Even science takes faith in something that cannot be proven.
For example, most people would acknowledge that gravity is a concept that has been proven. But what if we woke up tomorrow and gravity doesn't exist anymore? Doesn't it take faith to believe that it will still be there?
And what's with all the comments about laying claim to God. I don't even know what that means.
And you can say what you want about religion and churches, but I know that many, many churches do a whole lot of good out in the world. Far too much good to simply be dismissed by close minded arrogance.
Point taken. Churches do help.
I take exception with religions that have consistently waged war, holy wars, for fuck sake. Protected pedophiles for fuck sake. Burned, maimed, tortured, and killed in the name of, you guessed it "JESUS. GOD, or ALLAH" for fuck sake.
I was raised southern baptist and was taught that if you do not believe in the virgin birth and the resurection and baptism, that you will go to hell. You will join the likes of Hitler and Atilla, as well as the likes of Ghandi and Sidartha Gautama and some still remote tribes in south america, africa, and austrailia because there is NO gray area here. This is what I referred to as "laying claim to God". Christians believe that they alone will go to heaven. Some christians believe that other christians will not go to heaven and fought about it for centuries.
Churches help? Sure. Some churches will help anyone but some limit their help to those fortunate souls that they must first deem worthy.
Well
AFW
Peace
Science takes faith in something that cannot be proven? And your example is what if gravity was no longer present?!?!? umm, WHAT?
Even if this theoretical disaster should occur, don't you think scientists would be the first to give us tha basic understanding of why it happened...not a priest, monk, or nun? that is of course after all the scientists, nuns, and Pearl Jam fans were scooped up out of the atmosphere and given velcro shoes.
I think you missed his point. It's not "well what if gravity just stopped" it's that we still have not found any cause for gravity. Typical scientific thought is: if you can't prove it to me, i either don't believe or i withhold judgment.
Well, no one has proven why (or technically, that) gravity exists, but we still sure as hell believe it.
As far as how this applies to religion/faith: Science requires faith. The fact that we don't understand the most fundamental building blocks of our world means that accepting all the conclusions arrived at, which are necessarily built upon these phenomena we don't understand, by definition, requires faith.
That's about as clearly as I can put it right now, but like most people have said, believe what you want as long as it doesn't hurt others, but I would add that this stuff doesn't all have to be mutually exclusive. I'm an ecology and evolutionary biology student, for god's sake, doesn't mean I can't accept evolution and other stuff as well.
"Ah, life is a gate, a way, a path to Paradise anyway, why not live for fun and joy and love or some sort of girl by a fireside, why not go to your desire and LAUGH..."
Comments
Point taken. Churches do help.
I take exception with religions that have consistently waged war, holy wars, for fuck sake. Protected pedophiles for fuck sake. Burned, maimed, tortured, and killed in the name of, you guessed it "JESUS. GOD, or ALLAH" for fuck sake.
I was raised southern baptist and was taught that if you do not believe in the virgin birth and the resurection and baptism, that you will go to hell. You will join the likes of Hitler and Atilla, as well as the likes of Ghandi and Sidartha Gautama and some still remote tribes in south america, africa, and austrailia because there is NO gray area here. This is what I referred to as "laying claim to God". Christians believe that they alone will go to heaven. Some christians believe that other christians will not go to heaven and fought about it for centuries.
Churches help? Sure. Some churches will help anyone but some limit their help to those fortunate souls that they must first deem worthy.
Well
AFW
Peace
"what a long, strange trip it's been"
I think you missed his point. It's not "well what if gravity just stopped" it's that we still have not found any cause for gravity. Typical scientific thought is: if you can't prove it to me, i either don't believe or i withhold judgment.
Well, no one has proven why (or technically, that) gravity exists, but we still sure as hell believe it.
As far as how this applies to religion/faith: Science requires faith. The fact that we don't understand the most fundamental building blocks of our world means that accepting all the conclusions arrived at, which are necessarily built upon these phenomena we don't understand, by definition, requires faith.
That's about as clearly as I can put it right now, but like most people have said, believe what you want as long as it doesn't hurt others, but I would add that this stuff doesn't all have to be mutually exclusive. I'm an ecology and evolutionary biology student, for god's sake, doesn't mean I can't accept evolution and other stuff as well.