29 OCT 2014 by ideonexus
How to Argue with a Creationist
Nye did not win, because he was fighting the wrong war.
Nye argued like a scientist. He presented the evidence, gave logical explanations, and generally relied on demonstrable facts. He did a flawless job, but changed absolutely no-one's mind, because anyone who cares about science, reason and evidence already accepts evolution.
Ham didn't even really argue. He just riled people up for a crusade - it was the evil liberal commie atheists trying to teach satan's lies, and him and his book of ... 1 
notes
notesDon't use science, use religious rhetoric.
21 APR 2014 by ideonexus
Science was Inconvenient for Religion
Science’s contributions to the spread of disbelief is the least controversial segment of the virtuous cycle for which I am arguing in seventeenth-century Europe. For science’s methods are clearly troublesome for religion. The devout, to begin with, are not wont to view their precepts merely as propositions to be controverted or confirmed. The orthodox, as a rule, are used to arguments being settled by authority, not experiment. The hope belief offers does not always stand up well to obser... 1 notes
notesAs scientific knowledge grew it revealed knowledge that conflicted with scripture.
05 JUN 2012 by ideonexus
Huxley on a Bit of Scripture
As I stood behind the coffin of my little son the other day, with my mind bent on anything but disputation, the officiating minister read, as part of his duty, the words, 'If the dead rise not again, let us eat and drink, for to-morrow we die.' I cannot tell you how inexpressibly they shocked me. Paul had neither wife nor child, or he must have known that his alternative involved a blasphemy against all that well best and noblest in human nature. I could have laughed with scorn. What! Because...Folksonomies: morals
Folksonomies: morals
1 notes
notesWhile standing at his son's coffin, he finds a passage read offensive for its implication that we devolve.
12 JAN 2012 by ideonexus
Scripture Perverted Through Misinterpretation of "Logos"
But the reformation of these blasphemous attributes, and substitution of those more worthy, pure and sublime, seems to have been the chief object of Jesus in his discources to the Jews: and his doctrine of the Cosmogony of the world is very clearly laid down in the 3 first verses of the 1st. chapter of John, in these words, `{en arche en o logos, kai o logos en pros ton Theon kai Theos en o logos. `otos en en arche pros ton Theon. Panta de ayto egeneto, kai choris ayto egeneto ode en, o gegon... 1 notes
notesJefferson argues that it means "reason," which makes much more sense in scripture than "word," which makes no sense.
05 JAN 2012 by ideonexus
Roberto Bellarmino's Condemnaton of Galileo's Theory
It seems to me that your Reverence and Signor Galileo act prudently when you content yourselves with speaking hypothetically and not absolutely, as I have always understood that Copernicus spoke. To say that on the supposition of the Earth's movement and the Sun's quiescence all the celestial appearances are explained better than by the theory of eccentrics and epicycles is to speak with excellent good sense and to run no risk whatsoever. Such a manner of speaking is enough for a mathematicia... 1 notes
notesThe inquisitor responsible for Giordano Bruno's prosecution argues that Galileo's theory that the sun is the center of the Universe would refute scripture.
09 DEC 2011 by ideonexus
Newt Gingrich is Like King David
A number of years ago, I gave a series of messages on the life of King David of old. I entitled the series, "A Portrait of a Champion." One of the messages in that series was called, "Champions Know How to Repent." Even a great champion for God such as King David messed up "royally" and had to repent ... This brings me to Newt Gingrich. While many people have, and will continue to throw stones at the former Speaker's past marriage failures, I am glad that Newt is a man who knows how to repent...
2 Twisted Logic of Scripture: His past indiscretions should be forgiven because King David was a great ruler despite sleeping with his servant's wife and having the servant murdered so he could marry her.
