eightyknots

For those who are interesting in going , here is an article published today by a fellow Australian: http://billmuehlenberg.com/2014/12/08/atheists-and-the-afterlife/

But then, how do we make the Atheists pay their fair share?

Pauline Hansen tried and "failed" ....or should I say "was jailed"?

I have been to Jacobs Creek: it is a lovely place and they make a lovely drop too. At the winery they assured me that JACOBS CREEK is the most frequently stolen sign in Australia. Apparently, quite a number of people want to hang it in their bar at home.

As the oft-repeated quotation says: Taxation is the price of Civilisation Tax rates are very low in Somalia, Zimbabwe, etc. ...but I am not in a hurry to move there.

I hope you're not getting too pedantic here, Bikky!

I have only ever seen Cool Iris used on a Microsoft - based computer.

Ik kan ook Nederlands verstaan. Nederlands is eigenlijk een makkelijke taal om the spellen, maar de grammatica is moeilijker.

If Peter had not resigned from politics in 2007 we could have had Abbott & Costello at the helm of Australia.

Fourteen years too late: it's already 2014 and there are only four weeks left of that too.

Yes, and this is done in wars as well: very sad indeed.

Yes, and therein lies the problem. Speciation is observable but macro evolution is not. It is simply a theory based on speciation extrapolated. Because macro evolution has not been observed, it is simply a belief, a faith or, as you term it, "the religion of science". In the end, it is the religion of science ...which (pardon the pun) is always evolving. This means your beliefs need to be adjusted and at times re-assigned considerably. On the other hand, a belief in God is straightforward, the KISS principle faith, if you like. If God made the world, and you believe this, then it simply a different religion from the "religion of science". In summary, some may "have the religion of science" (not Scientology) and others have a religion based on an amazing designer and creator who made the universe, the laws of the universe, the mega items such as stars and the micro items such as sub-atomic particles ...and everything in between. The stupendous complexity is difficult to comprehend with the human mind and, no doubt, would be far more difficult to design than to comprehend. Yet many claim that everything came together without a designer through the process of evolution. My belief system is that, having fairly examined the theory of evolution, I cannot believe it to be valid because it is simply too improbable that exceedingly complex organisms have evolved from pond scum into what they are now, especially when there is the h-u-g-e problem of irreducible complexity. Many components of a complex organism simply cannot work in part, for instance the eye. It is extremely improbable that the eye components evolved in their various parts and somehow came together to work as a unit, all without a designer. Such a concept stretches entirely beyond my thinking and therefore I cannot accept the "religion of science" for myself. It is far less improbable for me to accept that God designed and created it all. As a result, after thinking this through, I have rejected evolution (or "the religion of science") as improbable and I have become a believer in God.

Surely we're all barking up the wrong tree: I think this is none other than Mrs FT! {EDIT} Appropriate smiley face added.

In fact, there are many decent people on this forum. We can't allow a few to put of the majority. I don't know a better site either. In fact, some of the North American based forum sites are so snobbish that, unless you're an aeronautical engineer with a degree from Embry-Riddle university, you are denigrated as scum. I think we should be thankful for Ian's and Corinne's generosity that keeps this site going. ALSO, for many people who have worthwhile things to share from which we can all learn.

I agree with you rgmwa, that the behaviour by the child abusing clergy is absolutely gross and needs to be pursued to the full extent of the law. They are a despicable lot who have given the life of many young people a very miserable start by robbing them of their innocence.

...and that is why the forgiveness of sins is so imperative in the whole scheme of things.

It's a small gate in the walls of Jerusalem. This could be kept open because it is hard for an army to invade through there in a hurry. Because it is narrow and low, it is more difficult a for a camel to get through it.

Some Christians have recognised that and do not celebrate Christmas and Easter because of their pagan origin.

When the Vikings "discovered" Greenland they called it Greenland for a reason: it was lush and green. They decided to settle this area. Slowly but surely, due to global cooling, Greenland is increasingly becoming white. I have flown over it and I think by now it should be renamed Whiteland. Oh for a bit more global warming to bring Greenland back to the green land it once was. Sorry for the thread drift but I think it is significant that a number of ancient sources all say the same thing, that the world was a much warmer place ...and that the people who want to "combat" global warming are trying to stop the world from going back to an earlier equilibrium when the planet was a bit warmer.

Bex The Conqueror : I hope you will conquer the recreational aviation market with your proposed donk!

The concept of the Great Flood has come up in nearly all civilisations in some way or other. Because many of them have been passed from generation to generation verbally some details have been added or lost. However the theme of a great flood is still there. This is likely to equate to the so-called Noah's flood recorded in the bible. I am sure that explains why there are shells imbedded in the highest reaches of Mount Everest.

Thanks for your post, horsefeathers. You wrote about the mechanism of evolution. I have read a number of books trying to explain this but the more I read it the more I became convinced that all these complex things found in every creature (even basic creatures such as bacteria) are very unlikely to have come together by pure chance. After a great deal of critical thinking, ultimately, I have come to the conclusion that it is virtually impossible for all that to have happened in the way described in these publications. I am also sceptical of all the cover ups that have taken place to give evolutions more credence. These cover ups have been exposed over time but they were deliberate because scientist were so desperate to prove Darwinism that they falsified things to get published. The problem is that evolution books 'clutch at straws' and quote observations within a species and then expect the reader to believe that complete species changes took place which are widely different ...despite the fact that millions of years have been given. Can anyone really believe that horses will one day grow feathers?

By the same token, rgmwa, you can continue to believe that everthing came into being through the processes of Darwinism/evolution without any designer. It all comes down to one thing: what does one believe -what is ultimately more plausible. In my opinion, the main reason why people do not wish to acknowledge that God created everything is simple. If God designed everything, we must be accountable to him in some way. Our consciences tell us that somewhere in our life we have said something nasty, taken something we shouldn't have, hurt someone unjustly, etc, ...we may have to face the music for this. This is so abhorrent that people cling to the illogical explanation of Darwin (no designer) rather than believing what is pretty obvious, that there must be a divine designer, God.

I find it pretty convincing RgMwa. It is, in fact more believable that a designer framed the universe, the stars, the planets and -in the case of observable Earth- the various living things that populate our planet; similarly, the laws of physics, genetics and chemical bonds. Random chance seems far too unbelievable, certainly less believable that such complex things such as the bacterial flagellum, an insect's multi-faceted eye or a mammal's reproductive system came into being without any design. Frequently we hear "evolution designed it this way" or similar words. Evolution simply cannot design but I believe God can (and has). Science, by observation, can record these stupendous designs ...and marvel at it. Ultimately, it reflects on God as the wonderful designer.

That is a great article Turbz. It touches on the issue of irreducible complexity.