Equal Time for 'Intelligent Falling' Theory

[ThiudareiksGunthigg]

http://www.theonion.com/news/index.php?issue=4133&n=2

Evangelical Scientists Refute Gravity with 'Intelligent Falling' Theory

KANSAS CITY, KS—As the debate over the teaching of evolution in public schools continues, a new controversy over the science curriculum arose Monday in this embattled Midwestern state. Scientists from the Evangelical Center For Faith-Based Reasoning are now asserting that the long-held "theory of gravity" is flawed, and they have responded to it with a new theory of Intelligent Falling.

[suleo]

you had me there for a moment until I paid more attention to the link

[LegionnaireX]

I feel the reason this thread was made was to make christians look bad.

[Rowan11088]

No, it was made to be funny I think it's a very valid criticism of ID, and as you know I am a Christian myself, so no claiming foul there. It's actually a really interesting way to look at it, since gravity really isn't completely understood, just as evolution isn't. But the ludicrous nature of the argument is a good parallel; we can always just say God does what He wants and we can't understand/change it, but then we negate any progress and have no proof of anything. No reason to think Intelligent Falling is any less accurate than ID; they both could fit with scientific evidence, but why throw away science?

[Cluny the Scourge]

I feel the reason this thread was made was to make christians look bad.

No, really? You THINK so?

Har har har har har har!

Har har!

Ah, Christians...the world would be so much less colourful without them, eh?

[Atheist Peace]

you had me there for a moment until I paid more attention to the link

Hehe, me too, i was almost about to believe it but then i saw the link, and yeah...

[Tom Paine]

Yeah, right. ID style scientists aren't actually nearly so bad as "we think" in terms of science really, which is the point: its how they can develope creationism into ID, which is far more palatable to us religion-has-no-place-in-science.

[Rowan11088]

No, really? You THINK so?

Har har har har har har!

Har har!

Ah, Christians...the world would be so much less colourful without them, eh?

I think you can drop the patronizing superior tone now. The features you've shared with us about yourself in other threads certainly seem more distasteful to me than the tenets of Christianity.

[Honeohvovohaestse]

I think you can drop the patronizing superior tone now. The features you've shared with us about yourself in other threads certainly seem more distasteful to me than the tenets of Christianity.

Only because you're a self professed Christian. :wink: ID is an attempt to deliver the fairy tale in a respectable manner. In my opinion dressing it up makes it no more plausible than before.

[Tom Paine]

Only because you're a self professed Christian. :wink: ID is an attempt to deliver the fairy tale in a respectable manner. In my opinion dressing it up makes it no more plausible than before.

It doesn't make it evil, it just means it is another, I mean yet another, attempt to put Christianity back into education areas where it doesn't belong, ie anywhere but religion classes or whatever type of social and societal education classes you get (if even there).

[allthesedamnnamesaretaken]

i'd like to take this moment to refute medical science with my "Intelligent Killing" theory. disease and old age doesn't kill people or make people sick - a higher power punishes people for being wicked, as this diagram illustrates:

[Rowan11088]

Only because you're a self professed Christian. :wink: ID is an attempt to deliver the fairy tale in a respectable manner. In my opinion dressing it up makes it no more plausible than before.

I don't think that's true. I don't agree with ID at all of course, in terms of it being taught in schools, but I don't really see why you would look down on the ETHICS of Christianity. Perhaps the rest just seems like mythos to you, and understandably so, but no other religion besides maybe Islam has the moral depth of Christianity. I'm a Philosophy major for god's sake and I still respect the quality of the morality expressed in the New Testament.

And to clarify, the morality I'm talking about is not anti-gay, anti-abortion, etc. All of those "beliefs" are mis-interpretations or intentional warpings of the text of the Bible, IMO. "Turn the other cheek" was a pretty revolutionary idea for its time, unprecedented as far as I know. "Judge not lest ye be judged"? I don't recall hearing that kind of wisdom from Plato or Aristotle, geniuses though they were. Even "Love thy neighbor" is pretty good, and all of the Parables are very significant. If you really familiarize yourself with the true essence of Christian beliefs, I don't think you would be so critical.

[Honeohvovohaestse]

I don't think that's true. I don't agree with ID at all of course, in terms of it being taught in schools, but I don't really see why you would look down on the ETHICS of Christianity. Perhaps the rest just seems like mythos to you, and understandably so, but no other religion besides maybe Islam has the moral depth of Christianity. I'm a Philosophy major for god's sake and I still respect the quality of the morality expressed in the New Testament.

And to clarify, the morality I'm talking about is not anti-gay, anti-abortion, etc. All of those "beliefs" are mis-interpretations or intentional warpings of the text of the Bible, IMO. "Turn the other cheek" was a pretty revolutionary idea for its time, unprecedented as far as I know. "Judge not lest ye be judged"? I don't recall hearing that kind of wisdom from Plato or Aristotle, geniuses though they were. Even "Love thy neighbor" is pretty good, and all of the Parables are very significant. If you really familiarize yourself with the true essence of Christian beliefs, I don't think you would be so critical.

Because any such ethic which would claim to have some sort of high ground yet allow for so many of it's followers to become murderers and genocidal manics deserves to be challenged.

[allthesedamnnamesaretaken]

Rowan11088: what does ID have to do with ethics? like Honeohvovohaestse said it's just a fairy tale that has not one shred of evidence other than some dude wrote it on some sacred parchment ~2000 years ago. the only ethical issue in question is whether or not kids should be forced to learn this fairy tale in classrooms

[Rowan11088]

Because any such ethic which would claim to have some sort of high ground yet allow for so many of it's followers to become murderers and genocidal manics deserves to be challenged.

Bull****. The proportion of Christians who have killed others is no higher than followers of any other religion, Christianity just happens to be far more widespread than many other religions. Europe was a murderous place long before Christianity hit the scene (e.g. Rome, the barbaric Germanic tribes, Vikings pre-conversion, Alexander), Christianity just changed the reasons they gave for doing the same things. If anything Christianity helped tone down the violence in a few cases, it never made it worse that I know of. The Vikings for example basically stopped the rape and pillage circuit once they converted.

And I'm sure you're thinking of Hitler when you make this reference also; Stalin killed many more people without any particular religion as a reason. The Turks commited the first large scale genocide in Armenia long before WWII came about. You can't pin hatred on Christianity at all, it's a natural part of the human condition.

Rowan11088: what does ID have to do with ethics? like Honeohvovohaestse said it's just a fairy tale that has not one shred of evidence other than some dude wrote it on some sacred parchment ~2000 years ago. the only ethical issue in question is whether or not kids should be forced to learn this fairy tale in classrooms

I don't support ID...never said I did. I'm just responding to the anti-Christian sentiment in this thread. And no, I'm not one of those "victimized" Christians, don't flame please. I know very well that Christianity has far too much influence in America. But that doesn't mean that the religion itself should come under attack, it's the misguided practitioners who should have their views straightened out.

[zerck]

]"Things fall not because they are acted upon by some gravitational force, but because a higher intelligence, 'God' if you will, is pushing them down," said Gabriel Burdett, who holds degrees in education, applied Scripture, and physics from Oral Roberts University.
"

'God, why are you doing this to us?'

anyway things fall because they are pulled, not pushed and its earth, not god.

[Rowan11088]

'God, why are you doing this to us?'

anyway things fall because they are pulled, not pushed and its earth, not god.

Good sleuthing Sherlock.

[allthesedamnnamesaretaken]

I don't support ID...never said I did. I'm just responding to the anti-Christian sentiment in this thread. And no, I'm not one of those "victimized" Christians, don't flame please. I know very well that Christianity has far too much influence in America. But that doesn't mean that the religion itself should come under attack, it's the misguided practitioners who should have their views straightened out.

well you got to realise the only reason religion is under attack is because it is attacking science, and science supporters are fighting back. a lot of people don't want religion in their lives, or don't want particular religions. forcing ONE religion's views into a public school system in a country that is supposed to have religious freedom is an absurd and abhorrible idea. students should be able to CHOOSE which religious schools of thought they would like to learn, in places of religious learning such as churchs and synagogues, not have it forced upon them in public classrooms

[Rowan11088]

well you got to realise the only reason religion is under attack is because it is attacking science, and science supporters are fighting back. a lot of people don't want religion in their lives, or don't want particular religions. forcing ONE religion's views into a public school system in a country that is supposed to have religious freedom is an absurd and abhorrible idea. students should be able to CHOOSE which religious schools of thought they would like to learn, in places of religious learning such as churchs and synagogues, not have it forced upon them in public classrooms

I agree completely. But bashing Christians themselves goes against religious freedom as much as imposing our faith does. By insinuating that people who believe in a Christian God are stupid, or gullible, you're undermining that same religious freedom by supporting that sort of "competition" of ideas and beliefs. Of course if people see it as a fight between atheists and Christians, they will want their side to "win" by whatever means. If you help to sustain that way of thinking you're part of the problem. Disagree with ID being taught, but don't insult Christianity or its followers.

[Honeohvovohaestse]

Bull****. The proportion of Christians who have killed others is no higher than followers of any other religion, Christianity just happens to be far more widespread than many other religions. Europe was a murderous place long before Christianity hit the scene (e.g. Rome, the barbaric Germanic tribes, Vikings pre-conversion, Alexander), Christianity just changed the reasons they gave for doing the same things. If anything Christianity helped tone down the violence in a few cases, it never made it worse that I know of. The Vikings for example basically stopped the rape and pillage circuit once they converted.

And I'm sure you're thinking of Hitler when you make this reference also; Stalin killed many more people without any particular religion as a reason. The Turks commited the first large scale genocide in Armenia long before WWII came about. You can't pin hatred on Christianity at all, it's a natural part of the human condition.



I don't support ID...never said I did. I'm just responding to the anti-Christian sentiment in this thread. And no, I'm not one of those "victimized" Christians, don't flame please. I know very well that Christianity has far too much influence in America. But that doesn't mean that the religion itself should come under attack, it's the misguided practitioners who should have their views straightened out.

Out and out lies, the Vikings post conversion were way worse, not only fighting outsiders to resist the bloodthristy religion but also the ones who did convert turned on their own family members. How many crusades did the Buddhist and Hindus start? Oh gee....let me think now.... Olaf 2, bloodthristy Christian Viking.