[Deepblue]

Originally posted by Ford Prefect
But the question that religion addresses is unprovable. Therefore, it is not defying what science tells us is true.

Bingo again.

[Flipside]

Actually, events in religious books have, on several occasions, been backed up by science. Such things as the Walls of Jercho etc (Not the act of blowing the bugle, but the fact that Jericho was where it was said to be, and it did indeed have very thick walls.)

In fact, once of the most interesting programs I ever watched on Discovery was about a wooden vessel that had been found buried in a Glacier, which matched the Ark for size and composition. Though, it is suspected there were far more than one.

I'll see if I can find a link, it was utterly fascinating.....

[Ford Prefect]

But I'm not talking about Biblical events; those are immaterial. I'm talking about the question that makes religion what it is: The question of god.

[Flipside]

Well, religion wasn't always about 'God' as such, he's actually pretty much a n00b on the religious scene. We had Sprites, which mutated into Spirits and then all got bundled into one big 'God'. The evolution of Religion is very similar to the evolution of science, it is the search for the one big 'Answer'.

Neither are right or wrong, but one could not come into existence without the other one popping up as well. And neither science nor religion would function properly without the catalyst of the other.

[aldo_14]

Sweet zombie jesus, what have I missed here then?

[Ford Prefect]

I would argue, however, that our need for god has always been the same regardless of what we call it or whether it is plural or singular. I see polytheistic gods as nothing but multiple faces of one god, just as one god is comprised of multiple sides. God is a figurative description for our need to connect with our universe. And in a way, god is also a projection of ourselves onto our surroundings.

[Flipside]

Exactly, God is the personification of what we don't understand, that does not always equate to ignorance.

And yes, we need 'Gods'. As I said earlier, without religion, the Sun wouldn't rise in the morning, there would merely be a big bright thing in the sky from time to time, there would be no curiosity, no awe, no wondering what it is or how it got there or why it moves.

[Ford Prefect]

I never argued that god is in any way related to ignorance. That was Kazan.

[Gank]

Originally posted by Deepblue
Please understand me. The associated press got a hold of the pics when they were FIRST POSTED ON AN ISLAMIC EXTREMIST website. Thats why all the prisoners have their faces blacked out (a rather bad job of it at that). The AP doesn't do that.

Did you even read the article? Here I'll quote it for you seeing as you'll probably just keep arguing your bull****.

An Associated Press reporter found more than 40 of the pictures among hundreds in an album posted on a commercial photo-sharing Web site by a woman who said her husband brought them from Iraq after his tour of duty. It is unclear who took the pictures, which the Navy said it was investigating after the AP furnished copies to get comment for this story.

The images were posted to the Internet site Smugmug.com. The woman who posted them told the AP they were on the camera her husband brought back from Iraq. She said her husband has returned to Iraq. He does not appear in photos with prisoners.

The wife said she was upset that a reporter was able to view the album, which includes family snapshots. Hundreds of other photos depict everyday military life in Iraq, some showing commandos standing around piles of weapons and waving wads of cash.

The images were found through the online search engine Google. The same search today leads to the Smugmug.com Web page, which now prompts the user for a password. Nine scenes from the SEAL camp remain in Google's archived version of the page.

"I think it's fair to assume that it would be very hard for most consumers to know all the ways the search engines can discover Web pages," said Smugmug spokesman Chris MacAskill.

Before the site was password protected, the AP purchased reprints for 29 cents each.

Idiot.

[Flipside]

hehehehe That wasn't directed at anyone, I just thought I'd head off the argument before it was raised by anyone

[Gank]

Originally posted by Thrilla
Tell me about it.  My unit just got back from Germany last May and is redeploying to Iraq next Fall.  Sounds like fun.  At least I get to see the world.  

Landstuhl by any chance? how busy were things there April/May?

[Kazan]

flipside: some parts of the bible being based upon reality doesn't make the entire thing true

you should know that

[Ford Prefect]

You are missing the entire point of the argument.

[Flipside]

Oh, even if the events are true, I don't believe the context for one moment

I think the point that is trying to be made is that Religion is not the enemy of science, though certain religious views may fly in the face of what science believes, but is, in fact, the natural twin brother of it, both as different as can be, and yet related. They were both bred from that same awe and need to understand, only they chose different routes.

[aldo_14]

I've never seen science & religion as incompatible, myself.  Strange bedfellows sometimes, but they are really just ways of looking at how the universe works; how different is religion from philosophy, anyways?

[Ghostavo]

So why the constant need for religion to meddle in science's affairs? Such as evolution and stuff?

[aldo_14]

Originally posted by Ghostavo
So why the constant need for religion to meddle in science's affairs? Such as evolution and stuff?

I think it's simply because there are some people take a very narrow & literal view.  Some religious people think science destroys their faith, some aetheists presumably think religion destroys science.

I mean, the basic thing is that usually the person who shouts loudest has the least useful thing to say; that's why they have to shout.

[Deepblue]

Originally posted by Gank


Did you even read the article? Here I'll quote it for you seeing as you'll probably just keep arguing your bull****.

 
 
 
Idiot.

No need for name-calling.

Thats just what I heard, however I geuss I was wrong.

Sorry.

[Flipside]

I would say that is more a case of the Church meddling rather than religion. The thing is, a purely scientific society would, by now, be practising cloning, humans, genetic manipulation, would be using animals and 'defective' humans for experiments, would probably encourage Euthenasia and Abortion for population control etc. Because that would be, from a purely logical point of view sensible for the human race.

However, the Human Race is not a group of opinionless, emotionless automatons, they have feelings and wants and needs. In a way, religion tries to act as our conscience to sciences' logic. It doesn't work very well at the moment, because of both lack of trust and powermongering, but that, I think, is the way things ought to be.

[Kazan]

i think it's clearly demonstrated that certain religious individuals destroy science*


*or attempt to