Where to start?? Good posts with lots of quality points made.
Firstly, Id like to say that instead of joining the religious debate I will state my opinion that this topic was basicly (to me) a yes or no question.
No, I do not believe science is a religion. There are many different types of sciences. Theology is just as much of a science as biology is. I dont feel an overpowering need to elaborate on that since its been discussed for 5 pages now.
Now to be like everyone else and spew forth for a few paragraphs [img]smile.gif[/img]
"Many scientists BECOME scientists simply to find out how God made things the way he did." Thats a quote said to me by many doctors and physicists. They chose to become involved in science to see how GOD made all this "neat stuff".
Not having the benefit of a college education,I have to take the word of people more educated than myself. Luckily, my mom worked at a medical school where I got to know quite a few people who DID have college educations [img]smile.gif[/img] Doctors are neat people to have a debate with [img]smile.gif[/img]
It's amazing to me that so many people who have based their lives as adults on SCIENCE still have great religious faith.
I have a couple things to say and I dont want any misunderstandings as to my religious faith or belief in God or whatever yall choose to view it as.
First I am a Christian. I was raised in the Church of Christ. Not a Catholic or Baptist or anything else. I find it disgusting that SO MANY wars have been fought in the name of religion. There might have been underlying motivations like greed ect., but the wars were fought in the name of religion.
"More people have died in the name of religion than from any other cause." This may or may not be true but again I have to take the word of people who have more time and inclinations to study the so-called facts. Of course it is also true that there are more people alive today than have ever died in the history of the world.
The Spanish Inquisition=holy war. The spaniards succeeded in one thing: wipe out the prosperous middle class. Spain destroyed its own economy in the name of religious conversion. It took years to recover from, and well, I dont think they ever really did.
Have yall heard of the Crusades??? Who was the First "Crusader"??? Ill tell ya. The LAST EMPORER OF ROME. Even though he didnt actually become "saved" until he was mortally wounded and on his deathbed he was the first Roman leader to see the error of the crucifixion of Christ. Pity that I cant remember his name. Regardless, He was the first person to say "Believe in Christ or die by my sword heathen swine!!!!" Sad but true.
Being a Christian I still believe (like many) that God caused the Big Bang and all evolution.
Contrary to the Bible I dont buy the stuff that says the earth is only 6,000 years old. Science has proven that the earth is BILLIONS of years old.
One thing i cant stand is that so many religions say "Mine is right and yours is wrong. You are going to burn in hell" For example I knew a Catholic woman who told me she liked this one guy and he did good work but it was too bad he was going to burn in hell forever. "How do you figure??"
"Well hes jewish. Hee doesnt believe in Jesus Christ and accept him as his saviour. Hes gonna burn in hell."
The man believes in GOD. How can that be wrong??? Slam dunk on the point there.
As for the "god given ability" to do anything, particularly play a sport: I dont buy that either. As someone said before "its a talent he was BORN with. Thats called GENETICS. It is in a persons DNA not his religious faith to be successful at sports (or anything else for that matter.) Are Shaq and Kobi Christains??? Would it matter if they were muslims or buddhists??
God didnt give the individual the ability to catch the ball and score the game winning touchdown. Thats called physical coordination, strength determination ect. Years of training to teach their bodies to do that is what put them in the spotlight.
One guy scores the game (and championchip) winning touchdown and says "Id like to thank God for giving me the ability to catch the ball and score and win the game. [img]smile.gif[/img] "
The guys on the other team say "We were in the game till JESUS made me fumble
"
Sorry but thats one thing I just cant agree with even if I AM a Christian.
Hitler. Before Hitler even started WW2 he had plans to wipe out the Jews. He simply didnt implement the plan until the invasions of certain countries. His pathlogical hatred for ALL Jews was an underlying cause to the war. Odd that he was Austian by birth but he dreampt of a "perfect German society" Jews were never involved in this vision of perfection. They were the scourge of the earth in his eyes.
Too bad he wasnt accepted to the Vienna School of Art. The world might have been a much better place.