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

[sealybobo]

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.

I grew up on those shows, esp Wild Kingdom. Other animals of the same species do kill each other at times, but it is rare, because obviously evolution does not favor that trait. But humans kill each other at a phenomenal rate. And the big purges are due to wrong beliefs in human-created religions or politics.

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.

No, morals don't change. They are stamped into us early during the period of growth and discovery, and many are instinctual. Only religious/political rulers can get you to do something against your morals. Like killing strangers, because you're told to. And there's a lot of mental health issues that come from having to follow those orders. Morals are trying to stay the same. Having to break those morals based on an order, has a big consequence on what evolution has established.

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.

I am the same way. Except, what you consider straight shooting is more of a masse shot.








And on your next post you said:

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.

That's evolution. There was no judgement cast. Nobody said that that life form was right or wrong. It just couldn't keep up and died out.

And when this planet is uninhabitable for us but large works and clams still live at the bottom of the ocean where photosynthesis doesn't reach this will become the planet of the trilobites. Gods truly chosen species

 

[sealybobo]

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 need to prove that."

Haha....no. Nobody needs to spend an ounce of energy proving accepted scientific theories and facts to you. Being that they are scientific theories and facts, your belief in them or lack thereof is your problem alone and has no bearing on the truth of them. You really need to get that through your head.

Even atheists believe primitive man was spiritual as soon as we were smart enough to wonder how we got here. Bfd. That proves we made up how we got here.

And no don't bother trying to prove anything to him because he will argue the science because science is never settled. So he will argue facts aren't facts. Or he will ignore mountains of facts.

Anyways yesterday I YouTube how life got started. Evolution is absolutely the way.

And what brought life here? First generation stars did. They blew up and spread hydrogen oxygen nitrogen and most important carbon. Carbons the key. So life came via meteors and commits. Over 3 billion years ago.

Hydrogen bacteria. Single cell bacteria that multiplies. Dna. Acid. Snotites. This is where we come from. We know because of science.

If you only read Genesis you would think god made the world in 7 days. 100 years ago people mocked science.

 

[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.

I grew up on those shows, esp Wild Kingdom. Other animals of the same species do kill each other at times, but it is rare, because obviously evolution does not favor that trait. But humans kill each other at a phenomenal rate. And the big purges are due to wrong beliefs in human-created religions or politics.

There are over 1,700 recorded wars in human history. Only 142 were over religion. Most of the time, they are over power and control of resources.

You're totally wrong about evolution, that's exactly what it favors and that's a vital aspect to natural selection. Survival of the fittest... have you never heard that phrase? For MANY species, the foundation of their "social society" is rooted in dominance by the alpha male who kills his challengers.

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.

No, morals don't change. They are stamped into us early during the period of growth and discovery, and many are instinctual. Only religious/political rulers can get you to do something against your morals. Like killing strangers, because you're told to. And there's a lot of mental health issues that come from having to follow those orders. Morals are trying to stay the same. Having to break those morals based on an order, has a big consequence on what evolution has established.

Morals DO change, especially if they have no foundation. It's very easy to proclaim that you're not a liar but I'll bet that at some point in life, you have indeed told a lie. That means you ARE a liar in spite of your moralistic claim to the contrary. People with no spiritual moring will often abandon their moral principles for the sake of their own personal needs.

How many devoutly spiritual people do you reckon get abortions? I would be willing to bet it is very, very few. Abortion is a good example of people abandoning their morals for the sake of vanity and convenience. They literally justify killing another human being and have convinced themselves there is nothing morally wrong about that.

And on your next post you said:

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.

That's evolution. There was no judgement cast. Nobody said that that life form was right or wrong. It just couldn't keep up and died out.

Yes, nature judged a species no longer met minimal requirements of survival. The judgement cast was extinction.

 

[Boss]

Anyways yesterday I YouTube how life got started. Evolution is absolutely the way.

Evolution does NOT explain origin. Sorry.... it just doesn't. It's not even in the nature of the word itself. Look it up! For any evolving to happen, something HAS TO FIRST EXIST! If something doesn't exist, it can't evolve. You can find all kinds of things on YouTube but you are in some serious intellectual trouble if that's your basis of knowledge. Just sayin'.

 

[MarkDuffy]

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.

I grew up on those shows, esp Wild Kingdom. Other animals of the same species do kill each other at times, but it is rare, because obviously evolution does not favor that trait. But humans kill each other at a phenomenal rate. And the big purges are due to wrong beliefs in human-created religions or politics.

There are over 1,700 recorded wars in human history. Only 142 were over religion. Most of the time, they are over power and control of resources.

You're totally wrong about evolution, that's exactly what it favors and that's a vital aspect to natural selection. Survival of the fittest... have you never heard that phrase? For MANY species, the foundation of their "social society" is rooted in dominance by the alpha male who kills his challengers.

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.

No, morals don't change. They are stamped into us early during the period of growth and discovery, and many are instinctual. Only religious/political rulers can get you to do something against your morals. Like killing strangers, because you're told to. And there's a lot of mental health issues that come from having to follow those orders. Morals are trying to stay the same. Having to break those morals based on an order, has a big consequence on what evolution has established.

Morals DO change, especially if they have no foundation. It's very easy to proclaim that you're not a liar but I'll bet that at some point in life, you have indeed told a lie. That means you ARE a liar in spite of your moralistic claim to the contrary. People with no spiritual moring will often abandon their moral principles for the sake of their own personal needs.

How many devoutly spiritual people do you reckon get abortions? I would be willing to bet it is very, very few. Abortion is a good example of people abandoning their morals for the sake of vanity and convenience. They literally justify killing another human being and have convinced themselves there is nothing morally wrong about that.

And on your next post you said:

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.

That's evolution. There was no judgement cast. Nobody said that that life form was right or wrong. It just couldn't keep up and died out.

Yes, nature judged a species no longer met minimal requirements of survival. The judgement cast was extinction.

You're totally wrong about evolution, that's exactly what it favors and that's a vital aspect to natural selection. Survival of the fittest... have you never heard that phrase? For MANY species, the foundation of their "social society" is rooted in dominance by the alpha male who kills his challengers.

LOL, kills his challengers even! Whew doggies that's a bold assertion. How many babies does your alpha male have? Boss claims a species survives by killing itself. The big and the bold get the headlines in the newspaper, but they are not the ones creating all the babies.

MISCONCEPTION: The fittest organisms in a population are those that are strongest, healthiest, fastest, and/or largest.

CORRECTION: In evolutionary terms, fitness has a very different meaning than the everyday meaning of the word. An organism's evolutionary fitness does not indicate its health, but rather its ability to get its genes into the next generation. The more fertile offspring an organism leaves in the next generation, the fitter it is. This doesn't always correlate with strength, speed, or size. For example, a puny male bird with bright tail feathers might leave behind more offspring than a stronger, duller male, and a spindly plant with big seed pods may leave behind more offspring than a larger specimen — meaning that the puny bird and the spindly plant have higher evolutionary fitness than their stronger, larger counterparts. To learn more about evolutionary fitness, visit Evolution 101.

MISCONCEPTION: Natural selection is about survival of the very fittest individuals in a population.

CORRECTION: Though "survival of the fittest" is the catchphrase of natural selection, "survival of the fit enough" is more accurate. In most populations, organisms with many different genetic variations survive, reproduce, and leave offspring carrying their genes in the next generation. It is not simply the one or two "best" individuals in the population that pass their genes on to the next generation. This is apparent in the populations around us: for example, a plant may not have the genes to flourish in a drought, or a predator may not be quite fast enough to catch her prey every time she is hungry. These individuals may not be the "fittest" in the population, but they are "fit enough" to reproduce and pass their genes on to the next generation. To learn more about the process of natural selection, visit our article on this topic. To learn more about evolutionary fitness, visit Evolution 101.

Misconceptions about evolution

 

[BreezeWood]

.

For any evolving to happen, something HAS TO FIRST EXIST!

there has never been a time when something has not existed ... evolution can be anything including the lifespan of a boulder.

 

[Boss]

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.

I grew up on those shows, esp Wild Kingdom. Other animals of the same species do kill each other at times, but it is rare, because obviously evolution does not favor that trait. But humans kill each other at a phenomenal rate. And the big purges are due to wrong beliefs in human-created religions or politics.

There are over 1,700 recorded wars in human history. Only 142 were over religion. Most of the time, they are over power and control of resources.

You're totally wrong about evolution, that's exactly what it favors and that's a vital aspect to natural selection. Survival of the fittest... have you never heard that phrase? For MANY species, the foundation of their "social society" is rooted in dominance by the alpha male who kills his challengers.

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.

No, morals don't change. They are stamped into us early during the period of growth and discovery, and many are instinctual. Only religious/political rulers can get you to do something against your morals. Like killing strangers, because you're told to. And there's a lot of mental health issues that come from having to follow those orders. Morals are trying to stay the same. Having to break those morals based on an order, has a big consequence on what evolution has established.

Morals DO change, especially if they have no foundation. It's very easy to proclaim that you're not a liar but I'll bet that at some point in life, you have indeed told a lie. That means you ARE a liar in spite of your moralistic claim to the contrary. People with no spiritual moring will often abandon their moral principles for the sake of their own personal needs.

How many devoutly spiritual people do you reckon get abortions? I would be willing to bet it is very, very few. Abortion is a good example of people abandoning their morals for the sake of vanity and convenience. They literally justify killing another human being and have convinced themselves there is nothing morally wrong about that.

And on your next post you said:

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.

That's evolution. There was no judgement cast. Nobody said that that life form was right or wrong. It just couldn't keep up and died out.

Yes, nature judged a species no longer met minimal requirements of survival. The judgement cast was extinction.

You're totally wrong about evolution, that's exactly what it favors and that's a vital aspect to natural selection. Survival of the fittest... have you never heard that phrase? For MANY species, the foundation of their "social society" is rooted in dominance by the alpha male who kills his challengers.

LOL, kills his challengers even! Whew doggies that's a bold assertion. How many babies does your alpha male have? Boss claims a species survives by killing itself. The big and the bold get the headlines in the newspaper, but they are not the ones creating all the babies.

MISCONCEPTION: The fittest organisms in a population are those that are strongest, healthiest, fastest, and/or largest.

CORRECTION: In evolutionary terms, fitness has a very different meaning than the everyday meaning of the word. An organism's evolutionary fitness does not indicate its health, but rather its ability to get its genes into the next generation. The more fertile offspring an organism leaves in the next generation, the fitter it is. This doesn't always correlate with strength, speed, or size. For example, a puny male bird with bright tail feathers might leave behind more offspring than a stronger, duller male, and a spindly plant with big seed pods may leave behind more offspring than a larger specimen — meaning that the puny bird and the spindly plant have higher evolutionary fitness than their stronger, larger counterparts. To learn more about evolutionary fitness, visit Evolution 101.

MISCONCEPTION: Natural selection is about survival of the very fittest individuals in a population.

CORRECTION: Though "survival of the fittest" is the catchphrase of natural selection, "survival of the fit enough" is more accurate. In most populations, organisms with many different genetic variations survive, reproduce, and leave offspring carrying their genes in the next generation. It is not simply the one or two "best" individuals in the population that pass their genes on to the next generation. This is apparent in the populations around us: for example, a plant may not have the genes to flourish in a drought, or a predator may not be quite fast enough to catch her prey every time she is hungry. These individuals may not be the "fittest" in the population, but they are "fit enough" to reproduce and pass their genes on to the next generation. To learn more about the process of natural selection, visit our article on this topic. To learn more about evolutionary fitness, visit Evolution 101.

Misconceptions about evolution

For those just now tuning in... What we're seeing here is what happens with arrogant blowhards who can't support their arguments. Whenever they are defeated, they have to run find some trivial little detail to start an entirely new argument with. When that argument is defeated, they'll find another trivial detail to argue. It's a never-ending argument style. It doesn't really matter if they have to lie and distort what someone said to create their new argument, as long as it detracts from the previously defeated old argument. The objective is to appear they've not lost the argument.

I've seen people who are very good at this. They can surf almost seamlessly from one trivial argument to the next and you hardly even notice they've completely changed the topic. McDuff isn't one of those posters.

 

[Boss]

.

For any evolving to happen, something HAS TO FIRST EXIST!

there has never been a time when something has not existed ... evolution can be anything including the lifespan of a boulder.

But the boulder has to exist before it can evolve.

there has never been a time when something has not existed

When did you start believing in God?

 

[MarkDuffy]

The Rut - Elk Network

Very rarely does anyone die. You don't survive as a species if the #1 kills off #2 #3 #4 and #5.

#1 might be strong and sterile.

Bottom line, the woman gets her man. The man "thinks" he is in charge.

 

[MarkDuffy]

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.

I grew up on those shows, esp Wild Kingdom. Other animals of the same species do kill each other at times, but it is rare, because obviously evolution does not favor that trait. But humans kill each other at a phenomenal rate. And the big purges are due to wrong beliefs in human-created religions or politics.

There are over 1,700 recorded wars in human history. Only 142 were over religion. Most of the time, they are over power and control of resources.

You're totally wrong about evolution, that's exactly what it favors and that's a vital aspect to natural selection. Survival of the fittest... have you never heard that phrase? For MANY species, the foundation of their "social society" is rooted in dominance by the alpha male who kills his challengers.

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.

No, morals don't change. They are stamped into us early during the period of growth and discovery, and many are instinctual. Only religious/political rulers can get you to do something against your morals. Like killing strangers, because you're told to. And there's a lot of mental health issues that come from having to follow those orders. Morals are trying to stay the same. Having to break those morals based on an order, has a big consequence on what evolution has established.

Morals DO change, especially if they have no foundation. It's very easy to proclaim that you're not a liar but I'll bet that at some point in life, you have indeed told a lie. That means you ARE a liar in spite of your moralistic claim to the contrary. People with no spiritual moring will often abandon their moral principles for the sake of their own personal needs.

How many devoutly spiritual people do you reckon get abortions? I would be willing to bet it is very, very few. Abortion is a good example of people abandoning their morals for the sake of vanity and convenience. They literally justify killing another human being and have convinced themselves there is nothing morally wrong about that.

And on your next post you said:

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.

That's evolution. There was no judgement cast. Nobody said that that life form was right or wrong. It just couldn't keep up and died out.

Yes, nature judged a species no longer met minimal requirements of survival. The judgement cast was extinction.

You're totally wrong about evolution, that's exactly what it favors and that's a vital aspect to natural selection. Survival of the fittest... have you never heard that phrase? For MANY species, the foundation of their "social society" is rooted in dominance by the alpha male who kills his challengers.

LOL, kills his challengers even! Whew doggies that's a bold assertion. How many babies does your alpha male have? Boss claims a species survives by killing itself. The big and the bold get the headlines in the newspaper, but they are not the ones creating all the babies.

MISCONCEPTION: The fittest organisms in a population are those that are strongest, healthiest, fastest, and/or largest.

CORRECTION: In evolutionary terms, fitness has a very different meaning than the everyday meaning of the word. An organism's evolutionary fitness does not indicate its health, but rather its ability to get its genes into the next generation. The more fertile offspring an organism leaves in the next generation, the fitter it is. This doesn't always correlate with strength, speed, or size. For example, a puny male bird with bright tail feathers might leave behind more offspring than a stronger, duller male, and a spindly plant with big seed pods may leave behind more offspring than a larger specimen — meaning that the puny bird and the spindly plant have higher evolutionary fitness than their stronger, larger counterparts. To learn more about evolutionary fitness, visit Evolution 101.

MISCONCEPTION: Natural selection is about survival of the very fittest individuals in a population.

CORRECTION: Though "survival of the fittest" is the catchphrase of natural selection, "survival of the fit enough" is more accurate. In most populations, organisms with many different genetic variations survive, reproduce, and leave offspring carrying their genes in the next generation. It is not simply the one or two "best" individuals in the population that pass their genes on to the next generation. This is apparent in the populations around us: for example, a plant may not have the genes to flourish in a drought, or a predator may not be quite fast enough to catch her prey every time she is hungry. These individuals may not be the "fittest" in the population, but they are "fit enough" to reproduce and pass their genes on to the next generation. To learn more about the process of natural selection, visit our article on this topic. To learn more about evolutionary fitness, visit Evolution 101.

Misconceptions about evolution

For those just now tuning in... What we're seeing here is what happens with arrogant blowhards who can't support their arguments. Whenever they are defeated, they have to run find some trivial little detail to start an entirely new argument with. When that argument is defeated, they'll find another trivial detail to argue. It's a never-ending argument style. It doesn't really matter if they have to lie and distort what someone said to create their new argument, as long as it detracts from the previously defeated old argument. The objective is to appear they've not lost the argument.

I've seen people who are very good at this. They can surf almost seamlessly from one trivial argument to the next and you hardly even notice they've completely changed the topic. McDuff isn't one of those posters.

Survival of the fittest

When we see this phrase, it is always time for an evolutionary biologist to jump in with reality

and stop whining, it just makes you look even weaker

 

[MarkDuffy]

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.

I grew up on those shows, esp Wild Kingdom. Other animals of the same species do kill each other at times, but it is rare, because obviously evolution does not favor that trait. But humans kill each other at a phenomenal rate. And the big purges are due to wrong beliefs in human-created religions or politics.

There are over 1,700 recorded wars in human history. Only 142 were over religion. Most of the time, they are over power and control of resources.

You're totally wrong about evolution, that's exactly what it favors and that's a vital aspect to natural selection. Survival of the fittest... have you never heard that phrase? For MANY species, the foundation of their "social society" is rooted in dominance by the alpha male who kills his challengers.

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.

No, morals don't change. They are stamped into us early during the period of growth and discovery, and many are instinctual. Only religious/political rulers can get you to do something against your morals. Like killing strangers, because you're told to. And there's a lot of mental health issues that come from having to follow those orders. Morals are trying to stay the same. Having to break those morals based on an order, has a big consequence on what evolution has established.

Morals DO change, especially if they have no foundation. It's very easy to proclaim that you're not a liar but I'll bet that at some point in life, you have indeed told a lie. That means you ARE a liar in spite of your moralistic claim to the contrary. People with no spiritual moring will often abandon their moral principles for the sake of their own personal needs.

How many devoutly spiritual people do you reckon get abortions? I would be willing to bet it is very, very few. Abortion is a good example of people abandoning their morals for the sake of vanity and convenience. They literally justify killing another human being and have convinced themselves there is nothing morally wrong about that.

And on your next post you said:

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.

That's evolution. There was no judgement cast. Nobody said that that life form was right or wrong. It just couldn't keep up and died out.

Yes, nature judged a species no longer met minimal requirements of survival. The judgement cast was extinction.

How many devoutly spiritual people do you reckon get abortions? I would be willing to bet it is very, very few. Abortion is a good example of people abandoning their morals for the sake of vanity and convenience. They literally justify killing another human being and have convinced themselves there is nothing morally wrong about that.

Oh brother, here we go.

I am pro choice cuz I am pro life. I do not want an extended family to suffer from an unwanted baby. This is the extended family too. Single motherhood is hard on everyone, even if the baby is healthy.

You would sentence a couple to a terrible future just for what? So you could claim to be the "boss" of their life?

No wonder you picked that forum name. Mr. Macho, the imbecile.

In other species, unwanted babies are either killed or abandoned. They do it for life!

 

[Wry Catcher]

...and tell us there's no God.

That is why scientists like Carl Sagan so eagerly tell us there MUST be life on other planets, but it's a wish, there is no science to back up his claims.

So far, after decades of listening with radio telescopes, the skies have been totally silent.

Either aliens don't exist at all anywhere in the universe, or they are so far away their transmissions will never reach us.

And in either case, we will never have aliens visit us.

We are probably alone.

You may be incorrect, aliens have already left their home base, Stormfront, and our now occupying this message board.

 

[MarkDuffy]

I'm still laughing at Boss's

There are over 1,700 recorded wars in human history. Only 142 were over religion.

He has the count down to 142, not 141 nor 143.

The spirit God must have told him that

 

[Boss]

How many devoutly spiritual people do you reckon get abortions? I would be willing to bet it is very, very few. Abortion is a good example of people abandoning their morals for the sake of vanity and convenience. They literally justify killing another human being and have convinced themselves there is nothing morally wrong about that.

Oh brother, here we go.

I am pro choice cuz I am pro life. I do not want an extended family to suffer from an unwanted baby. This is the extended family too. Single motherhood is hard on everyone, even if the baby is healthy.

You would sentence a couple to a terrible future just for what? So you could claim to be the "boss" of their life?

No wonder you picked that forum name. Mr. Macho, the imbecile.

In other species, unwanted babies are either killed or abandoned. They do it for life!

You actually just made my point.

You have justified killing another human being as a moral act. Your morals are based on your perception of what is moral. That's a subjective evaluation by the individual and it can (and does) change.

 

[sealybobo]

Anyways yesterday I YouTube how life got started. Evolution is absolutely the way.

Evolution does NOT explain origin. Sorry.... it just doesn't. It's not even in the nature of the word itself. Look it up! For any evolving to happen, something HAS TO FIRST EXIST! If something doesn't exist, it can't evolve. You can find all kinds of things on YouTube but you are in some serious intellectual trouble if that's your basis of knowledge. Just sayin'.

You go by what makes sense to you even if it makes no sense to anyone else. It makes sense life got here during the great bombardment. Hydrogen oxygen nitrogen and most important carbon. Carbons the key. We know single cell bacteria multiply.

It was Nova. Do you really challenge Nova? I'll go with the information they're giving over your bullshit.

 

[Boss]

Anyways yesterday I YouTube how life got started. Evolution is absolutely the way.

Evolution does NOT explain origin. Sorry.... it just doesn't. It's not even in the nature of the word itself. Look it up! For any evolving to happen, something HAS TO FIRST EXIST! If something doesn't exist, it can't evolve. You can find all kinds of things on YouTube but you are in some serious intellectual trouble if that's your basis of knowledge. Just sayin'.

You go by what makes sense to you even if it makes no sense to anyone else. It makes sense life got here during the great bombardment. Hydrogen oxygen nitrogen and most important carbon. Carbons the key. We know single cell bacteria multiply.

It was Nova. Do you really challenge Nova? I'll go with the information they're giving over your bullshit.

Sorry it doesn't make sense to you but I can assure you that things cannot evolve until they exist. You mention a theory of "the great bombardment" but that isn't evolution. IF microbial life came here from the cosmos, then it already existed and you've not explained origin. Bacteria multiply because they are living.

I seriously doubt Nova made the claim you've made but if they did, I refute them as well. Evolution doesn't explain origin.

 

[sealybobo]

Anyways yesterday I YouTube how life got started. Evolution is absolutely the way.

Evolution does NOT explain origin. Sorry.... it just doesn't. It's not even in the nature of the word itself. Look it up! For any evolving to happen, something HAS TO FIRST EXIST! If something doesn't exist, it can't evolve. You can find all kinds of things on YouTube but you are in some serious intellectual trouble if that's your basis of knowledge. Just sayin'.

You go by what makes sense to you even if it makes no sense to anyone else. It makes sense life got here during the great bombardment. Hydrogen oxygen nitrogen and most important carbon. Carbons the key. We know single cell bacteria multiply.

It was Nova. Do you really challenge Nova? I'll go with the information they're giving over your bullshit.

Sorry it doesn't make sense to you but I can assure you that things cannot evolve until they exist. You mention a theory of "the great bombardment" but that isn't evolution. IF microbial life came here from the cosmos, then it already existed and you've not explained origin. Bacteria multiply because they are living.

I seriously doubt Nova made the claim you've made but if they did, I refute them as well. Evolution doesn't explain origin.

The elements are in meteors and commits. They came from first generation stars.

See, there is so much you don't know. That's why you doubt. And you clearly don't watch Nova and you don't like the science. It makes you uncomfortable

What does it matter? Even if what I say is true you'll just believe God the creator did it. It doesn't disprove your creator who cares so relax

 

[sealybobo]

Anyways yesterday I YouTube how life got started. Evolution is absolutely the way.

Evolution does NOT explain origin. Sorry.... it just doesn't. It's not even in the nature of the word itself. Look it up! For any evolving to happen, something HAS TO FIRST EXIST! If something doesn't exist, it can't evolve. You can find all kinds of things on YouTube but you are in some serious intellectual trouble if that's your basis of knowledge. Just sayin'.

You go by what makes sense to you even if it makes no sense to anyone else. It makes sense life got here during the great bombardment. Hydrogen oxygen nitrogen and most important carbon. Carbons the key. We know single cell bacteria multiply.

It was Nova. Do you really challenge Nova? I'll go with the information they're giving over your bullshit.

Sorry it doesn't make sense to you but I can assure you that things cannot evolve until they exist. You mention a theory of "the great bombardment" but that isn't evolution. IF microbial life came here from the cosmos, then it already existed and you've not explained origin. Bacteria multiply because they are living.

I seriously doubt Nova made the claim you've made but if they did, I refute them as well. Evolution doesn't explain origin.

I'm not talking evolution I'm talking about how life started and humans were not poofed into the planet along with all other land animals they must have evolved. And they're finding carbon in meteors and comets. It makes sense.

What's your origin theory? I want to hear what you believe

 

[sealybobo]

Dinosaurs didn't ride in on comets and meteors

 

[Boss]

The elements are in meteors and commits. They came from first generation stars.

See, there is so much you don't know. That's why you doubt. And you clearly don't watch Nova and you don't like the science. It makes you uncomfortable

What does it matter? Even if what I say is true you'll just believe God the creator did it. It doesn't disprove your creator who cares so relax

I know everything about the elements but the elements are not living organisms. I actually like watching Nova and other science programs. I have no problem with science. I have a BIG problem with idiots who don't understand science and think they do. And it matters that what you say is true because when you lie and claim science says things it doesn't say, that insults science and destroys all your credibility. Science and your credibility ought to mean more to you than bullshitting people on a message board into thinking you know what you're talking about... which you don't.