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I've argued with Intelligent Designers and Creationists on this forum countless time. Usually, because their argument is that Evolution is completely wrong.
I was watching a documentary today, and most of the scientists that supported Intelligent Design don't discount evolution. Most of them said that its obvious that changes between species occur over time. Most of them believe that the world is about 4.5 billion years old, and that species have evolved since their "creation" so to speak.
The argument begins with the beginning of life. Evolution doesn't answer the question of how life began. No science does, really. No one knows how the first single celled organism came about. It could be a "Creator", could be a alien seeding, it could be a comet brought amino acids to Earth, who knows.
The answer is no one.
So whats wrong with the "I don't know" answer to questions like these. The Evolutionists seem to dismiss the ID people as religious quacks. Don't get me wrong, many of them are. However, that doesn't mean that the people who are asking how life began and using a designer to answer that question are wrong. They may be right, no one knows.
Religious folks are wrong for dismissing evolution completely. Life didn't begin 6000 years ago, thats very evident. We most likely evolved from an ape like creature, which evolved from something else, which evolved from something else. However, embracing evolution doesn't mean you aren't Christian, it simply means you accept the evidence is there that it did happen. There is evidence it did happen, but no evidence on how evolution got started.
I believe Intelligent design activists might very well be best served by coming up with a new name. Maybe the "originators" or something like that.
Ignoring either side isn't getting us anywhere on answering these questions.
Now this doesn't mean ID should be taught in schools. However, it doesn't mean that Evolution should be taught as having all the answers in schools either. What it means is that answering "I don't know" isn't such a bad thing.
I don't know opens doors. It raises questions. Some questions may never be answered, but we may answer a lot more then we have now.
"I don't know" is the literal conclusion of Atheism, so I'm not sure what you mean. It sounds like you're really arguing for more conversational humility or something?
I've argued with Intelligent Designers and Creationists on this forum countless time. Usually, because their argument is that Evolution is completely wrong.
I was watching a documentary today, and most of the scientists that supported Intelligent Design don't discount evolution. Most of them said that its obvious that changes between species occur over time. Most of them believe that the world is about 4.5 billion years old, and that species have evolved since their "creation" so to speak.
The argument begins with the beginning of life. Evolution doesn't answer the question of how life began. No science does, really. No one knows how the first single celled organism came about. It could be a "Creator", could be a alien seeding, it could be a comet brought amino acids to Earth, who knows.
The answer is no one.
So whats wrong with the "I don't know" answer to questions like these. The Evolutionists seem to dismiss the ID people as religious quacks. Don't get me wrong, many of them are. However, that doesn't mean that the people who are asking how life began and using a designer to answer that question are wrong. They may be right, no one knows.
Religious folks are wrong for dismissing evolution completely. Life didn't begin 6000 years ago, thats very evident. We most likely evolved from an ape like creature, which evolved from something else, which evolved from something else. However, embracing evolution doesn't mean you aren't Christian, it simply means you accept the evidence is there that it did happen. There is evidence it did happen, but no evidence on how evolution got started.
I believe Intelligent design activists might very well be best served by coming up with a new name. Maybe the "originators" or something like that.
Ignoring either side isn't getting us anywhere on answering these questions.
Now this doesn't mean ID should be taught in schools. However, it doesn't mean that Evolution should be taught as having all the answers in schools either. What it means is that answering "I don't know" isn't such a bad thing.
I don't know opens doors. It raises questions. Some questions may never be answered, but we may answer a lot more then we have now.
So, whats wrong with saying "I don't know"
Well, I don't know.
You (and I, among others) are fighting those debates with fundamentalist young earther's who are a tiny but loud minority. They also have no education on the subject and have completely shut their "world view information boxes" from anything that isn't already in there, which sadly must be barfed over a pulpit before it can be accepted as "valid information".
They also are not winning many converts on CD forum, I've noticed.
You (and I, among others) are fighting those debates with fundamentalist young earther's who are a tiny but loud minority. They also have no education on the subject and have completely shut their "world view information boxes" from anything that isn't already in there, which sadly must be barfed over a pulpit before it can be accepted as "valid information".
They also are not winning many converts on CD forum, I've noticed.
See now, here's a problem...
Don't bother jumping all over me, because I don't view the book of Genesis as a science book.
But do you have any idea how snarky and condescending your post is? And do you think you're winning over any converts with that tone and attitude?
I find it sad that people who expect civil debate are so unwilling to engage in it themselves.
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