stardustcboy's Diaryland Diary ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Tuesday Rant (Belated) - If creationism is a \"theory\" it is the weakest theory in the history of theories... Hello everyone! Sorry for the lack of updating, but you�ll be happy to know that today will more than likely see a double post�Tuesday Rant AND Wednesday Whimsy. Before I roll into my Tuesday Rant I thought I�d do a little update. I must apologize to all my readers for slacking on the Fantasy Friday entry last week. I hope you all weren�t too broken hearted over it�I�m sure you all found a suitable replacement. ;-) Aaaanyway, things out here are goin� sweLLo. Friday night, as you may have read in JeLLy�s diary, involved lots of drinkin� at the local watering hole. Always a good time I say! Saturday JeLLy and I got up early and ran some important errands, then went down to Santa Monica and shopped at Best Buy. We bought some seriously kickin� new speakers for our new computer and now all our music sounds utterly fantabulous! I also dropped by my friends Kirk and Jake�s place and picked up their extra copy of� *cue trumpeting fanfare* WORLDS! OF! WARCRAFT! Aaaah, such blissful reverie my dear loves! Needless to say that from late Saturday afternoon and into Monday morning I was plugged in to the addictive, loving, online goodness that is Massively-Multiplayer-Online-Role-Playing. *sigh* Thank goodness for JeLLy. She didn�t seem to mind that I was jacked into a machine for a good portion of the weekend. I faintly remember friends coming by and visiting, some laundry being done, picking up my LEGO, and other stuff; but I mostly remember fighting Harpies in Razorwind Gulch, taking the Head of Zalazane the Troll Witch Doctor on the Isle of Echoes, and making a large amount of copper bracers to sell for money in Ogrimmar� Yes, my dear, dear cyber-friends. I am a nerd. Not only am I a nerd�but I have officially graduated to Uber-Dorkhood. Thank you, thank you. *accepts award* So yes, for those of you who dig online sacrilicious tastiness I highly recommend Worlds of Warcraft�it is what all the cool nerds are doing�and if you do join in the fun, create a horde character and join the Gorgannash server, that�s where you�ll find me (Baalgorgon)� In other news� Lately I�ve been seeing all sorts of articles about this group suing over stickers, or this guy trying to make the president NOT say a prayer at his inauguration, or hearing people talk about �secular leftists� and �religious right� and all this fucking BULLSHIT! Creationism vs. evolution�church vs. state�atheist vs. Christian vs. Muslim vs. scientologist vs. Santa�it�s retarded! STOP! Let me break it all down for you folks�but before I do I feel that I should add a few disclaimers� *disclaimer #1: I do, to all intents and purposes believe in a god, in NO way is it a god that has anything to do with any god that anyone has ever created on earth. It is MY god and MY faith and I don�t expect or think that anyone in the world will ever understand the relationship I have with it. I keep it primarily to myself. **disclaimer #2: I believe that faith is important. Religion is oftentimes a conduit to faith. People need faith. People need to heal. ***disclaimer #3: if you are a huge fan of creationism and/or a devout Christian or even an atheist, might I suggest you stop reading here. What follows will probably drive you insane and you will have to be committed. ****disclaimer #4: I do not agree with atheism�in FACT, I would hazard that it is far worse than organized religion�I feel that it is for the spiritually lazy, selfish, and narrow-minded�which is funny�because oftentimes the same type of people follow organized religion� *****disclaimer #5: if you�ve read all of the above disclaimers and insist on reading any further despite the warnings then feel free, but know that this is just my opinion and in no way makes me right or wrong or better or worse than anyone else. So relax�
Okay I�m getting sick of all of this bickering over evolution vs. creationism. Can�t all you little miscreants just grow up already? �Intelligent Design?!?� What the hell? Isn�t that like super-OVERSTATING the obvious? Just because there�s �intelligent design� doesn�t make creationism any more valid�but I get ahead of myself� This whole affair with stickers in schoolbooks stating that �evolution is a theory blah, blah, blah�� is a ginormous crock of horseshit. Let me break down the idea of a theory for ya�ll� First, a theory is simply a philosophy or idea that is proposed to explain certain naturally occurring phenomenon. Einstein�s �Theory of Relativity� made an observation on the nature of light and proposed an idea as to WHY it was observed as such. As support, Einstein submitted various mathematical formulae. This theory was then tested by his peers and the scientific community and they all pretty much came up with the same observations and results. Thus, Einstein�s theory stuck�but only partially. As scientists did more tests they began to make new observations which revealed little holes in Einstein�s logic. Seeing this, Einstein took his theory back to the ol� drawing board and attempted several revamps. More testing, observation, and formulating happened. All of this eventually leads to quantum theory, super-string theory, and super-gravity - the beginnings and the expanding of the new physics or M-theory. To this day research continues to explain why certain phenomena occurs on a sub-atomic level but yet does not continue to the macro-cosmic or planetary level. Yet despite, many of Einstein�s principles and theories are still widely used because they work AND because they�ve lead to even greater discovery. The problem with this whole creationist �theory� vs. evolutionist theory is that a theory, as described above, is a PROCESS�a logical progression from question, to observation, to conclusion. Just because something is a �theory� in NO WAY makes it a FACT. Even Stephen Hawking stated this in his most recent book The Universe in a Nutshell. Theories only stick for as long as the community at large can repeat and recreate the results and observations of said theory. Once an observation is made that goes against that theory or proves it wrong or flawed in some way, the theory must either be re-thought out or scrapped all-together for a new theory. This is where creationist �theory� goes horribly wrong. You see, in creationist �theory� there is no proof. It is wholly faith based and those who believe in it DO NOT QUESTION NOR CHALLENGE the validity or observations and propositions of said theory. They blindly follow it as though it were FACT. There is no exchanging of thought, no progressive movement to better understanding or greater insight. It is a fixed, faith-based, mode of thought. Thus, CREATIONISM CANNOT BE CONSIDERED A THEORY. Not only is it NOT accepted by the scientific community at large, but there is ABSOLUTELY NOTHING CAPABLE OF PROVING THAT ANY OF IT IS LEGITIMATELY, HISTORICALLY, OR SCIENTIFICALLY ACCURATE. Now, there�s a whole branch of scientists dedicated to proving the creationist �theory�. They do this by seeking out biblical artifacts and places of interest � Noah�s Ark, the Holy Grail, etc. Their rationale is that if Noah�s Ark existed, then God exists, and thus, creationism is true. This is faulty logic. Just because some dude a few thousand years ago built a huge ship to escape a flood does not by any means prove that there is a God in the Christian sense of the word. I mean, wouldn�t YOU want to build a big ship to escape the impending disaster of a flood? Whether or not God came to you and told you about it? Seriously people, think about it. The bible was written thousands of years ago, AND, over time, people came along and moved stuff around, deleted stuff, changed a few things, altered stuff to fit the time and so it is a PIECE OF LITERARY WORK that has evolved over time. It was written in a time when people didn�t have access or understanding of �biology� or �physics�. They explained it in terms that were understandable and made sense AT THE TIME. Fuck, they were barely comin� up with �math� and �astronomy� back then. They thought the earth was the center of the universe for cryin� out loud (though I suppose in an infinite universe, wherever you�re standing could be the center, but that�s something else all-together)!! If anything, the idea of the world actually being ROUND wasn�t even remotely conceived for another thousand and a half years!! If any bones of dinosaurs were found they probably thought it was a �dragon� or some mythical creature like a �titan� or a �manticore�. It was the only way they could explain it, IT IS ALL THEY NEW AT THE TIME. So creationist �theory� as a theory to explain the fundamental principles of the universe, worked just fine a few thousand years ago; but is COMPLETELY useless in this day and age. So when people stand around arguing about it I just want to smack them in the face. If creationist �theory� is a theory, it is the worst theory in the history of theories because it simply is no longer A) � a sound and valid theory; B) � a modern and progressive theory; C) � provable through any solid scientific method. Now I�ve heard creationists argue that carbon dating and geological dating are irrelevant and incapable of accurately pinpointing the exact age of something. This is a ridiculous and weak argument for creationism. First of all, carbon dating is based off of the decay of carbon atoms over a certain span of time. We know (and have accurately and consistently OBSERVED) that carbon loses n number of particles over x amount of time. So yes, you�re right, carbon dating cannot EXACTLY say that this rock, or this fossil is 1000 years old; BUT IT CAN approximate it within a span of a few hundred years which in geological time is but a second (it can take millions of years for a landmass to shift a mile in any direction). Not only that, but if you find a fossil in a layer of bedrock, you know that that animal must have died at the time when that bedrock was mud-like and at the surface. Using deduction and geological records you can ascertain that the fossil is ABOUT one million years old. Are creationists saying that geological time doesn�t exist either? That a layer of bedrock and sediment isn�t really a million years old? THAT ALL OBSERVATIONS OF GEOLOGICAL ACTIVITY AND PHENOMENON are not true? Are they saying that carbon atoms DON�T decay at a specific rate regardless of ALL THE SCIENTIFIC THEORIES, EVIDENCE AND OBSERVATIONS to the contrary? If this is the case, then let�s go back to refuting the idea the earth is round, that the sun and all the stars revolve AROUND the earth and not the other way around, that flight is actually meant for avians and NOT people. Let�s not forget that if messing with biology and genetics is not �God�s way� then we should stop making medicine�s, vaccines, antibiotics, and other such nasty blasphemous things. My point here is that religion as a scientific �theory� is weak at best, and utterly ridiculous and ass-backward at worst. You see, religion throughout history has consistently attempted to squelch and suppress all modes of progressive and radical thought. In the early days, people were exiled and demonized as heretics and blasphemers for entertaining the thought that the world was round. As time progressed, those that held different viewpoints in religion itself were persecuted and hunted (hence the many branches of Christian philosophy we see today); and when Darwin came up with his zany idea that all life evolved from simple organisms (creationist hate the idea that we might be descended from apes and monkeys, but that�s a flawed view of evolution � the real idea is that EVERYTHING ON EARTH evolved from simple single-celled organisms in the primordial muck of earth) the church branded him as a heretic too and considered all teaching of evolution a blaspheme against God and all that was holy. In the end, most all of what the church originally defined as heresy and blasphemy was proven correct and thus a new philosophy was born, the philosophy of science. So the fact that people still argue creationism is mind-blowingly absurd to me. It�s like arguing that everything that science has proved, and all theories involving the nature of the universe are bunk and the only truth is the �word of God.� If this was the case then nothing, NOTHING in the modern world should work � digital cameras, cars, movies, television, modern medicine, architecture, engineering, everything. Criminal forensics would be useless in getting and discerning the time of death, murder weapon and various other things. Planes would not fly and man would not be able to get to the moon or mars. Every living thing on earth would be the same way it was a million years ago as it is today and no animal would ever evolve or change to fit its environment including us. Thus, we should all be dead and civilization as we know it is a massive mistake. OOops! God�s bad! You see, the bible is really nothing more than a giant unfolding parable and metaphor. Nothing in it should ever be read literally. If man was made from mud, then you could conceivably say that the small organisms in the primordial mud that eventually evolved into all the animals and plants of the world, including man, is pretty much saying the same thing. The only difference is the span of time. Instead of seven days, it was a few billion or trillion years. In the end, what the hell is time to an infinite being anyway? Seven days? What�s that? I�m the beginning and the end, I see all and know all, and I am everywhere and nowhere all at once. Time is irrelevant on an infinite scale. Time is merely a MORTAL AND HUMAN MEASUREMENT. Its okay to accept evolution as a viable theory as to the creation of life on earth and still love and accept Jesus as your savior. Seriously. He won�t be mad, and neither will God. In fact, they might be happy because that�s one less stupid thing to argue and fight about� Holding on to this silly little creation myth is ruining everything and it does nothing to help or progress us as a civilization either sociologically, philosophically or scientifically. IT IS ASS-BACKWARD. People just need to get over it. Period. Religion has to admit that it was a bit off and that it�s �theory� of creationism isn�t a very good theory. The leaders of world religions need to come up with a new scheme, a new theory that is more germane to modern society and modern KNOWLEDGE and LEARNING. Otherwise people are going to argue this dumb shit until either God himself shows up and says so, aliens come down from space and tell us we�re a big experiment, or the �missing link� is found in some remote cave. Can�t we just go with what has the most evidence to support the theory? I mean, are we all that hideously stupid and blind? What pisses me off more than this silly lil debate is the constant bickering and fighting between atheists and Christians. IT�S NOT HELPING ANYONE FOLKS. In both cases, trying to force your agenda down people�s throats is not doing one bit of good. It�s only pissing people off and causing more of a backlash. Since most religious folk align themselves with the �right� and the �religious right� more and more I�m seeing the demonization of liberals and democratic ideals and agendas. In articles around Christmas time this last year several conservative columnists declared �an erosion of Christian holidays and values by the �secular left.�� SECULAR LEFT?!? Does anyone know what that word means? It means �unholy.� So now democrats and liberals are �unholy?!?� Fucking great! Now not only do we support terrorism, erode American family values, accept and celebrate faggots and lesboes but we are also UNHOLY. Now the religious right REALLY has a witch to hunt now! Once declared UNHOLY it is within the power and right of those chosen by God to hunt and destroy the infidels and blasphemers! That�s just great! CRUSADE AGAINST THE SECULAR LEFT EVERYONE!! ARTISTS, PROGRESSIVE THINKERS, AND PHILOSOPHISTS�HELL EVEN SCIENTISTS�ARE ALL WITCHES!!! GRAB YOUR PITCHFORKS AND TORCHES; IT�S TIME FOR WITCH BURNIN�!!! WeeEeEwHOOoOOo!! It doesn�t help that these fucking jack-off atheists keep filing lawsuits to ban the word �God� in everything. Just stop!!! You�re not helping! You�re stirring up a hornets nest dammit! As I stated above, I have very little respect for those who would call themselves atheists. The idea that someone believes in nothing is absurd. Come on! If that was the case your life would have no meaning and you would strive nor seek to achieve anything. What�s the point? There is no god, no meaning in anything. It�s just random circumstance. So what�s it matter If you blow your brains out today? What�s it matter that you work? What�s the point in pleasure? What�s the point in pain? Joy? Sorrow? Obviously, atheism is for chicken-shits. Because a TRUE atheist doesn�t exist, just like a TRUE nihilist. Humans cannot help themselves; they have to believe in something in order to keep going. Even someone who says they believe in nothing still believes in something�that�s the big conundrum. They�re just too chicken-shit to stand up and give it any sort of name and in the end it suits their selfish and self-centered purposes. Shit, if you don�t have to answer to a God, you can do whatever you feel like doing! Kill, fuck, do drugs, steal, lie, rape, pillage�nothing is stopping you! There is no point! There is no God!! Woohoo! Shitheads. So when I hear about some fuck-off atheist suing some school or some institution for having �God� written somewhere, I just want to hit the fucker in the face with an aluminum bat. Getting all up in the face of religious people does nothing but make them incredibly angry and then they retaliate ten times as hard. Anyway, that�s my view and I�m stickin� to it. I feel that people need religion in some ways. Faith is very important to the human spirit. Religion is only bad when it suspends or stunts or outright removes a person�s ability and right to search and think on their own. God and faith are both things that are on an individual basis and no two people will see the universe the same way, thus no two people will see god and faith the same way. It�s personal. That being said, organized religion is completely antithetical to this process. Religious leaders make mandates and those mandates are passed to the masses, spoon fed to people, from other men on pulpits. Where is the self-discovery? Where is the process of wisdom and learning? It�s just rote. It�s like memorizing how to write out a formula for a complex mathematical equation without knowing what the hell you�re writing, or what each step in the process means. You just regurgitate it and there is NO UNDERSTANDING. You believe because you are told to believe. You say because they say. There is no individual, and there is no personal connection to God. So Christians will regurgitate this passage from the bible, and quote this psalm or that psalm or whatever; but do they REALLY see the wisdom in the parable? Do they understand it? Can they look past the literal and see deeply into the figurative? Read the metaphor? Can any devout and religious person be they Muslim, Hindu, or otherwise? I doubt it overall though there may be those few who do. Most just vomit it into your face whenever they get the chance because they feel it puts them on the moral high ground. It makes them better than you, and to me that�s just not the point of God or Jesus or any other supreme being. I�m not buying it. Decide for yourself, that�s all I�m saying, but for the love of all the cosmos try and at least be LOGICAL and THOUGHTFUL about it. Meditate on its meaning, look past the surface into the deep and hidden revelations beneath. Don�t rely on another person to tell you what it means to you, only you can discover that. Only you can apply it to your life and your experience. I�m reading you. ~B-) 1:57 p.m. - 2005-01-20 ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
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