Poll: Evolution

[_honorentheos]

It would be interesting to know how many people who voted have also read "Your Inner Fish".

While reading it over a number of lunch breaks at work, I had a few people who are strong believers in creator-origins who, after asking about it, then refused to talk about it and followed up with a cold shoulder at work for a while.

Personally, I think the information it presents is fairly definitive. I can not imagine someone answering (3) who has read it.

Wait, wait, wait!!!

I wasn't aware that there is a book about all this stuff!

Now that I know that ther is a book, I would like to change my vote to #2.

:)

Peace,
Ceeboo

Insert smilie

Of course, ceeboo, knowing there is a book and reading the book are not the same.

It really is worth reading, if for no other reason than becoming better educated on the subject than you were likely to be from the average biology classes given in most schools. At least, I felt I was better informed for reading it.

If nothing else, you might pick up some nice tidbits to use to throw off your buddies golf game. Nothing screws up your ability to putt like thinking about how your thumb nerves are twisted the way they are for weird reasons...

[_Chap]

Why is it silly to ask which deity we are talking about when a poll asks us whether 'God' with a capital 'G' did or did not do something?

A Christian, self definitionaly, is monotheistic. So if you are having this conversation with a Christian and you bring up this inane point, well... what else do you want?

I fail to see anything in the OP that says that the question asked is only addressed to Christians. Have you perhaps assumed that the words 'Americans' and 'Christians' are coterminous?

[_Some Schmo]

Why is it silly to ask which deity we are talking about when a poll asks us whether 'God' with a capital 'G' did or did not do something?

A Christian, self definitionaly, is monotheistic. So if you are having this conversation with a Christian and you bring up this inane point, well... what else do you want?

This is an excellent example of why you feel like people are calling you stupid. It's because you say stupid things like this.

Just because you call yourself a christian and someone else calls herself a christian doesn't mean you both see god the same way. If you spoke to each other long enough, you would disagree on certain attributes about god you believe. That makes your gods different, and this is an important point, because it shows that neither of you really know the true specifics about the god you think you know about.

In fact, that's what "personal god" actually means: it's the god you've constructed in your mind to suit whatever personal needs you have. There's a separate god for every person who believes in one.

The point Chap made wasn't inane, only your response to it.

[_EAllusion]

Your Inner Fish is in my top 5 all time pop science books. It's that good.

[_Hoops]

This is an excellent example of why you feel like people are calling you stupid. It's because you say stupid things like this.

Of course.

Just because you call yourself a christian and someone else calls herself a christian doesn't mean you both see god the same way.

Of course it does. On the core issues, it most certainly does. You are simply wrong.

If you spoke to each other long enough, you would disagree on certain attributes about god you believe. That makes your gods different, and this is an important point, because it shows that neither of you really know the true specifics about the god you think you know about.

I don't know what this means. There are not attributes to God. God isn't defined by the attributes we give him. In fact, the attributes we consider good, decent, holy are defined by God, not the other way around. Again, you are simply wrong.

In fact, that's what "personal god" actually means: it's the god you've constructed in your mind to suit whatever personal needs you have. There's a separate god for every person who believes in one.

In fact, that's nothing like what personal God means. It may mean that to you, but it doesn't mean that to us. Perhaps, you should know what we actually believe before telling us how wrong we are.

The point Chap made wasn't inane, only your response to it.

Of course.

[_EAllusion]

In fact, the attributes we consider good, decent, holy are defined by God, not the other way around. Again, you are simply wrong.

If that's true, you can't predict what God will due based on the "fact" that God is good. Since anything God declares is good is good by definition, things we intuitively consider immoral could be good in God's eyes. So if you were to think, "God wont' lie to me because God is good," you'd be mistaken because God could be defining lying as a good thing. But, you might say, God has declared dishonesty wrong. He told me so. Well, I'm not sure that is an accurate reading of your own scriptures, but even if it was, God could be lying about that too.

So, by adopting this strategy, one problem you are going to encounter is having a totally different basis to find God trustworthy.

[_Hoops]

Sorry,. Hold on.

[_Hoops]

If that's true, you can't predict what God will due based on the "fact" that God is good. Since anything God declares is good is good by definition, things we intuitively consider immoral could be good in God's eyes. So if you were to think, "God wont' lie to me because God is good," you'd be mistaken because God could be defining lying as a good thing. But, you might say, God has declared dishonesty wrong. He told me so. Well, I'm not sure that is an accurate reading of your own scriptures, but even if it was, God could be lying about that too.

So, by adopting this strategy, one problem you are going to encounter is having a totally different basis to find God trustworthy.

No. We can predict what God will due because He has told us and we have a history of Him moving in our lives. Both individually and as a creation.
No. it's not that anything God declares is good, it's that anything that is good is the very nature of God. big difference. We know that lying ( we won't debate what actually is a lie here) is not good because lying is not in God's nature.
No, God does not have to declare what is good or bad. What is good is God's nature and that's what makes it good.

No, this is not a strategy.

[_Buffalo]

So hoops, what's your take on the god-mandated infanticide in the Old Testament? Good? Evil? A fable?

[_Hoops]

So hoops, what's your take on the god-mandated infanticide in the Old Testament? Good? Evil? A fable?

What do you mean, what is my take? What are you asking me to evaluate?