Guyanese Online

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• Abert  On March 27, 2014 at 3:57 pm

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  These articles did not deal with the issues related to the origin of life itself. There we would see how little we know about how life began. Its amazing how much of religion exist alongside these scientific findings as if they were not there.
  It is almost impossible for a person who has spent a lifetime with a particular religious belief to accept evidence showing that belief is false. It would mean his lifetime of emotional investment in that belief has been wasted. In some religion, or places like Saudi Arabia, the messenger of such scientific information would be attack or stoned to death. Traditional Christians would argue to the death but they are not likely to kill you, if you provide information showing that their belief about the origin of man, as claimed in Genesis, is not true.
  In fact, even some so called educated leaders do not believe in evolution. Romney, the republican presidential nominee, and Rick Perry, the Governor of Texas comes to mind. Laymen Catholics, I have spoken to are surprised to know that the Catholic religion (maybe the only religious group) accepts evolution as a fact.
  But do we want people to accept “truth” or “reality” The thought of having people without some form of religious belief, which give them courage and faith to survive in difficult times, is not entertaining.

  So what do we want. Having people accept facts with the risk of collateral societal damage which could go with it, or have them continually believe in myths?

• Thinker  On March 29, 2014 at 1:46 pm

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  The evidence for the big bang origins of the Universe and evolution are now irrefutable. The Catholic Church states that there was some sort of “test” which humanity failed and holds on to original sin, despite acceptance of evolution. The level of education very rarely affects people who want to believe, despite evidence to the contrary. That is the essence of “Faith”. Ultimately most societies will accept the evidence of science.

• gigi  On March 29, 2014 at 6:40 pm

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  Sorry Albert, but traditional Christians did kill viciously and brutally over religion. Also, fundamentalist Muslims can and do allow for evolution thinking unlike fundamentalist Christians. The reason for this is that the Koran does not deal with earth’s creation and its date, unlike the Bible. So for Muslims – hence the reason there are so many brilliant Muslim scientists – this allows them to accept that Allah created the universe and decided to put humans on it when it evolved to sustain life. Because of this, they are comfortable in their embrace of the two concepts and are comfortable accepting that life has been around for millions of years ago and the universe billions of years ago, whereas the Bible limits life and the universe to only 4,000 years ago.

  This really gets complicated for Christians, too, given the fact that the earliest civilization, which began almost simultaneously in Sumer and Mesopotamia, is 8,000 years old – double the the number of years of the Bible’s creation story. Adding to this complication is the old Persian/Iranian religion of Zoroastrianism which the religions of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam are spin offs of.

  • Thinker  On March 29, 2014 at 7:50 pm

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    The Muslim world has made great contributions to Science in the past. But was progress hindered by faith? Like Galileo and the Catholic Church?
    http://www.meforum.org/306/why-does-the-muslim-world-lag-in-science

    • Abert  On March 31, 2014 at 4:04 am

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      Thinker: “The Muslim world has made great contributions to Science in the past” Think I read some years back of some discoveries in the area of astronomy……related to knowledge with the stars but not much else.

  • Abert  On March 31, 2014 at 4:53 pm

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    Sorry Albert, but traditional Christians did kill viciously and brutally over religion
    I am aware of the barbarism of Christianity in the past. We however have to appreciate the transformation of Christianity in now openly allowing criticisms of itself. Compare any modern day critic of Christianity to the fate of Rushdie, author of the Satanic Verses. Still hiding for fear of his life.

    • Thinker  On April 2, 2014 at 3:17 am

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      Christianity didn’t “allow” itself any transformation. It was the sacrifice of the Humanists and Rationalists: a struggle that continues today.

• Thinker  On March 29, 2014 at 7:37 pm

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  The baptising and killing by the Conquistadors of Amerindian babies is well documented. But we can say that Christians are more tolerant today in the face of other religions. A Muslim can go to the Vatican but no infidel must go to Mecca (no Muslim object to that on the grounds of “fairness”). Islam can accept the Big Bang theory based on interpretation to suit the facts. Ultimately, it cannot accept Human Evolution. The fact that governments of Indonesia and Malaysia have to ban the film “Noah” shows the extent to which the Genesis myth adopted by Islam has to be literally believed by followers. Try telling an Arab that his “sacred language” had its roots, as part of the Afro-Asiatic linguistic group, in Africa and see his reaction. So the most fervent creationists are to be found in the Islamic world.
  http://www.hssonline.org/publications/Newsletter2008/NewsletterJanuary2008Creationism.html
  It’s a real pity to see so many in Africa and Asia killing each other over other people’s mythology.

• Abert  On March 31, 2014 at 5:00 am

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  Good article. Interesting reading on how believers of Islam deal with scientific evidence which contradicted their religious beliefs. Manipulate the society so as to make it confirm to the Islamic way of thinking.