Atheists are hoping aliens from outer space will contact us...

[Boss]

So you believe homo-sapien-sapien may have descended from other apes?

Homo sapiens are Hominids. It's possible we had common ancestry at one time with apes. If that is true, and it's only a theory at this time, it is an example of MICRO evolution. Our genus taxon is Hominid. We are not apes.

Now... Let's go from here and have an objective look... Obviously, humans are far more advanced, civilized, intelligent and accomplished than great apes. What do you think is responsible for that? If you say it is brain development, why didn't the great apes evolve with more developed brains? What made our species so lucky? We're made of the same stuff... we belong to the same genus... yet there is a profound difference in our evolutionary path. What is responsible for that?

Here is what I think... at some point, there was some outside intervention from something that bestowed human spirituality on our species. Made us spiritually aware and conscious. And it is because of that we developed better brains, more intelligence, ability to form civilizations, languages, creative inspiration, etc.

 

[Boss]

Who gets to decide what is considered "good"? For the majority of people, what's good for others is not good for them. So who gets to judge them, if you believe in an energy god that doesn't give a shit?

Btw, you got that from me... jus sayin'.

The difference is that you're saying there is an imaginary being that gets to decide what is good and bad. And decides who gets sent into the "dark energy" or whatever, if they do things that you declare bad... And to be clear, you think you are that imaginary being that gets to decide, Boss. That's why you think you're the boss. You think you're the judge.

But from my experiences with you, I do not usually agree with what you consider to be good as being "good". And therefore, I think you're a really bad judge.

You're an online bully with internet muscles, and a non-stop need for attention, and won't accept anything but people bowing down to you.

That's how you roll, dudette. Like I told you before, you're not as smart as you think you are.

Insert next temper tantrum here...

I didn't get anything from you. Have no idea what you're talking about.

If you don't comprehend what "good and evil" are, I can't help you... go live in the zoo with the apes. Most humans are intrinsically aware of good and evil.

I didn't ever say that "I Declare" what is good and bad. I merely relayed MY viewpoint. I know that you want to twist and distort and outright LIE about what I said so that you can lump me in with the religious people you hate but I'm not going to allow you to just LIE your ass off about things I said. You should know that by now.

Spiritual Nature is not an imaginary being. It's not supernatural. It doesn't reside someplace else.

Addressing your silly argument that I am some sort of bully who seeks attention and wants people to bow down to me... let me just say, if THAT is what I am after here, I am surely disappointed on a daily basis because that's NEVER happened! I catch hell from all sides most of the time. Hell, Breezy is a Spiritualist like me and his posts read like he thinks I'm fucking Hitler! So your assertion is just plain silly and ridiculous. Where the hell are all these people who are bowing to me and adoring everything I say?

 

[BreezeWood]

.

Hell, Breezy is a Spiritualist like me and his posts read like he thinks I'm fucking Hitler!

maybe to some -

h and boss, two peas in a pod ... champions of propaganda.


.

 

[MarkDuffy]

So you believe homo-sapien-sapien may have descended from other apes?

Homo sapiens are Hominids. It's possible we had common ancestry at one time with apes. If that is true, and it's only a theory at this time, it is an example of MICRO evolution. Our genus taxon is Hominid. We are not apes.

Priceless. Boss surrenders again. It is macroevolution

We ARE apes

Now... Let's go from here and have an objective look... Obviously, humans are far more advanced, civilized, intelligent and accomplished than great apes.

In human terms yes

What do you think is responsible for that?

Random luck

If you say it is brain development, why didn't the great apes evolve with more developed brains?

They did. We call the endpoint of that evolution ~ wait fer it ~ man

What made our species so lucky?

Time & a big asteroid

We're made of the same stuff...

Everything is made of the same stuff

we belong to the same genus...

Who is this we, Pilgrim? Not all apes belong to the same genus.

yet there is a profound difference in our evolutionary path. What is responsible for that?

Need I repeat myself?

Here is what I think... at some point, there was some outside intervention from something that bestowed human spirituality on our species. Made us spiritually aware and conscious. And it is because of that we developed better brains, more intelligence, ability to form civilizations, languages, creative inspiration, etc.

Oh goodie, today's new Boss Story! Before ~ we were born with spirit. Now ~ spirit has to be given to us.

The fossil record you love to ignore clearly shows the brain came first, your misunderstanding of spirituality came after.

How do you feel about the simple fact that Neandertals had spirit while we did not? Spirit didn't help them much. Kinda looks like spitituality is a primitive characteristic.

 

[Fort Fun Indiana]

I believe that man has to invent a God he can relate to and this is why God has these attributes. MY God is more like an energy source... like nuclear power or electricity. It's there for our benefit if we choose to utilize it. It doesn't "care" if we do or not. It doesn't get hurt feelings if we don't worship it.

However.... I do believe that our spirits will ultimately be judged based on our earthly deeds.

By whom?

I don't know... something. Probably whatever Spiritual Force gave us souls.

As I explained (apparently you ignored it), I believe this because rationality tells me there must be some fundamental reason our spirits are guided toward goodness... good things... good deeds... love... as opposed to the opposite. Now, maybe I am wrong? I'm willing to take the chance that I'm not wrong and attempt to live a moral and ethical life while nurturing my soul. But honestly, from the bottom of my heart... I couldn't give one rat's ass whether you do that or not. That is MY personal belief and that's all.

Who gets to decide what is considered "good"? For the majority of people, what's good for others is not good for them. So who gets to judge them, if you believe in an energy god that doesn't give a shit?

Btw, you got that from me... jus sayin'.

The difference is that you're saying there is an imaginary being that gets to decide what is good and bad. And decides who gets sent into the "dark energy" or whatever, if they do things that you declare bad... And to be clear, you think you are that imaginary being that gets to decide, Boss. That's why you think you're the boss. You think you're the judge.

But from my experiences with you, I do not usually agree with what you consider to be good as being "good". And therefore, I think you're a really bad judge.

You're an online bully with internet muscles, and a non-stop need for attention, and won't accept anything but people bowing down to you.

That's how you roll, dudette. Like I told you before, you're not as smart as you think you are.

Insert next temper tantrum here...

Boss rejects evolutionary theory, yet can't bring himself to state it outright, even on an anonymous message board.

 

[Fort Fun Indiana]

your a rightwinger that preys on the innocent, you trample the Free Spirit in others, then play innocent, blade like I said this is the religion forum such behavior is reprehensible, believe it or not.

What is a "rightwinger?"

Isn't "El Jefe" Spanish for "Boss"?

 

[MarkDuffy]

I believe that man has to invent a God he can relate to and this is why God has these attributes. MY God is more like an energy source... like nuclear power or electricity. It's there for our benefit if we choose to utilize it. It doesn't "care" if we do or not. It doesn't get hurt feelings if we don't worship it.

However.... I do believe that our spirits will ultimately be judged based on our earthly deeds.

By whom?

I don't know... something. Probably whatever Spiritual Force gave us souls.

As I explained (apparently you ignored it), I believe this because rationality tells me there must be some fundamental reason our spirits are guided toward goodness... good things... good deeds... love... as opposed to the opposite. Now, maybe I am wrong? I'm willing to take the chance that I'm not wrong and attempt to live a moral and ethical life while nurturing my soul. But honestly, from the bottom of my heart... I couldn't give one rat's ass whether you do that or not. That is MY personal belief and that's all.

Who gets to decide what is considered "good"? For the majority of people, what's good for others is not good for them. So who gets to judge them, if you believe in an energy god that doesn't give a shit?

Btw, you got that from me... jus sayin'.

The difference is that you're saying there is an imaginary being that gets to decide what is good and bad. And decides who gets sent into the "dark energy" or whatever, if they do things that you declare bad... And to be clear, you think you are that imaginary being that gets to decide, Boss. That's why you think you're the boss. You think you're the judge.

But from my experiences with you, I do not usually agree with what you consider to be good as being "good". And therefore, I think you're a really bad judge.

You're an online bully with internet muscles, and a non-stop need for attention, and won't accept anything but people bowing down to you.

That's how you roll, dudette. Like I told you before, you're not as smart as you think you are.

Insert next temper tantrum here...

Boss rejects evolutionary theory, yet can't bring himself to state it outright, even on an anonymous message board.

I actually give him more credit than that. He actually believes in every principle of science that does not conflict with his being a spirit walker. In that case, science is wrong.

Boss has chosen poorly but his soul can be saved from being a savage.

We can rebuild him. We have the technology

 

[Boss]

So you believe homo-sapien-sapien may have descended from other apes?

Homo sapiens are Hominids. It's possible we had common ancestry at one time with apes. If that is true, and it's only a theory at this time, it is an example of MICRO evolution. Our genus taxon is Hominid. We are not apes.

Priceless. Boss surrenders again. It is macroevolution

We ARE apes

Now... Let's go from here and have an objective look... Obviously, humans are far more advanced, civilized, intelligent and accomplished than great apes.

In human terms yes

What do you think is responsible for that?

Random luck

If you say it is brain development, why didn't the great apes evolve with more developed brains?

They did. We call the endpoint of that evolution ~ wait fer it ~ man

What made our species so lucky?

Time & a big asteroid

We're made of the same stuff...

Everything is made of the same stuff

we belong to the same genus...

Who is this we, Pilgrim? Not all apes belong to the same genus.

yet there is a profound difference in our evolutionary path. What is responsible for that?

Need I repeat myself?

Here is what I think... at some point, there was some outside intervention from something that bestowed human spirituality on our species. Made us spiritually aware and conscious. And it is because of that we developed better brains, more intelligence, ability to form civilizations, languages, creative inspiration, etc.

Oh goodie, today's new Boss Story! Before ~ we were born with spirit. Now ~ spirit has to be given to us.

The fossil record you love to ignore clearly shows the brain came first, your misunderstanding of spirituality came after.

How do you feel about the simple fact that Neandertals had spirit while we did not? Spirit didn't help them much. Kinda looks like spitituality is a primitive characteristic.

Priceless. Boss surrenders again. It is macroevolution

You're right, it would be macroevolution because Hominid is the taxon family and not genus. Our genus is Homo. Still, it is possible that cross-genus evolution happened. We have no direct evidence of it but that doesn't mean it isn't possible. And I know that you get a kick outta claiming I've "surrendered" when I clarify something but that's not me surrendering. In this case, I was wrong and I admitted it. Most of the time, it's you misinterpreting something that I have to correct.

We ARE apes

You need to prove that.

They did. We call the endpoint of that evolution ~ wait fer it ~ man

First of all, you've not proven we're descendants. Secondly, apes still exist. My question is, why have they not developed advanced brain function like humans? You popped off some smart assery about asteroids but asteroids didn't hinder evolution for apes.

Who is this we, Pilgrim? Not all apes belong to the same genus.

All apes belong to the Hominid family.

Oh goodie, today's new Boss Story! Before ~ we were born with spirit. Now ~ spirit has to be given to us.

I didn't say that.

We DO have spiritual awareness. This is apparent in humans dating back to the oldest civilization of humans we've ever discovered. It seems to coincide with our "rise" and my belief is that something bestowed that on us. There is a distinct correlation with our advancement and our spirituality. I can't prove this, never claimed I could. It's just what makes sense to me personally.

How do you feel about the simple fact that Neandertals had spirit while we did not?

Well this is simply not true. The evidence shows, for the most part, Neanderthals were not practicing spirituality for most of their existence. (They also never formed civilizations.) There has been some recent evidence that European Neanderthals, near the end of their existence, practiced crude spiritual rituals. We don't know why but it's strongly suspected they were merely trying to survive by mimicking their homo sapien counterparts. Apparently, it was too little, too late for the Neanderthal.

 

[Boss]

Boss rejects evolutionary theory, yet can't bring himself to state it outright, even on an anonymous message board.

I don't reject it, I just don't believe in macroevolution. There's no evidence of it and I don't have that kind of faith. Microevolution happens all the time, I've never disputed that. You guys just desperately want to put me in the same box with Christian fundamentalists because that's who you're comfortable ridiculing and mocking. You don't know how to deal with someone like me because I am challenging you to think and you don't do that very well.

 

[MarkDuffy]

So you believe homo-sapien-sapien may have descended from other apes?

Homo sapiens are Hominids. It's possible we had common ancestry at one time with apes. If that is true, and it's only a theory at this time, it is an example of MICRO evolution. Our genus taxon is Hominid. We are not apes.

Priceless. Boss surrenders again. It is macroevolution

We ARE apes

Now... Let's go from here and have an objective look... Obviously, humans are far more advanced, civilized, intelligent and accomplished than great apes.

In human terms yes

What do you think is responsible for that?

Random luck

If you say it is brain development, why didn't the great apes evolve with more developed brains?

They did. We call the endpoint of that evolution ~ wait fer it ~ man

What made our species so lucky?

Time & a big asteroid

We're made of the same stuff...

Everything is made of the same stuff

we belong to the same genus...

Who is this we, Pilgrim? Not all apes belong to the same genus.

yet there is a profound difference in our evolutionary path. What is responsible for that?

Need I repeat myself?

Here is what I think... at some point, there was some outside intervention from something that bestowed human spirituality on our species. Made us spiritually aware and conscious. And it is because of that we developed better brains, more intelligence, ability to form civilizations, languages, creative inspiration, etc.

Oh goodie, today's new Boss Story! Before ~ we were born with spirit. Now ~ spirit has to be given to us.

The fossil record you love to ignore clearly shows the brain came first, your misunderstanding of spirituality came after.

How do you feel about the simple fact that Neandertals had spirit while we did not? Spirit didn't help them much. Kinda looks like spitituality is a primitive characteristic.

Priceless. Boss surrenders again. It is macroevolution

You're right, it would be macroevolution because Hominid is the taxon family and not genus. Our genus is Homo. Still, it is possible that cross-genus evolution happened. We have no direct evidence of it but that doesn't mean it isn't possible. And I know that you get a kick outta claiming I've "surrendered" when I clarify something but that's not me surrendering. In this case, I was wrong and I admitted it. Most of the time, it's you misinterpreting something that I have to correct.

We ARE apes

You need to prove that.

The Primates: Humans

They did. We call the endpoint of that evolution ~ wait fer it ~ man

First of all, you've not proven we're descendants. Secondly, apes still exist. My question is, why have they not developed advanced brain function like humans? You popped off some smart assery about asteroids but asteroids didn't hinder evolution for apes.

Large brain requires the invention of more sweating to cool it off.

Bipedalism came before that. We were not a gorilla who went smart. We were fully bipedal ape who went smart.

The Naked Truth

You will not see it as a satisfactory answer, but why would evolution produce two species competing for the same ecological niche with the same characteristics? It is like you expect humans to replace gorillas & gorillas to disappear. It doesn't always work that way. Gorillas stayed in the forests. We did not.

I also have my own pet hypotheses and it works for a lot of primitive humans and ape-men. We are the killer ape. We see something that kinda looks like us, we get jealous & kill it.

Who is this we, Pilgrim? Not all apes belong to the same genus.

All apes belong to the Hominid family.

Oh goodie, today's new Boss Story! Before ~ we were born with spirit. Now ~ spirit has to be given to us.

I didn't say that.

We DO have spiritual awareness. This is apparent in humans dating back to the oldest civilization of humans we've ever discovered. It seems to coincide with our "rise" and my belief is that something bestowed that on us. There is a distinct correlation with our advancement and our spirituality. I can't prove this, never claimed I could. It's just what makes sense to me personally.

How do you feel about the simple fact that Neandertals had spirit while we did not?

Well this is simply not true. The evidence shows, for the most part, Neanderthals were not practicing spirituality for most of their existence. (They also never formed civilizations.) There has been some recent evidence that European Neanderthals, near the end of their existence, practiced crude spiritual rituals. We don't know why but it's strongly suspected they were merely trying to survive by mimicking their homo sapien counterparts. Apparently, it was too little, too late for the Neanderthal.

We did not show spirituality. The guess is we either ignored our dead or burned them like trash. No burials.

As for civilization, no one had that until the invention of farming 12,000 years ago. We are talking a long time before that. Perhaps Neandertals taught us their spirituality.

 

[MarkDuffy]

So you believe homo-sapien-sapien may have descended from other apes?

Homo sapiens are Hominids. It's possible we had common ancestry at one time with apes. If that is true, and it's only a theory at this time, it is an example of MICRO evolution. Our genus taxon is Hominid. We are not apes.

Priceless. Boss surrenders again. It is macroevolution

We ARE apes

Now... Let's go from here and have an objective look... Obviously, humans are far more advanced, civilized, intelligent and accomplished than great apes.

In human terms yes

What do you think is responsible for that?

Random luck

If you say it is brain development, why didn't the great apes evolve with more developed brains?

They did. We call the endpoint of that evolution ~ wait fer it ~ man

What made our species so lucky?

Time & a big asteroid

We're made of the same stuff...

Everything is made of the same stuff

we belong to the same genus...

Who is this we, Pilgrim? Not all apes belong to the same genus.

yet there is a profound difference in our evolutionary path. What is responsible for that?

Need I repeat myself?

Here is what I think... at some point, there was some outside intervention from something that bestowed human spirituality on our species. Made us spiritually aware and conscious. And it is because of that we developed better brains, more intelligence, ability to form civilizations, languages, creative inspiration, etc.

Oh goodie, today's new Boss Story! Before ~ we were born with spirit. Now ~ spirit has to be given to us.

The fossil record you love to ignore clearly shows the brain came first, your misunderstanding of spirituality came after.

How do you feel about the simple fact that Neandertals had spirit while we did not? Spirit didn't help them much. Kinda looks like spitituality is a primitive characteristic.

Priceless. Boss surrenders again. It is macroevolution

You're right, it would be macroevolution because Hominid is the taxon family and not genus. Our genus is Homo. Still, it is possible that cross-genus evolution happened. We have no direct evidence of it but that doesn't mean it isn't possible. And I know that you get a kick outta claiming I've "surrendered" when I clarify something but that's not me surrendering. In this case, I was wrong and I admitted it. Most of the time, it's you misinterpreting something that I have to correct.

We ARE apes

You need to prove that.

They did. We call the endpoint of that evolution ~ wait fer it ~ man

First of all, you've not proven we're descendants. Secondly, apes still exist. My question is, why have they not developed advanced brain function like humans? You popped off some smart assery about asteroids but asteroids didn't hinder evolution for apes.

Who is this we, Pilgrim? Not all apes belong to the same genus.

All apes belong to the Hominid family.

Oh goodie, today's new Boss Story! Before ~ we were born with spirit. Now ~ spirit has to be given to us.

I didn't say that.

We DO have spiritual awareness. This is apparent in humans dating back to the oldest civilization of humans we've ever discovered. It seems to coincide with our "rise" and my belief is that something bestowed that on us. There is a distinct correlation with our advancement and our spirituality. I can't prove this, never claimed I could. It's just what makes sense to me personally.

How do you feel about the simple fact that Neandertals had spirit while we did not?

Well this is simply not true. The evidence shows, for the most part, Neanderthals were not practicing spirituality for most of their existence. (They also never formed civilizations.) There has been some recent evidence that European Neanderthals, near the end of their existence, practiced crude spiritual rituals. We don't know why but it's strongly suspected they were merely trying to survive by mimicking their homo sapien counterparts. Apparently, it was too little, too late for the Neanderthal.

You didn't get the asteroid part? We think the dinosaurs had to die before advanced primates could conquer the world. They owned our niche.

 

[Boss]

So you believe homo-sapien-sapien may have descended from other apes?

Homo sapiens are Hominids. It's possible we had common ancestry at one time with apes. If that is true, and it's only a theory at this time, it is an example of MICRO evolution. Our genus taxon is Hominid. We are not apes.

Priceless. Boss surrenders again. It is macroevolution

We ARE apes

Now... Let's go from here and have an objective look... Obviously, humans are far more advanced, civilized, intelligent and accomplished than great apes.

In human terms yes

What do you think is responsible for that?

Random luck

If you say it is brain development, why didn't the great apes evolve with more developed brains?

They did. We call the endpoint of that evolution ~ wait fer it ~ man

What made our species so lucky?

Time & a big asteroid

We're made of the same stuff...

Everything is made of the same stuff

we belong to the same genus...

Who is this we, Pilgrim? Not all apes belong to the same genus.

yet there is a profound difference in our evolutionary path. What is responsible for that?

Need I repeat myself?

Here is what I think... at some point, there was some outside intervention from something that bestowed human spirituality on our species. Made us spiritually aware and conscious. And it is because of that we developed better brains, more intelligence, ability to form civilizations, languages, creative inspiration, etc.

Oh goodie, today's new Boss Story! Before ~ we were born with spirit. Now ~ spirit has to be given to us.

The fossil record you love to ignore clearly shows the brain came first, your misunderstanding of spirituality came after.

How do you feel about the simple fact that Neandertals had spirit while we did not? Spirit didn't help them much. Kinda looks like spitituality is a primitive characteristic.

Priceless. Boss surrenders again. It is macroevolution

You're right, it would be macroevolution because Hominid is the taxon family and not genus. Our genus is Homo. Still, it is possible that cross-genus evolution happened. We have no direct evidence of it but that doesn't mean it isn't possible. And I know that you get a kick outta claiming I've "surrendered" when I clarify something but that's not me surrendering. In this case, I was wrong and I admitted it. Most of the time, it's you misinterpreting something that I have to correct.

We ARE apes

You need to prove that.

The Primates: Humans

They did. We call the endpoint of that evolution ~ wait fer it ~ man

First of all, you've not proven we're descendants. Secondly, apes still exist. My question is, why have they not developed advanced brain function like humans? You popped off some smart assery about asteroids but asteroids didn't hinder evolution for apes.

Large brain requires the invention of more sweating to cool it off.

Bipedalism came before that. We were not a gorilla who went smart. We were fully bipedal ape who went smart.

The Naked Truth

You will not see it as a satisfactory answer, but why would evolution produce two species competing for the same ecological niche with the same characteristics? It is like you expect humans to replace gorillas & gorillas to disappear. It doesn't always work that way. Gorillas stayed in the forests. We did not.

I also have my own pet hypotheses and it works for a lot of primitive humans and ape-men. We are the killer ape. We see something that kinda looks like us, we get jealous & kill it.

Who is this we, Pilgrim? Not all apes belong to the same genus.

All apes belong to the Hominid family.

Oh goodie, today's new Boss Story! Before ~ we were born with spirit. Now ~ spirit has to be given to us.

I didn't say that.

We DO have spiritual awareness. This is apparent in humans dating back to the oldest civilization of humans we've ever discovered. It seems to coincide with our "rise" and my belief is that something bestowed that on us. There is a distinct correlation with our advancement and our spirituality. I can't prove this, never claimed I could. It's just what makes sense to me personally.

How do you feel about the simple fact that Neandertals had spirit while we did not?

Well this is simply not true. The evidence shows, for the most part, Neanderthals were not practicing spirituality for most of their existence. (They also never formed civilizations.) There has been some recent evidence that European Neanderthals, near the end of their existence, practiced crude spiritual rituals. We don't know why but it's strongly suspected they were merely trying to survive by mimicking their homo sapien counterparts. Apparently, it was too little, too late for the Neanderthal.

We did not show spirituality. The guess is we either ignored our dead or burned them like trash. No burials.

But it's not a guess. Again, the archeological discoveries of the oldest human civilizations show signs of ceremonial ritual burials using red ocher. There is no rational explanation for why you bury the dead in a ceremonial ritual other than spiritualism. Especially, given the fact that red ocher has been used for spiritual rituals throughout history.

So as long as we have any evidence of human civilization, we see evidence of human spirituality. Religions are a completely different matter. They didn't come along until thousands of years later.

As for your diatribe about the gorillas... you still haven't presented factual evidence we're descendants. You assume we are based on a theory. And your explanation as to why apes didn't evolve like humans with remarkably exceptional brain function is very weak. I never claimed humans should've replaced apes, I asked why the apes failed to evolve naturally as their human counterparts? It just seems to me, if this were a natural order of evolution, we should see relatively intelligent apes who followed basically the same path as humans. Did evolution not take? What's the explanation?

I think there is a profound and direct correlation between human intelligence and human spirituality. I believe it was through our unique spiritualism, we were able to develop civilizations, languages, technologies, etc.

 

[MarkDuffy]

So you believe homo-sapien-sapien may have descended from other apes?

Homo sapiens are Hominids. It's possible we had common ancestry at one time with apes. If that is true, and it's only a theory at this time, it is an example of MICRO evolution. Our genus taxon is Hominid. We are not apes.

Priceless. Boss surrenders again. It is macroevolution

We ARE apes

Now... Let's go from here and have an objective look... Obviously, humans are far more advanced, civilized, intelligent and accomplished than great apes.

In human terms yes

What do you think is responsible for that?

Random luck

If you say it is brain development, why didn't the great apes evolve with more developed brains?

They did. We call the endpoint of that evolution ~ wait fer it ~ man

What made our species so lucky?

Time & a big asteroid

We're made of the same stuff...

Everything is made of the same stuff

we belong to the same genus...

Who is this we, Pilgrim? Not all apes belong to the same genus.

yet there is a profound difference in our evolutionary path. What is responsible for that?

Need I repeat myself?

Here is what I think... at some point, there was some outside intervention from something that bestowed human spirituality on our species. Made us spiritually aware and conscious. And it is because of that we developed better brains, more intelligence, ability to form civilizations, languages, creative inspiration, etc.

Oh goodie, today's new Boss Story! Before ~ we were born with spirit. Now ~ spirit has to be given to us.

The fossil record you love to ignore clearly shows the brain came first, your misunderstanding of spirituality came after.

How do you feel about the simple fact that Neandertals had spirit while we did not? Spirit didn't help them much. Kinda looks like spitituality is a primitive characteristic.

Priceless. Boss surrenders again. It is macroevolution

You're right, it would be macroevolution because Hominid is the taxon family and not genus. Our genus is Homo. Still, it is possible that cross-genus evolution happened. We have no direct evidence of it but that doesn't mean it isn't possible. And I know that you get a kick outta claiming I've "surrendered" when I clarify something but that's not me surrendering. In this case, I was wrong and I admitted it. Most of the time, it's you misinterpreting something that I have to correct.

We ARE apes

You need to prove that.

The Primates: Humans

They did. We call the endpoint of that evolution ~ wait fer it ~ man

First of all, you've not proven we're descendants. Secondly, apes still exist. My question is, why have they not developed advanced brain function like humans? You popped off some smart assery about asteroids but asteroids didn't hinder evolution for apes.

Large brain requires the invention of more sweating to cool it off.

Bipedalism came before that. We were not a gorilla who went smart. We were fully bipedal ape who went smart.

The Naked Truth

You will not see it as a satisfactory answer, but why would evolution produce two species competing for the same ecological niche with the same characteristics? It is like you expect humans to replace gorillas & gorillas to disappear. It doesn't always work that way. Gorillas stayed in the forests. We did not.

I also have my own pet hypotheses and it works for a lot of primitive humans and ape-men. We are the killer ape. We see something that kinda looks like us, we get jealous & kill it.

Who is this we, Pilgrim? Not all apes belong to the same genus.

All apes belong to the Hominid family.

Oh goodie, today's new Boss Story! Before ~ we were born with spirit. Now ~ spirit has to be given to us.

I didn't say that.

We DO have spiritual awareness. This is apparent in humans dating back to the oldest civilization of humans we've ever discovered. It seems to coincide with our "rise" and my belief is that something bestowed that on us. There is a distinct correlation with our advancement and our spirituality. I can't prove this, never claimed I could. It's just what makes sense to me personally.

How do you feel about the simple fact that Neandertals had spirit while we did not?

Well this is simply not true. The evidence shows, for the most part, Neanderthals were not practicing spirituality for most of their existence. (They also never formed civilizations.) There has been some recent evidence that European Neanderthals, near the end of their existence, practiced crude spiritual rituals. We don't know why but it's strongly suspected they were merely trying to survive by mimicking their homo sapien counterparts. Apparently, it was too little, too late for the Neanderthal.

We did not show spirituality. The guess is we either ignored our dead or burned them like trash. No burials.

But it's not a guess. Again, the archeological discoveries of the oldest human civilizations show signs of ceremonial ritual burials using red ocher. There is no rational explanation for why you bury the dead in a ceremonial ritual other than spiritualism. Especially, given the fact that red ocher has been used for spiritual rituals throughout history.

Paleolithic burials[edit]
The earliest evidence of religious thought is based on the ritual treatment of the dead. Most animals display only a casual interest in the dead of their own species.[34] Ritual burial thus represents a significant change in human behavior. Ritual burials represent an awareness of life and death and a possible belief in the afterlife. Philip Lieberman states "burials with grave goods clearly signify religious practices and concern for the dead that transcends daily life."[16]

The earliest evidence for treatment of the dead comes from Atapuerca in Spain. At this location the bones of 30 individuals believed to be Homo heidelbergensis have been found in a pit.[35] Neanderthals are also contenders for the first hominids to intentionally bury the dead. They may have placed corpses into shallow graves along with stone tools and animal bones. The presence of these grave goods may indicate an emotional connection with the deceased and possibly a belief in the afterlife. Neanderthal burial sites include Shanidarin Iraq and Krapina in Croatia and Kebara Cave in Israel.[36][37][37][38]

The earliest known burial of modern humans is from a cave in Israel located at Qafzeh. Human remains have been dated to 100,000 years ago. Human skeletons were found stained with red ochre. A variety of grave goods were found at the burial site. The mandible of a wild boar was found placed in the arms of one of the skeletons.[39] Philip Lieberman states:
"Burial rituals incorporating grave goods may have been invented by the anatomically modern hominids who emigrated from Africa to the Middle East roughly 100,000 years ago".[39]
Matt Rossano suggests that the period between 80,000–60,000 years before present, following the retreat of humans from the Levant to Africa, was a crucial period in the evolution of religion.[40]

Evolutionary origin of religions - Wikipedia

So as long as we have any evidence of human civilization, we see evidence of human spirituality. Religions are a completely different matter. They didn't come along until thousands of years later.

I think you have that backwards or you are an easy grader on civilization. I equate spirituality with religion and they came waaay before civilization.

As for your diatribe about the gorillas... you still haven't presented factual evidence we're descendants. You assume we are based on a theory. And your explanation as to why apes didn't evolve like humans with remarkably exceptional brain function is very weak. I never claimed humans should've replaced apes, I asked why the apes failed to evolve naturally as their human counterparts? It just seems to me, if this were a natural order of evolution, we should see relatively intelligent apes who followed basically the same path as humans. Did evolution not take? What's the explanation?

If you cannot see how close we are anatomically & genetically, then it cannot be proved to you.

We all are neotenous apes. The other apes and us look almost identical as infants and the normal features develop during childhood (neoteny)

Chimpanzees and Neoteny

It sounds like you claim intelligence is something all life should strive for; that evolution has both a purpose and a destination. It doesn't. I would say we are very lucky we got intelligence in ONE species. It looks like intelligence was starting to take off in dinosaurs (raptors) before they were slaughtered, but they have the useless arm/hand issue.

I think there is a profound and direct correlation between human intelligence and human spirituality. I believe it was through our unique spiritualism, we were able to develop civilizations, languages, technologies, etc.

Well, as I have said before, what you call spirit, I call consciousness. So here you get a big DUH!

 

[MarkDuffy]

I'm done for today. A teaser for tomorrow.

I will teach you why it was girl power we have language.

 

[BreezeWood]

.

The other apes and us look almost identical as infants and the normal features develop during childhood ...

just curious Duffy have they told you yet who your parents really were ... the CIA have done just wonderful things over the past years, * (hint) - your one of them.

 

[Boss]

I think you have that backwards or you are an easy grader on civilization. I equate spirituality with religion and they came waaay before civilization.

No, I don't think I have anything backwards, nor have your proven such. Your grading of my intelligence is irrelevant and is simply a part of your bullying technique in the arena of debate where you are poorly qualified. It's a shame because you seem relatively well-learned but what you're lacking is objectivity and honesty. You continue to try to enforce your opinions as facts and denigrate anyone who disagrees with you.

We don't know precisely when organized religions began. I've read accounts that vary from 20,000~10,000 BC but this is just the evidence we've discovered, there may have been earlier religions that we've yet to find evidence of. In any event, human spirituality existed 100,000 years ago when humans at Qafzeh were using red ocher and ritualistically burying their dead.

If you cannot see how close we are anatomically & genetically, then it cannot be proved to you.

We all are neotenous apes. The other apes and us look almost identical as infants and the normal features develop during childhood (neoteny)

How something looks has not a damn thing to do with ancestry OR science. That would fall in the category of "conventional wisdom" and science has made it's bread and butter on disproving that. What you need and don't have is solid evidence, not speculation based on conventional wisdom.

It sounds like you claim intelligence is something all life should strive for; that evolution has both a purpose and a destination. It doesn't. I would say we are very lucky we got intelligence in ONE species. It looks like intelligence was starting to take off in dinosaurs (raptors) before they were slaughtered, but they have the useless arm/hand issue.

LMAO... Well instead of going by what it "sounds like" why don't you go by what I fucking SAY? That would avoid me having to constantly address your misconceptions and misinterpretations. I didn't make any of the arguments you're imagining here, I simply asked a question, which you conveniently avoided and resorted to yet another personal attack and interjection of your unfounded and unsupported opinion.

Well, as I have said before, what you call spirit, I call consciousness. So here you get a big DUH!

Well okay, explain human consciousness?

It is one of the most familiar and most mysterious aspects of our lives. We have struggled to comprehend the nature of it or even define it's essential properties. We can't explain it mechanistically or even determine if non-humans have it or how to recognize it if they do.

So there is something just a little problematic with substituting spirituality for consciousness because you are simply exchanging one enigma for another of equal value.

 

[RWS]

I believe that man has to invent a God he can relate to and this is why God has these attributes. MY God is more like an energy source... like nuclear power or electricity. It's there for our benefit if we choose to utilize it. It doesn't "care" if we do or not. It doesn't get hurt feelings if we don't worship it.

However.... I do believe that our spirits will ultimately be judged based on our earthly deeds.

By whom?

I don't know... something. Probably whatever Spiritual Force gave us souls.

As I explained (apparently you ignored it), I believe this because rationality tells me there must be some fundamental reason our spirits are guided toward goodness... good things... good deeds... love... as opposed to the opposite. Now, maybe I am wrong? I'm willing to take the chance that I'm not wrong and attempt to live a moral and ethical life while nurturing my soul. But honestly, from the bottom of my heart... I couldn't give one rat's ass whether you do that or not. That is MY personal belief and that's all.

Evolution favors those organisms that don't try to kill each other constantly. That explains the "good" that you attribute to a supernatural entity.

Only humans regularly try to kill each other, and they do it over their blind beliefs in a human-created religion or political system, and that's why we probably won't survive.

I live a moral and ethical life, without the need to follow Santa Claus. I do think there may be some sort of central force that combines us all, but I have no idea what it is, nor will I argue for it. It could just be some sort of quantum entanglement. Who knows? I only argue to get some sense into people, so that they stop killing each other over beliefs, and so that we don't become extinct due to bullshit.

But you're very passive/aggressive, so I don't think you're following the "good" path right now. Jus sayin.

First, you need to stop thinking you're the smartest thing on the planet and curb your arrogance. Because you're part of the problem at this point. That's the same way that religious fanatics think.

 

[Boss]

I believe that man has to invent a God he can relate to and this is why God has these attributes. MY God is more like an energy source... like nuclear power or electricity. It's there for our benefit if we choose to utilize it. It doesn't "care" if we do or not. It doesn't get hurt feelings if we don't worship it.

However.... I do believe that our spirits will ultimately be judged based on our earthly deeds.

By whom?

I don't know... something. Probably whatever Spiritual Force gave us souls.

As I explained (apparently you ignored it), I believe this because rationality tells me there must be some fundamental reason our spirits are guided toward goodness... good things... good deeds... love... as opposed to the opposite. Now, maybe I am wrong? I'm willing to take the chance that I'm not wrong and attempt to live a moral and ethical life while nurturing my soul. But honestly, from the bottom of my heart... I couldn't give one rat's ass whether you do that or not. That is MY personal belief and that's all.

Evolution favors those organisms that don't try to kill each other constantly. That explains the "good" that you attribute to a supernatural entity.

Only humans regularly try to kill each other, and they do it over their blind beliefs in a human-created religion or political system, and that's why we probably won't survive.

I live a moral and ethical life, without the need to follow Santa Claus. I do think there may be some sort of central force that combines us all, but I have no idea what it is, nor will I argue for it. It could just be some sort of quantum entanglement. Who knows? I only argue to get some sense into people, so that they stop killing each other over beliefs, and so that we don't become extinct due to bullshit.

But you're very passive/aggressive, so I don't think you're following the "good" path right now. Jus sayin.

First, you need to stop thinking you're the smartest thing on the planet and curb your arrogance. Because you're part of the problem at this point. That's the same way that religious fanatics think.

Dude? Don't you ever watch Animal Planet, Nat Geo, Wild Kingdom... Lion King? Other animals kill each other all the time! I could actually make the argument that because of our spirituality, we are LESS likely to kill each other! I know that may sound bizarre to you but think about it... at some point, some cave man had to lay down beside another cave man of a different tribe and trust he wasn't going to kill him and his family in the middle of the night and steal his stuff. A mutual spirit greater than self would help provide that kind of trust and faith.

You SAY that you have a moral and ethical life but I've never known any human to say anything different. Obviously, some humans are lying, don't you agree? If you don't have any accountability for your morality and ethics they are only as strong as your character in a given situation. In other words, your morals can change depending on circumstances.

As for your comments about me following the good path... wait a minute Chester, I'm a peaceful man. In my personal life, I am benevolent, tolerant, kind and accepting of others. I do selfless acts almost daily and don't expect anything in return. I'm quite a different person than I come across here sometimes. The reason I post like I do is because, if you don't, you get run over and bullied. I've been posting on forums a long time and I've developed certain habits and a certain way of posting. If I come across as arrogant it's usually because I am responding to arrogance. I don't think I am the smartest person on the planet but I have confidence I am reasonably intelligent. I would say, 90% of the people here who don't like me, it's because at some point in the past, I've pissed them off by refuting their arguments with fact and logic and that embarrassed them. If there is one thing about me in real life that's the same as me here, it's that I am a straight shooter... I'm going to tell you what I think.

 

[Boss]

RWS ...I forgot to address the previous exchange we were having about "judgement" and I wanted to clarify something. I realize that word triggered you a bit. What I want you to do is set aside the religious connotations of a Christian God sitting in judgement on His throne.... just lock that thought away for a minute, okay? Now... I want you to instead, think about "judgement" more in terms of a natural culling.... like natural selection. In a sense, doesn't nature cast judgement on species when it renders them extinct? If a certain species doesn't meet adequate requirements of reproduction it goes extinct. I believe your soul follows the same "spiritually natural" course. It will either meet it's requirements or it won't. If it doesn't, it's going to be culled and not allowed to pass on to a higher plane of existence. The only difference is your soul is eternal and can't go extinct.

 

[MarkDuffy]

RWS ...I forgot to address the previous exchange we were having about "judgement" and I wanted to clarify something. I realize that word triggered you a bit. What I want you to do is set aside the religious connotations of a Christian God sitting in judgement on His throne.... just lock that thought away for a minute, okay? Now... I want you to instead, think about "judgement" more in terms of a natural culling.... like natural selection. In a sense, doesn't nature cast judgement on species when it renders them extinct? If a certain species doesn't meet adequate requirements of reproduction it goes extinct. I believe your soul follows the same "spiritually natural" course. It will either meet it's requirements or it won't. If it doesn't, it's going to be culled and not allowed to pass on to a higher plane of existence. The only difference is your soul is eternal and can't go extinct.

Boss just declared gravity to be a spirit God. This God must have been the one who judged my dropped coin and made it always (so far) go down.