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tazzygirl -> RE: Pope Says God is Behind the Big Bang (1/24/2011 9:49:03 PM)
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All that aside, going back to your post (#294)...the answer is no (again). Nobody's opinion is correct which is what I've been saying throughout the entire thread. Religion is an opinion as is science (they are perspectives, opinions, takes, impressions, etc.). The difference between the two is science can demonstrate its position...religion cannot.
Finally, a direct answer. But, the bolded part... how often is science wrong?
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But at this level, science and religion are apples and oranges if you are talking about taking them literally (which others have pointed out as well). Think of it this way (indulge me for a moment). Western religion told a story of the creation at a time when there was no viable alternative. People became vested in it. Then science came along and suddenly there was an alternative (sort of like a new tool in the toolbox). There has been a conflict with this ever since. At first it was mainly in favor of the religious crowd but as scientific theories showed themselves to be increasingly (and repeatedly) accurate as representative explanations for the universe, the religious crowd started to lose members and it has been shrinking ever since.
And yet the atheist movement hasnt increased by leaps and bounds. Now, im not saying the "bible" is accurate, so im not sure why you would think im saying to take them literally. That part confuses me, especially in light of a recent post of mine that was like a mile long.
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The sort of people I think are damaging to religion are people like Joel Osteen or any of the TV evangelists you see out there (Voice of Victory, Oral Roberts, Jimmy Swaggart, the guy in Texas whose name escapes me, etc.), cults, fundamentalists, orthodox types, and the list goes on. These people are looking at the world through a pinhole (actually I sometimes wonder if they know what they are doing and are really just raking in the cash like Jim Baker did). They're all grossly mistaken in what they are doing and I'm not talking only about people who are in the public eye. I have met individuals who are exactly the same. Their minds are completely shut down but they will insist it is you who are close-minded in a confrontation.
I visited PTL. It was a wonderful place. Ran by crooks. But the idea behind it was beautiful. I dont believe any of them are "closed minded". I do believe they knew exactly what they wanted and how to get it. On the face of it all, very religious people. Then the veneer started to crack... glimpes of reality started to show... this is why I often say... just because he/she says they are religious doesnt make it so. Actions speak far louder than words. Having affairs, ripping off old people, telling lie upon lie... these are not the actions of the "religious"... at least not to me.
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The "problem" as I see it is religion (mainly western religion) is in serious need of a makeover. It's left up to interpretation...which is why there are all these sorts of people out there going off into left field. The vast majority of people on this planet do not have a very broad education so they fall victim to the seduction of evangelicals. They do not have the background or tools to make any critical comparisons.
And you are quite entitled to state the problem.. as you see it. However, we are back to the questioning of intelligence here. Do I question yours when you speak of your desire not to believe? And I dont believe its a "vast majority" as you say. I, for one, stated what I believed and what I didnt believe... and quite plainly. Seems I dont fall into your category. I know many who would not fall into your categories.
The problem.. as I see it... is that we, those who feel a spiritual or religious connection, are coming on a new dawn. I dont have to go to church to "pratice my faith". I dont need a man in a robe to tell me I am absolved of my sins. I dont need a book to tell me what is right or wrong. And I sure dont need a small percentage of the population telling me I dont know what it is I do know.
I see miracles everyday. I have seen things science has yet to be able to come close to explaining. I see happiness and joy, I see sorrow and pain. I have seen things I could never explain to myself or anyone else.
I dont expect any two people to have the exact explanation for any event. One scientist says one thing, another will come along and say something different.
The difference is, I do not discount science. It has its place. I believe religion has its place too. And this is where we do not meet. Its not about science, its about the hatred of religion.
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