Comments on The Pensive Quill: Respecting Derisory

Eire 1996, not much wrong with that. But we were ...

2012-07-20T20:53:08.016+01:00

Eire 1996,

not much wrong with that. But we were either designed by a creator or not. And we make our choices on what to believe. Science for example does not disprove a god. It merely can find nothing to demonstrate the existence of one. (Intelligent Design, religion that tried to bluff it our as science, was soon proved fraudulent.) So that allows some room for people to think there may be a creator behind it.

What sceince can disprove beyond any doubt is that the earth is older than a few thousand years as surely as it can prove that the earth goes around the sun.

So while there is no intelligent reason to believe the earth is young, there is space to have an intelligent belief about the existence of god. This is why I think the best advocates for a creator are quite able to accomodate science.

The earth obviously being older than 6,000 years b...

2012-07-20T19:41:20.592+01:00

The earth obviously being older than 6,000 years but believing in creationism is no more absurd in the 21st century than believing in an invisible man up in the clouds who no one has ever seen yet incites a fear in some that he could strike them down at any second. Put him on the list with elves and leprechauns.

sense kicking in might lead to creationist simpletons being kicked out!!

Christians with compassion instead of self righteous bile

John ‘you hold to an old earth on 'faith alo...

2012-07-19T13:26:01.568+01:00

John

‘you hold to an old earth on 'faith alone'. Even faith has to have 'evidence' but it is evidence that in this case cannot be verified.’

Bunkum but hardly surprising. It can’t be verified that the earth is more than 6000 years old? You are leg pulling now. An intelligent guy like yourself doesn’t believe that for one minute. It is like saying Everest is 2 inches high.

‘The highest form of certainty is metaphysical certainty, such as we have of the existence of God. That is unassailable.’

Falling back on the auld higgledy-piggledy!

‘You require millions or billions of years because you reject a Creator.’

It would have some merit were it not for the fact that so many Christians believe in the billions of years perspective – that because they reject a creator?

‘Others don't have the same need to push for an old earth so are quite happy to accept the accounts given in Genesis.’

LOL talking snakes and all!

John, Nelson McCausland and Edwin Poots will be signing you up if you are not careful. They might even think you are serious rather than having a bit of fun.

AM, ‘I didn't mean 'believe' but I am...

2012-07-19T12:51:40.879+01:00

AM,

‘I didn't mean 'believe' but I am happy enough to use that term.’

It is really the only one that can be used as you hold to an old earth on ‘faith alone’. Even faith has to have ‘evidence’ but it is evidence that in this case cannot be verified.

‘Beliefs sustained by hard evidence constitute 'knowledge' (hence the 'knowing') and beliefs not sustained by much other than the belief itself is not knowledge.’

The highest form of certainty is metaphysical certainty, such as we have of the existence of God. That is unassailable. All supposed knowledge that is obtained from the experimental sciences will never be more than hypothetical knowledge sustained by faith..

The problem that you have is that you are not impartial. You require millions or billions of years because you reject a Creator. You think by pushing the question back it will somehow mean that you can dispense with a Creator.

Others don’t have the same need to push for an old earth so are quite happy to accept the accounts given in Genesis.

Maryam Namazie speech

John, I didn't mean 'believe' but I a...

2012-07-19T07:39:28.055+01:00

John,

I didn't mean 'believe' but I am happy enough to use that term.

Beliefs sustained by hard evidence constitute 'knowledge' (hence the 'knowing') and beliefs not sustained by much other than the belief itself is not knowledge.

To suggest, for example, it is a matter of faith either way on whether the US is six inches from Ireland, in the face of all the evidence to the contrary, is the weakest of propositions.

Yet that type of logic is presented by the National Trust as part of a debate. There is no debate on that matter. Who wants to spend time debating whether six inches is what separates Ireland from the US?

AM, 'the second. There are countless believer...

2012-07-19T00:27:53.162+01:00

AM,

'the second. There are countless believers who know the earth is not 6000 years old.'

Don't you mean who BELIEVE the world is over 6,000 old? Surely it has to be a matter of faith either way.

Shameful and embarrassing for the National Trust a...

2012-07-19T00:14:39.186+01:00

Shameful and embarrassing for the National Trust and Ireland. Just awful.

By the way - get your nomenclature right. I think you'll find the correct terminology is the Shites of Colombanus.

John, the second. There are countless believers w...

2012-07-19T00:01:10.227+01:00

John,

the second. There are countless believers who know the earth is not 6000 years old.

AM, Just out of interest, what is it about 'c...

2012-07-18T23:47:49.789+01:00

AM,

Just out of interest, what is it about 'creationism' that you dislike?

Is it that most of the people in the world believe in a Creator, or is it merely those who believe that the earth is not as old as you think it is?

no surprise that one of the champions for this bol...

2012-07-18T23:28:18.859+01:00

no surprise that one of the champions for this bollix was trying to put a gloss on that crowd of bigots dancing outside the Catholic church on Donegal Street over the 12th - Nelson McCausland

Nuala, forgot to mention Mencken. It probably was...

2012-07-18T23:22:56.677+01:00

Nuala,

forgot to mention Mencken. It probably was this type of nonsense that produced the Mencken quote. He covered the Scopes trial for the Baltimore Sun, despised the creationists, appears as a fictionalised character in Inherit The Wind and then wrote a book about it - A Religious Orgy in Tennessee: A Reporter's Account of the Scopes Monkey Trial. I am not certain that the quote applied to the issue but given that he despised the creationists I wouldn't be surprised in the slightest if it were.

Hodgie,

usual dose of healthy sceptical wit from you. Laughed at that

Nuala, it is because they are so weird that a wid...

2012-07-18T23:14:26.542+01:00

Nuala,

it is because they are so weird that a wide range of people are concerned. It has even prompted attention in the States and Europe.

The US has a history with this type of thing - the cultural wars there are fought out on a daily basis. Creationists have been trying (even predating the Scopes trial of 1925) to ruin a robust education system with this rubbish, When they fail as Young Earthers, they try to disguise it as Intelligent Design.

In the North if that lot got their way the park swings would once again be chained up on Sundays. Some of these people are or have been executive ministers. That has astounded people - that people who expect to be taken seriously believe such nonsense.

Vintage Hodgie, your alive and well, so.

2012-07-18T23:06:57.994+01:00

Vintage Hodgie, your alive and well, so.

Mackers, I don't get this, talk about much ad...

2012-07-18T22:37:02.690+01:00

Mackers,
I don't get this, talk about much ado about nothing.
So what if people want to believe this! hardly earth shattering.
If these creationists are so weird and so insane, why are people so bothered about what they say?
On an annoyance scale, I doubt with most people this would even register.
Whatever drove Mencken to make one of his least likeable quotes, I'm sure it wasn't stuff like this.

the knights of st. colombanus's anus will not ...

2012-07-18T21:53:49.306+01:00

the knights of st. colombanus's anus will not tolerate this heresy any longer, we will rise and strike the infidels down like mighty bugs.

time to consign all religions to the area of mythology - fuckin power-hungry despotic cretins have murdered, raped, looted, lied and destroyed more human life than 100 times the years nelson proclaims the world has been in existence.

up the rebels.

as a counterbalance to the heresy of creationism i...

2012-07-18T21:46:59.766+01:00

as a counterbalance to the heresy of creationism i am establishing a new group which challenges the folly of creationism.

my group will be called:
the holy knights of st. colombanus's anus,

and our first operation is to invade the giants causeway and watch dinosaur films while mooning at the ass who inflicted this embarassment upon us.

awesome quote I HAVE to remember that one!

2012-07-18T19:20:51.883+01:00

awesome quote I HAVE to remember that one!

André, like that about the Flintstones! believing...

2012-07-18T17:40:37.167+01:00

André,

like that about the Flintstones! believing the earth is 6000 years old is like saying it takes 2 seconds to get from Sydney to London by boat.

Aine,

I know the feeling! It makes it so easy to understand Mencken: "Every normal man must be tempted at times to spit upon his hands, hoist the black flag, and begin slitting throats." !!!

This saddens me greatly to know that there are peo...

2012-07-18T17:09:11.298+01:00

This saddens me greatly to know that there are people that are so fuckin stupid they are actually allowing, never mind advocating for creationism to be treated as if it's really relevant to the reality of the world we live in.
Where the hell do these weirdos get off trying to push their delusions?

Fuck I hate people so much !

The crationist movement as more and and more influ...

2012-07-18T17:03:34.054+01:00

The crationist movement as more and and more influence in our society. It's says a lot about our time. But what it says is not very good. In Canada we are now govern by a conservative party crowded by creationists. We have a joke in Canada: When a member of the conservative party watches the Flinstones on TV, he thinks he is watching a documentary.