill nye has been pretty well defamed for being a hack 'scientist' at this point that he is nearer the pseudo-scientist title by his actions.
There a loads of YouTube videos of him getting his butt handed to him by real legitimate scientist and experts in various fields, some of which you used in your example. I know for a fact his less than accurate and up to date views on the climate change topic gets him beat down so hard its sad.

https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=bill+nye+gets+owned

He's far more of an actor than a scientist and its been well proven at this point.

 

Is anyone heard any compelling theories about intelligent design other than the modern creationist Theory? Aliens perhaps?

 

That image is from 1879.

Exactly my point. They had that level of evolutionary branching concept figured out way back then which showed the divisions from the begining up to that time were way beyond grade school 6 - 10 step evolutionary charts most of us are familiar with.

There was a lot of things that religion didn't find worth mentioning. That's among one of the many reasons that I wasn't able to believe it.

Same here. When major concepts get glossed over or totally left out my nature is to question everything that is presented and find out in as much detail as I feel warrants my efforts as to why and when it comes to religion ignorance and willing deception in order to contorl others are way too high on the list to ignore.

 

I have my own beliefs of what occurred on the day of creation,
God had been sitting around in the dark for who knows how long, so it is logical he takes up a hobby, so he molds the planets, the sun and stars, and makes the earth the centre of the Universe, for the first five days he makes all the flora and fauna, birds, animals, fishes on the 6th day, he turns the light on.
Everyone here knows when you take on a project at the end, there is always parts left over, on the 6th day it was no different, so what does he do? Stick them all together and call them Man, the problem is, they cannot fly, they cannot swim, they cannot run, they cannot swing from trees, so feeling sorry for them, he says I will put you in charge of everything.
After Man had gathered his thoughts, this is where the phrase 'Think fast'. originated.
I can just imagine a scene on the African savanna, there are two men, one white the other black.
Two lions crouching in the grass, one to the other, 'do you prefer white meat or dark'
It's a wonder we are here at all!
Max.

 

I think that struggle is probably based in the inability of the human mind to grasp the vast scale of time and parallel processing that is involved.

The more I think about this the more familiar it seems. I accepted it almost immediately when you said it because you put it in words that speak to my technical nature, but it's the same exact explanation my mother gave me time and time again toward the end my childhood question sessions when I had worn her to the bone with questions she couldn't answer.

"We as mere humans just aren't capable of comprehending..." fill in the blank, many options:
God's will
Where God came from
Why there was never a time before God existed
etc.

 

Perhaps this is one for the jokes thread. An oldie but t goodie.

God promised that there would be good and obedient wives in every corner of the world. He then made the world round and he laughed and he laughed.

 

On a serious note. I am glad to see some people are open to the idea of intelligent design. Be it god or alien. It drives me nuts when people criticize those that believe in God and creationism for being ignorant. Being closed minded to what is beyond our ability to understand is every bit as bad as ignoring well founded scientific theroy.

 

The more I think about this the more familiar it seems. I accepted it almost immediately when you said it because you put it in words that speak to my technical nature, but it's the same exact explanation my mother gave me time and time again toward the end my childhood question sessions when I had worn her to the bone with questions she couldn't answer.

"We as mere humans just aren't capable of comprehending..." fill in the blank, many options:
God's will
Where God came from
Why there was never a time before God existed
etc.

The difference is that, like so many things within the realm of scientific inquiry that we have a hard time grasping, we can model and simulate and question and explore it. We can tease out knowledge a bit at a time, make informed guesses (many of which will be wrong) and keep teasing out more information, knowing that many of our earlier guesses will not stand up to the scrutiny.

That's very different some saying, "Just believe it because that's what we are told to believe."

 

On a serious note. I am glad to see some people are open to the idea of intelligent design. Be it god or alien. It drives me nuts when people criticize those that believe in God and creationism for being ignorant. Being closed minded to what is beyond our ability to understand is every bit as bad as ignoring well founded scientific theroy.

I agree. That's what I said toward the end of my original post; that there are some things we don't understand and we need to be open minded. If I'm being consistent then post #32 might look like a contradiction ( it seems it could be taken that way now that I read what I typed), but I do accept there are some things we aren't well equipped to understand. I just feel like leaving that statement open leaves room for all kinds of false information to be blindly accepted under the pretense that we aren't smart enough to make an effort toward an explanation.

Edit:
Wbahn posted while I was typing. I hope I made a clear point

 

I remember the Bible saying Cain and Abel taking wives after the whole Garden thing went sour.
Where did these women come from?
Either Adam and Eve had lots of children. A WHOLE LOT of children. Or.
There were other humans not IN the garden.

I've always thought of the Creation myth as a story that explains what we know about the history of the universe in ways that people without scientific knowledge can understand. It glosses over a bunch of stuff and completely skips some things we, today, think very important.
Religion is good. It just isn't highly explanatory or fully anchored in the facts as we know them now.
It's the part where humans adopt it and mold and massage it into a tool to bring themselves into power over other humans that I find completely unacceptable.

 

Why does The Atheist outlash always seem to be aimed at Christianity? I don't have a dog in this fight but I would just like to know. I'm guessing Probably because Christianity is the religion most often forced upon people here in America.

The short answer to your question is obvious to me.
Christianity (like all mainstream religions) regulates sexuality, and these latest generations have come to regard sexuality as a source of pleasure rather than a means for reproduction. They are confusing the means with the goal, and there will be a price to pay for that, in my opinion. So people are relentlessy attacking Christianity because they don't like what it teaches. As for the other religions, they're not attacked that much because one has become over-sensitive to criticism, and the other one has a small percentage of nut-jobs willing to blow themselves up for any perceived offense against their beliefs.

People also forget that all of the founding fathers of your country (and mine) were all Christian. And that the entire constitution, starting with the "all men are created equal" statement is completely soaked in that belief. ... The way I see it, people have entirely forgotten the foundations of modern history. They forgot that there was a time in which justice by one's own hand was considered legit... that in western lands human sacrifices were regularly performed, that babies, maidens and children were regularly sacrificed to pagan gods... that the strong were there to extort and enslave the weak, and that a man's worth was measured by the amount of his possessions, or by the power that he wielded... Christianity came and did away with all those beliefs (and I mean true believers, not the idiots that forced conversions on others, which was a minority, contrary to what people not versed in history believe) and instituted the golden rule (do unto others what you would like others to do onto you), which is far superior to the silver rule (do not do unto others what you do not want others to do to you) ... the difference is subtle, but extremely important... one is active, the other one is passive...

 

I remember the Bible saying Cain and Abel taking wives after the whole Garden thing went sour.
Where did these women come from?
Either Adam and Eve had lots of children. A WHOLE LOT of children. Or.
There were other humans not IN the garden.

I've always thought of the Creation myth as a story that explains what we know about the history of the universe in ways that people without scientific knowledge can understand. It glosses over a bunch of stuff and completely skips some things we, today, think very important.
Religion is good. It just isn't highly explanatory or fully anchored in the facts as we know them now.
It's the part where humans adopt it and mold and massage it into a tool to bring themselves into power over other humans that I find completely unacceptable.

I didn't know Abel took a wife. But even as a kid I question why God marked Cain so everyone would know not to kill him (and how were they to know that some mark on him meant that they weren't to kill him) and how he went out and took a wife.

I could never get a decent answer out of a pastor or other church guy, but it also didn't take much for me to come up with something plausible on my own. Supposedly Adam lived to be over 900 years old and that most people back then lived similarly long lives (remember, Adam and Eve were supposed to live forever in the Garden). So that's a lot of kids and their kids and such. I don't think the Bible says how long it was between killing Abel and taking a wife, so it's not too much of a stretch to think that humanity spread out rather quickly over the course of several hundred years and that there would be plenty of opportunities for him to do so.

 

Can we please refrain from making references to the Bible?