Ask a scientist anything

[sh55]

Originally Posted by SakhirM4

That was not a theory!! Tommy Dorsey and Glenn Miller were real people

I am so happy someone referenced music instead of that laugh-track-garbage on CBS

[SakhirM4]

Originally Posted by jtodd_fl

You sir, are ancient. I think you fart dust. Also, this was great.

They were both before I was born, but I played trombone so I know who they are.

[Sidewinderpb]

So when your physical being is eventually torn asunder by conflicting ideologies, will it be anything like the splitting of an atom? Will you leave a smoldering, uninhabitable crater in the earth for countless millions to revel at for years to come?

[OptionlessM]

Creates attention whoring thread for his scientific ability.

Believes in creation.


How old is the earth in your opinion OP?

[grimlock]

A scientist starts a thread and people only want to ask him is there God?

[Needbmwpartzz]

What the coolest science experiment ever...in your opinion.

[leopard print]

Bill Nye or Neil Degrasse Tyson?

[UncleWede]

BN - Dorky cool
NGT - Cool dork

Tough decision, too bad we couldn't have them together for a Point - Counter-point kind of thing.

[RedlinePSI]

Originally Posted by leopard print

Bill Nye or Neil Degrasse Tyson?

Neil baby does not seem to know anything about animal sex, so I don't think we can trust him anymore.

[eluded]

I listen to NPR does that make me a scientist?

[OptionlessM]

Originally Posted by grimlock

A scientist starts a thread and people only want to ask him is there God?

It's kind of like a surgeon making this thread and then finding out he's anti vaccine due to the autism scare.

Not directly related to his subject, but still alarming.

[AW335TT]

Originally Posted by racerblade

Well - I'm a Christian, so together for me. The most common question I get when people find out I am a Christian, and a research scientist is about evolution.

Even if I wasn't a scientist, I find the premise for evolution ridiculous. You would never look at a car, and offer up the source of it's origin as an explosion in a junk yard.

This isn't meant to be a debate about evolution. If that's what you believe, I don't have a problem with - just explaining my stance.

Loll

What a comparison.... And you're a scientist.

[The Chaddening]

Originally Posted by racerblade

Even if I wasn't a scientist, I find the premise for evolution ridiculous. You would never look at a car, and offer up the source of it's origin as an explosion in a junk yard.

Exactly. The theory of evolution makes no sense when there are no credible examples of transitional species.

[ASAP]

Originally Posted by upstatedoc

What kind of scientist are you?

First question that came to my mind...


If you are a nuclear engineer, then this would be of no use on my biochemistry / medical research question.

[sh55]

Originally Posted by GirthBrooks

Exactly. The theory of evolution makes no sense when there are no credible examples of transitional species.

Ah I get it, the only other possible explanation is that it's God. We have rock solid proof that God exists.

[Sidewinderpb]

Originally Posted by sh55

Ah I get it, the only other possible explanation is that it's God. We have rock solid proof that God exists.

Religion is a way to explain the unexplainable. People need a way to find comfort in the reasoning behind something that they cannot answer. The Greeks believed that the sun and moon were gods, and that the stars were holes in the sky revealing the fire of the heavens. Nearly everything can be explained through science now; what's the point of following some fairy tale written by incredibly ignorant (by today's standards) ancients? The few who suffer from leporacy are not still confined to the outskirts of cities - forced to live on piles of excriments, as was the case during the time of Christ. Humanity has come so far, yet those who cling to these grossly dated ideologies are doomed to stagnation- like the Langoliers. Look at the Middle East...those assholes have been killing eachother over the same shit for thousands of years. It's 2016; just visit "your" holy land, do your thing and go home. Do you know why industrialized countries are so progressive? It's because they broke free of these redundant and trivial traditions.

[sh55]

Originally Posted by Sidewinderpb

Religion is a way to explain the unexplainable. People need a way to find comfort in the reasoning behind something that they cannot answer. The Greeks believed that the sun and moon were gods, and that the stars were holes in the sky revealing the fire of the heavens. Nearly everything can be explained through science now; what's the point of following some fairy tale written by incredibly ignorant (by today's standards) ancients? The few who suffer from leporacy are not still confined to the outskirts of cities - forced to live on piles of excriments, as was the case during the time of Christ. Humanity has come so far, yet those who cling to these grossly dated ideologies are doomed to stagnation- like the Langoliers. Look at the Middle East...those assholes have been killing eachother over the same shit for thousands of years. It's 2016; just visit "your" holy land, do your thing and go home. Do you know why industrialized countries are so progressive? It's because they broke free of these redundant and trivial traditions.

You: Preacher

Me: Choir


Religion is fine for a lot of people, and I'm glad it exists. The thing that gets me is the people who think the stories are historically accurate documents that should be followed exactly as they were written instead of just believing in the moral guidance of the scriptures.

Take the bible, those stories were passed down verbally for hundreds of years before anyone wrote them down. In 2016 if you play a 5min game of telephone with 10 adults the story you started with is not the story you end up with.

[jtodd_fl]

Originally Posted by sh55

You: Preacher

Me: Choir


Religion is fine for a lot of people, and I'm glad it exists. The thing that gets me is the people who think the stories are historically accurate documents that should be followed exactly as they were written instead of just believing in the moral guidance of the scriptures.

Take the bible, those stories were passed down verbally for hundreds of years before anyone wrote them down. In 2016 if you play a 5min game of telephone with 10 adults the story you started with is not the story you end up with.

There has been a lot of scholarly research into the notion of religion as an evolutionary necessity. Sure, there is some irony there, but I found it fascinating when I read about it a few years ago. The short version, life used to really suck - our views of the pre-industrial revolution are HIGHLY romanticized. Life was a serious bowl of hurt for most people and they needed some promise of something better to bother keeping going long enough to propagate the species. One thought - but an interesting look. Highly recommend for the intellectually curious. Not likely to make any converts - that is the nature of faith, but an interesting look.

[MKSixer]

Originally Posted by jtodd_fl

There has been a lot of scholarly research into the notion of religion as an evolutionary necessity. Sure, there is some irony there, but I found it fascinating when I read about it a few years ago. The short version, life used to really suck - our views of the pre-industrial revolution are HIGHLY romanticized. Life was a serious bowl of hurt for most people and they needed some promise of something better to bother keeping going long enough to propagate the species. One thought - but an interesting look. Highly recommend for the intellectually curious. Not likely to make any converts - that is the nature of faith, but an interesting look.

This and one more necessity: To keep the peasants in line. The powers that be KNEW that if peasants rose up in ANY society, they could not keep them in line and survive. Religion was a tool of the ruling class because most of the religious leaders were 2nd and 3rd sons from ruling families, duh.

Look at the 7 deadly sins for the easiest and most readily available example.

The bottom line is that the actual history of the world in comprised of the general population with the boot of the ruling class on their neck. In the modern era the boot is financial rather than literal.

[Mr Tonka]

Originally Posted by Sidewinderpb

Religion is a way to explain the unexplainable. People need a way to find comfort in the reasoning behind something that they cannot answer. The Greeks believed that the sun and moon were gods, and that the stars were holes in the sky revealing the fire of the heavens. Nearly everything can be explained through science now; what's the point of following some fairy tale written by incredibly ignorant (by today's standards) ancients? The few who suffer from leporacy are not still confined to the outskirts of cities - forced to live on piles of excriments, as was the case during the time of Christ. Humanity has come so far, yet those who cling to these grossly dated ideologies are doomed to stagnation- like the Langoliers. Look at the Middle East...those assholes have been killing eachother over the same shit for thousands of years. It's 2016; just visit "your" holy land, do your thing and go home. Do you know why industrialized countries are so progressive? It's because they broke free of these redundant and trivial traditions.

Since many seem to be focused on Christianity, the 2nd greatest commandment according to Jesus is, Love your neighbor in the same way you love yourself.

Imagine if this actually happened and was followed by everyone. What kind of utopia would we be living in if everyone followed this to the letter? Do you think society would be worse for it or better from it?

I've lived the last 18 or so years as a follower of Christ. Of course not perfectly and at times, not very well at all. But there is nothing by him quoted in the bible that i can find issue with. It's kind of like traffic laws. If everyone followed every traffic law to the letter, there would be little to no auto collisions. Yet we all chose to break traffic laws daily thus increasing the chances for collision, injury, death, etc... Those are tangible, quantifiable results of human rebellion of rules. How much more frequently do humans rebel when the potentially negative results aren't always tangible or quantifiable? A lot more; we mock religious people by calling them ignorant, uneducated, week minded, sheep, etc... and many go as far as mocking religion itself without ever learning a single thing about it. Nothing more than fearing the unknown and bullying those who are different from oneself.

The OP didn't start this thread proclaiming he was Christian. It wasn't until someone asked him a question about religion & science. Then some of your civilized, progressive people started in on him with more questions and mockery. Which seems to be a green light for more progressives to step in to throw an insult, some backhanded sarcasm or to just use this opportunity to be an ass.

This topic is not all that different than a gun control debate or most any other social issue. The problem isn't guns or religion, it's people. It always has been. It always will be.

Originally Posted by MKSixer

This and one more necessity: To keep the peasants in line. The powers that be KNEW that if peasants rose up in ANY society, they could not keep them in line and survive. Religion was a tool of the ruling class because most of the religious leaders were 2nd and 3rd sons from ruling families, duh.

Look at the 7 deadly sins for the easiest and most readily available example.

The bottom line is that the actual history of the world in comprised of the general population with the boot of the ruling class on their neck. In the modern era the boot is financial rather than literal.

While for all intents and purposes this is true, this statement speaks to how religion was manipulated and used by those in power. Not how or why it came about.

Again with people being the problem.

[jtodd_fl]

Originally Posted by Mr Tonka

Since many seem to be focused on Christianity, the 2nd greatest commandment according to Jesus is, Love your neighbor in the same way you love yourself.

Imagine if this actually happened and was followed by everyone. What kind of utopia would we be living in if everyone followed this to the letter? Do you think society would be worse for it or better from it?

I've lived the last 18 or so years as a follower of Christ. Of course not perfectly and at times, not very well at all. But there is nothing by him quoted in the bible that i can find issue with. It's kind of like traffic laws. If everyone followed every traffic law to the letter, there would be little to no auto collisions. Yet we all chose to break traffic laws daily thus increasing the chances for collision, injury, death, etc... Those are tangible, quantifiable results of human rebellion of rules. How much more frequently do humans rebel when the potentially negative results aren't always tangible or quantifiable? A lot more; we mock religious people by calling them ignorant, uneducated, week minded, sheep, etc... and many go as far as mocking religion itself without ever learning a single thing about it. Nothing more than fearing the unknown and bullying those who are different from oneself.

The OP didn't start this thread proclaiming he was Christian. It wasn't until someone asked him a question about religion & science. Then some of your civilized, progressive people started in on him with more questions and mockery. Which seems to be a green light for more progressives to step in to throw an insult, some backhanded sarcasm or to just use this opportunity to be an ass.

This topic is not all that different than a gun control debate or most any other social issue. The problem isn't guns or religion, it's people. It always has been. It always will be.



While for all intents and purposes this is true, this statement speaks to how religion was manipulated and used by those in power. Not how or why it came about.

Again with people being the problem.

As Gandhi said...


and related...

[Verbiage]