there should be a creationism vs evolution channel on videosift

The war is more like like reason vs. delusion.

I love the look I get on someone's face when I mention that Christianity is mythology. Why is it that when someone doesn't go along with the herd, they must be exterminated? ie. I can't tell you how many times I've been despised and threatened simply because I don't have the same paradigms as my newly-created attacker. I don't get upset when someone has different beliefs then me.

Oh yeah! That's right...because I'm more thoughtful and mature and I can accept and tolerate differences in people/cultures/environments...

dude where are you from? you get attacked and threatened by chrisitans? That isnt cristian at all! So I take it your from the US?

--long time watcher, first time comment--

I doubt that a creation vs evolution channel would fly, mostly because I would guess that the majority of sifters support evolution. I'm not sure why the two are even debated as though they are apples to apples. Studying the Genesis account reveals not a historical or scientific apporach but rather a theological account. Essentially, Genesis sets out to answer "why did this happen?" while Darwin's theory answers "how did this happen?"
I'm also disappointed at how often sifters are only familiar with one side of things, if that. I've seen several comments that indiacte some people don't even know their own stance well, let alone that of others. It seems that some people are here merely to exchange inflammatory remarks since they can hide behind a screen name.

Is funny how the (true sadly) champion of democratie seems to have so many lackness.

-Dangerously ever growing fundementalism
-Economical system who act like a second government
-Warlike mentality

It make wonder if North America (because Canada also develop the same lackness) have really evolve since the 19th century.

The sadest is than european nation seem nearly utopic compared to us, a fact nearly ironical knowing than the north american democratical weakness was the one of victorian europe in the origine.

Canada has a warlike mentality?

BWAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHAAAAAAAAHAAAAAAAAAAAHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA.

I would expect a gut-rumbling line like that from deathcow...

See, Lisa`s challenge to choose between one and the other cuts to the core of the Simpsons. Although they may have - nay, do have - their bias, they`re really awesome about being rather even-handed in debates. Something all of America can learn from.

In this case, Lisa`s challenges - although essentially correct - rub the wrong way. They did this to arguably much great effect when they covered her conversion to being vegetarian, but this was a good ep too.

it wasn't funny, insightful or witty.
and evolution doesn't really explain creation anyway, nor does it try to.

Krupo: I said than canada was about to have the same democratical weakness than the state, not than he have it already

"Essentially, Genesis sets out to answer "why did this happen?" while Darwin's theory answers "how did this happen?" -bhyphenlow

Evolutionary theory as properly understood does indeed answer 'why did this happen.' (Answer: natural selection.)

This is the same reason why evolution occurs in modern time frames, for example, in viruses and bacteria.

Chilaxe--
Maybe I should clarify. Evolution explains a process. Genesis sets out to explain what is behind a process. I'll try to explain another way. If a house burns to the ground, an investigator may come in and explain to me exactly how my house burned to the ground (what process took place). That answer may satisfy me, it may not. I might have a desire to know why. Maybe that can be narrowed down as well. Perhaps an arsonist comes forward and confesses. If I get a chance to speak with the arsonist or read his confession, that would help, in my mind, answer the why. Does that make any sense?

That analogy isn't sound, bhyphenlow. If we suspect someone of arson, we can look for evidence to support this claim.

The genesis account of creation has all the explanatory power of Alice in Wonderland explaining what's in a rabbit hole.

"If we suspect someone of arson, we can look for evidence to support this claim."

Many would argue that evidence abounds. An arsonist probably leaves some sort of "signature" on their work. A supporter of intelligent design would argue that there is the signature of a god or gods-- that's why the idea is termed "intelligent design." They see enough in creation to lead them to believe that someone was behind what happened.

Maybe I should clarify. Evolution explains a process.

Yes, but its also essentially the explanation for how life started.

To take your house-burning analogy a bit further: Lets say you do a proper investigation, and explain how it happened, lets say it started by some freak occurrence, like a magnifying glass lying in just the right angle to the sun to burn some paper or something.

What your basically asking is "why would anyone want to burn down that nice house?" You have asked a question that doesnt really have an answer, because its just ASSUMING, out of the blue, that someone WANTED to burn the house down, but as the investigation just showed, in this case, there was no motive, and no arsonist, you need neither to explain a housefire.

You think the universe OWES us an explanation, a reason, but there is no reason to think it does, Our investigation shows that to explain the vast diversity and splendor of life, we dont need a motive, or an "arsonist". The answer is Evolution by natural selection, which is an automatic, natural process, nature left to itself and the laws of physics and chemistry.

Fair point, BRM, but what if I wanted to know where the magnifying glass came from? Really, there is no way to prove either side. One side says that somebody put it there, while the other side says it was just always there. And on that matter, neither side can be proven correct. That leaves us to decide which we think is more plausible.

"A supporter of intelligent design would argue that there is the signature of a god or gods-- that's why the idea is termed "intelligent design." They see enough in creation to lead them to believe that someone was behind what happened."

We could spend a great deal of time discussing whether or not intelligent design has any credibility or not, but that is not what I was responding to. In the post I commented on, you specifically stated the book of Genesis as having explanatory power. Which, if that's true, I stand by my original statement that Genesis has all the explanatory power of any children's fantasy book.

One side says that somebody put it there, while the other side says it was just always there. And on that matter, neither side can be proven correct. That leaves us to decide which we think is more plausible.

The houseburning metaphor will only take us so far, in this case.

The point is, by putting "God" into the equation, you have shot yourself in the foot, because not only are you as I said assuming intention and purpose to the universe, but you have, in order to explain the complex, such as you, me, and everything else, invented a "creature" of INFINITE complexity. This is called shooting yourself in the foot. With a rocket launcher. You have explained NOTHING, solved NOTHING, and on top of it, created even bigger things to explain and solve.

Natural Selection EXPLAINS how things went from simple to complex, without a creator or "guide", thats the whole point of the theory, it explains something that requires an explanation, and as far as scientific theories goes, for any subject, Darwins theory is probably the greatest ever, because it explains so much with so little, to some extent it can actually be said to "explain it all with nothing at all".

The universe, however it started, must have started with something SIMPLE. I cannot "prove" it started this or that way, but it started simple. God, or whatever you want to call it, complicates everything right from the outset, and the more we look, the less "god" we find. There isnt a single shred of evidence that suggests that any kind of God exists or has existed. I could say "the universe travelled back in time and thus created itself" or that it was "farted out of the ass of a gigantic pink elephant" but without evidence, its just a wild guess, and I'm not placing my bets.

*dead. Sorry.

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