Well, here's a nice feeling
Jul. 15th, 2003 11:16 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
azuriteHmm, decided to pick up my Wicca book today and get back to studying some. I like the feeling I get when I'm in tune with myself, nature and the Big Whosits up there. (^^; eh...). Besides, around this time of the year, it's good for me to feel positive about something, or I might become Miss Depresso once more. And no one would like her very much. She's MEAN.
Anyway, thinking about religion and such has got me wondering things. Still, not for the faint of heart, so I kindly put it behind a LJ-cut. You have thus been forewarned, and while I welcome opinions from people of all walks, DO NOT FLAME ME, or I will barbeque YOU. =)
Okay, so I remember a lot of reports-- news reports, things on ABC's 20/20, and articles in Newsweek. Schools in certain communities don't like their children being taught Evolution. (Why do I capitalize it? I dunno. =P) Science teachers get sued and fired over, what is in my opinion, scientific fact that cannot be refuted.
I saw a bumper sticker the other day that said "God created man. Man created Evolution." This made me think. That may be true that humans have come up with a lot of stuff-- and much of it we still don't understand or can really explain in layman's terms... but still, we are the most advanced species on Earth. From OUR point of view and standards, that is. I got into an argument with my dad over whether certain creatures were "sentient," that is, have their own will, and make choices. And the same goes for whether it's "nurture or nature" -- do we know things because we were TAUGHT them, or because we KNEW them, by instinct?
Okay, so I believe in a God and a Goddess. I consider myself, for the most part, Wiccan. I think it's somewhat sad that there are other people out there who can bring themselves to hate or "bash" as it were, other humans SO much that they say things like "You won't get into Heaven if you don't believe in *my* God." You know, a while back, there was that teacher at a University that had the question on his test "Is Hell Endothermic or Exothermic. Explain your reasoning and provide logical proof." or something like that. And some guy (the only one to ace the test) explained that since there were MULTIPLE religions that said "You will go to Hell if you don't believe in *my* God," it stands to reason that EVERYONE is going to Hell. Not a nice thought now, is it?
I like the Wiccan belief that you should accept all humans and forms of life-- even if you dislike it/them, or whatnot. Don't get me wrong, I'm not exactly shielding Sadaam Hussein from bullets or anything, but I do think that everyone has the right to believe in what they want. Hence the USA's first amendement to the Constitution, you know? People can believe what they want, and they shouldn't be persecuted for it.
So getting back to this Evolution thing-- communities, religious or not-- really have no right to say what can and can't be taught at school. The thing is, everyone is supposed to be equal ("everyone is equally worthless," someone once told me) and that's why (though it doesn't JUSTIFY everthing) we have tests like the SAT, that nearly every college uses. Because people are supposed to learn things and get into better institutions based on their ACADEMIC MERIT, not on their race, religion, etc. That's a whole other bird, but you get what I'm saying, right? If someone from a community that has insisted "no evolution shall be taught here" and said kid ends up getting accepted and going to say, UC Berkeley, they'll be overwhelmed with everything they learn that they've never come across before.
Now, if you hear one thing in school, it's not exactly fact, but you can form your own opinions by doing research, and listening to everyone's OPINIONS. Parents can teach kids what they want at home too, but ultimately kids make decisions of their own anyway.
So, on the whole topic of evolution. I'd like to ask those that believe in "God putting man on Earth" can explain the prescence of near-humans. You know, Neanderthals, Homo Habili, etc. They're not apes, not gorillas, not monkeys-- but they aren't human. They aren't around anymore, either, so we can't ask them. And if they say "they're something else entirely," just as butterflies are different from humans, then I ask, how do you explain the metamorphosis of butterflies if evolution doesn't exist? Metamorphosis is a form of evolution-- one creature is changing into another, to suit its needs and the environment surrounding it.
Evolution also states that something more suited to survival will live on, and its descendants will adapt. Look at humans, say, 400 years ago. Back then, there wasn't electricity, indoor plumbing, or much of the medicine we have today. Humans have, in their own way, EVOLVED. We have changed our lifestyles to better suit our environment and needs. We have lightbulbs now, and we don't use candles as much. People use cars to get around, rather than horses. Women no longer wear corsets, and men don't wear top hats and carry around canes (when they're not disabled in any way). While these aren't examples of physical evolution, you get the idea.
So here's my hypothesis-- let's say God did put man on Earth. But God said to Himself, "Well, humans are innately sinful and stupid," (doesn't it say something like that in the Bible?) so I'm going to make THEM learn. They're going to have to figure things out the hard way. And then, by the time they get up here, they've experienced a lot, learned a lot, and deserve to be up here." *shrugs* I don't really see anything wrong with that idea. That maybe God put all the animals and plants-- and even the original ancestors of man, whatever they were, on Earth, and those humans had to learn how to do things, how to survive, ON THEIR OWN before they discovered the gifts of God and all that. And humans are always fascinated with the unknown. We've started to explore space, the deep sea-- but we haven't really discovered OURSELVES yet, have we? We are still baffled by the mysteries of the human brain, and are working continuously to find cures to the worst of diseases. And the biggest mystery of all is WHAT COMES AFTER. Humans don't live forever, so what happens when we die? Where do we go? That's where religion comes in, and yes, this world would be a pretty unhappy, scary place without it.
Whatever comes after, it's meant to be the Great Mystery. It's either so good or so bad, no one ever comes back to tell us about it. Or maybe there's nothing. Who knows? No one alive, that's for sure. But I like the idea that we can all get along, we can all go where we want when we die, and that anyone is free to love and marry whoever they want. We're all human, and that's the basic thing we have in common. There's no reason to split hairs and argue semantics when we're all here to LIVE LIFE. =) Okay, I'm done.
Ah, made a quesedilla (sp?). Yummy stuff, even though it's simple.
I think I'll update Snapshot again soon, since I got the photos from Fanime. Plus there's still two other discs to add to SS, Prom Pics, and Graduation Pics. =D New layout? Hehe, I have too many ideas for layouts lately.
Huh, what else? I'm working on Dream a Dream 4 now. =D Better get back to that, and downloading all my music, of course! Anastasia soundtrack, here I come!
Anyway, thinking about religion and such has got me wondering things. Still, not for the faint of heart, so I kindly put it behind a LJ-cut. You have thus been forewarned, and while I welcome opinions from people of all walks, DO NOT FLAME ME, or I will barbeque YOU. =)
Okay, so I remember a lot of reports-- news reports, things on ABC's 20/20, and articles in Newsweek. Schools in certain communities don't like their children being taught Evolution. (Why do I capitalize it? I dunno. =P) Science teachers get sued and fired over, what is in my opinion, scientific fact that cannot be refuted.
I saw a bumper sticker the other day that said "God created man. Man created Evolution." This made me think. That may be true that humans have come up with a lot of stuff-- and much of it we still don't understand or can really explain in layman's terms... but still, we are the most advanced species on Earth. From OUR point of view and standards, that is. I got into an argument with my dad over whether certain creatures were "sentient," that is, have their own will, and make choices. And the same goes for whether it's "nurture or nature" -- do we know things because we were TAUGHT them, or because we KNEW them, by instinct?
Okay, so I believe in a God and a Goddess. I consider myself, for the most part, Wiccan. I think it's somewhat sad that there are other people out there who can bring themselves to hate or "bash" as it were, other humans SO much that they say things like "You won't get into Heaven if you don't believe in *my* God." You know, a while back, there was that teacher at a University that had the question on his test "Is Hell Endothermic or Exothermic. Explain your reasoning and provide logical proof." or something like that. And some guy (the only one to ace the test) explained that since there were MULTIPLE religions that said "You will go to Hell if you don't believe in *my* God," it stands to reason that EVERYONE is going to Hell. Not a nice thought now, is it?
I like the Wiccan belief that you should accept all humans and forms of life-- even if you dislike it/them, or whatnot. Don't get me wrong, I'm not exactly shielding Sadaam Hussein from bullets or anything, but I do think that everyone has the right to believe in what they want. Hence the USA's first amendement to the Constitution, you know? People can believe what they want, and they shouldn't be persecuted for it.
So getting back to this Evolution thing-- communities, religious or not-- really have no right to say what can and can't be taught at school. The thing is, everyone is supposed to be equal ("everyone is equally worthless," someone once told me) and that's why (though it doesn't JUSTIFY everthing) we have tests like the SAT, that nearly every college uses. Because people are supposed to learn things and get into better institutions based on their ACADEMIC MERIT, not on their race, religion, etc. That's a whole other bird, but you get what I'm saying, right? If someone from a community that has insisted "no evolution shall be taught here" and said kid ends up getting accepted and going to say, UC Berkeley, they'll be overwhelmed with everything they learn that they've never come across before.
Now, if you hear one thing in school, it's not exactly fact, but you can form your own opinions by doing research, and listening to everyone's OPINIONS. Parents can teach kids what they want at home too, but ultimately kids make decisions of their own anyway.
So, on the whole topic of evolution. I'd like to ask those that believe in "God putting man on Earth" can explain the prescence of near-humans. You know, Neanderthals, Homo Habili, etc. They're not apes, not gorillas, not monkeys-- but they aren't human. They aren't around anymore, either, so we can't ask them. And if they say "they're something else entirely," just as butterflies are different from humans, then I ask, how do you explain the metamorphosis of butterflies if evolution doesn't exist? Metamorphosis is a form of evolution-- one creature is changing into another, to suit its needs and the environment surrounding it.
Evolution also states that something more suited to survival will live on, and its descendants will adapt. Look at humans, say, 400 years ago. Back then, there wasn't electricity, indoor plumbing, or much of the medicine we have today. Humans have, in their own way, EVOLVED. We have changed our lifestyles to better suit our environment and needs. We have lightbulbs now, and we don't use candles as much. People use cars to get around, rather than horses. Women no longer wear corsets, and men don't wear top hats and carry around canes (when they're not disabled in any way). While these aren't examples of physical evolution, you get the idea.
So here's my hypothesis-- let's say God did put man on Earth. But God said to Himself, "Well, humans are innately sinful and stupid," (doesn't it say something like that in the Bible?) so I'm going to make THEM learn. They're going to have to figure things out the hard way. And then, by the time they get up here, they've experienced a lot, learned a lot, and deserve to be up here." *shrugs* I don't really see anything wrong with that idea. That maybe God put all the animals and plants-- and even the original ancestors of man, whatever they were, on Earth, and those humans had to learn how to do things, how to survive, ON THEIR OWN before they discovered the gifts of God and all that. And humans are always fascinated with the unknown. We've started to explore space, the deep sea-- but we haven't really discovered OURSELVES yet, have we? We are still baffled by the mysteries of the human brain, and are working continuously to find cures to the worst of diseases. And the biggest mystery of all is WHAT COMES AFTER. Humans don't live forever, so what happens when we die? Where do we go? That's where religion comes in, and yes, this world would be a pretty unhappy, scary place without it.
Whatever comes after, it's meant to be the Great Mystery. It's either so good or so bad, no one ever comes back to tell us about it. Or maybe there's nothing. Who knows? No one alive, that's for sure. But I like the idea that we can all get along, we can all go where we want when we die, and that anyone is free to love and marry whoever they want. We're all human, and that's the basic thing we have in common. There's no reason to split hairs and argue semantics when we're all here to LIVE LIFE. =) Okay, I'm done.
Ah, made a quesedilla (sp?). Yummy stuff, even though it's simple.
I think I'll update Snapshot again soon, since I got the photos from Fanime. Plus there's still two other discs to add to SS, Prom Pics, and Graduation Pics. =D New layout? Hehe, I have too many ideas for layouts lately.
Huh, what else? I'm working on Dream a Dream 4 now. =D Better get back to that, and downloading all my music, of course! Anastasia soundtrack, here I come!
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I'm reminded of that Friends episode...
Date: 2003-07-15 11:46 pm (UTC)So anyway, that's kinda my point, in that I believe in having an open mind and giving each thought and theory their due. I mean, one person could say that some scientists who believe in evolution aren't open minded because they might not be open to the possibility of change or creating a totally new way of evolution.
The Darwinian model of evolution has been with us for so long. I guess the great thing about it is that it is always ready to change. New species of dinosaurs are discovered yearly, and the models have to be revised. But I wonder if there will be a new model in the future that would radically change the evolutionary model in the same way that Darwin changed the old dogmas.
Your idea of social evolution is a great counter example to those who believe there is no evolution. There are problems, like say, there were no fire exits until the early 1900's, and then building codes were changed to make fire exits. That's an evolution of architecture right there.
I guess the main problem all those non-evolution believer have is that humans have no modern example of our own evolution, like say the X-Men. If there were a sudden burst of evolution in today's modern times, then there would be no question of evolution. But we don't have that kind of example.
Re: I'm reminded of that Friends episode...
Date: 2003-07-16 01:49 am (UTC)just a thought from the other side of the fence....
Date: 2003-07-16 12:23 am (UTC)The big debate (for most Christians) about teaching evolution is that Creationism (not Christianity or Religion) will NEVER get equal time in a classroom, despite mounting evidence that Intelligent Design took place before anything else. I am not a scientist by nature, but I have a critically analytical mind, and I would not follow a belief that I felt had no basis. The idea of an Intelligent Creator makes a lot of sense and there just happens to be a lot of evidence to support it - specifically, there is as much evidence of it as there is evolution.
There are just as many intelligent, well-bred, PHD'd, scholarly people out there that will tell you evolution is wrong, as there are those with the same pure-bred educations that will tell you the exact opposite. Mer, you're right, it's a matter of presenting the facts from both sides and letting each person decide - but High Schools (and even a lot of junior highs) teach Evolution as either "fact", or as the only option - and that is simply not true. As soon as they start presenting the idea of Creationism to balance out the cirriculum, I believe most of those vocal against it would back off.
As for evolution being irrefutable fact, there is a lot of evidence that does indeed refute it.
no subject
Date: 2003-07-16 10:32 pm (UTC)Quite reasonably I guess, it's right to assume that I'm somewhat of a religious person myself and in many ways sometimes it stands out, however I disagree with ALOT of views raised by the roman catholic church and it causes quite a few arguments.
This question, about evolution was brought up during a science class in high school actually and i suppose the main answer is that there is evolution, people cannot disprove that but in no place within the bible did it say that evolution did not occur. They said that god created the people in his image, but how do we know that god looked like we do now? We're never sure of that.
And another thing, these stories aren;t taken normally word by word, i mean hardly anyone is fudementalist. But they're symbolisms of the power of god. Yep, that's right and I guess that's all I have to say.
lol and I do agree though, Religion is used to bring a peace of mind to people but sometimes we get carried away like we always do. That's just human nature I guess.