before i write what i'm going to, i'll let everyone know that i don't plan on taking this much farther than my initial question and if the children behave like children, i will kill my own thread. i have no qualms about that.


so i have this to ask:


with almost everything in life, the burden of proof lays on proving that something had happened or that something does in fact exist. nowhere is this more the case than with evolution, where it is constantly scrutinized and challeneged to prove itself. and so with that in mind, i ask this:

why is the burden of proof not on the theologians and other religious leaders to prove that their deity is real? why is the burden of proof always put on those in doubt to show that something might not exist? why are those who would ask for scientific evidence presented and researched by independent parties simply frowned upon and shunned?

sorry if this ruffles feathers...but it just seems counter-intuitive to me to require proof for everything but to require proof with religion is so aggressively frowned upon. i mean if someone said they could cure cancer then you asked for proof and they yelled at you for doubting them and saying they don't have to provide proof....wouldn't you think they're a liar and a jerk for being mean to you when you were skeptical?


again, i'm sorry but with the whole pope vs the angry muslims thing recently...i just kinda started thinking about this stuff. i realize religion is something very deeply imbedded in the majority of humanity...but it just seems to be absurd at this point in the history of humanity to not require more and put the burden of proof where it logically belongs.


and to the mods, you're welcome to delete this thread if it makes you squeamish...i understand. i'm not looking to start a fight...just ask questions that it seems are never answered by people. just please send me a love letter so i'll know it wasn't just bumped off the first page.


....or not....seems i can't delete threads here...sorry, used to message boards where the people can just delete their own threads or at least lock them.

__________________
okay...my post is done...goodbye.

Meh, it's alright. Stackny isn't around anymore so most debate's that were lopsided when he was here won't even be debates anymore. Just alot of us agreeing with eachother. Haha just kidding. Anyway the usual answer to your question about why they don't have the burden of proof is simple and any preacher/man of the cloth will tell you the same thing. Almost all religions are based on faith. That's the long and short of it. Faith is a big word to them and they stick by it. It's fine with me. I'm sure if all catholics up and decided to question the Pope about proof the Vatican would have a huge problem but they never will.

__________________
Magicninja
Guitar Tricks Moderator
"If it feels right, play it. If it feels wrong, play it faster” - Magicninja
www.GuitarTricks.com - Home of Online Guitar Lessons

meh is right. i dunno, i don't see faith being cracked up for what it's built up to be....it seems to be more trouble than good (note: good deeds don't need faith...killing in the name of whatever god does).


*shrugs* i know it's just me and i'm in the minority...i just wish others could see it from my point of view.

__________________
okay...my post is done...goodbye.

Well, some people are attracted to religious faith, because it gives them reasons.

Some people are repulsed by religious faith, because they find no reason in it.

It's one of those tomato/tomato situations (you know what I mean, right? It works better spoken... to-MAY-toe, to-MAH-toe), I suppose.

If you check out Bill Hicks' skit on creationism, which is up on youtube, you may end up laughing yer arse off.

__________________
more from the self-proclaimed king of long-winded posts
Fox Magic Jiron - Always with us
now with more long-wind power: http://www.livejournal.com/users/tristan_s/

Blessed are those who have not seen, but believe...
It is in human nature to believe in something. I mean, if you do not have faith, what do you have? Of course, there are those of you who would disagree, but religion is almost the foundation of our culture... I mean, the universe, the life as we know it couldn"t very well became of nothing, right?
At least I stand for that opinion... Maybe religious books, of any religion, are not totally correct. Agreed. There are things that don"t make much sense. I even posted a question closely related to the topic recently. But that does not mean I don"t believe or believe less. It was just a question. But if we doubted every word, where would that lead to? A reason why church was so strongly against Da Vinci code...
People need faith... That is my opinion. I hope i didn"t offended anyone, just posting my opinion.

Magic is on the button - it's about faith.

I guess the other main factor is that religion has been established for far longer than science has had to 'fight' it (poor choice of words, couldn't think of a better one).

The burden of proof therefore lies with science as the theological argument is the one to beat. Blind faith doesn't work for me, I need to see things or their effects before I'll believe.

As for the killing - people are intolerant but don't like to either think or admit they are. Accordingly, they'll use any excuse. Religion is a good one because of the faith angle - you can't very well dispute it if a man says God has told him to wage holy war on whoever. We can laugh at him, maybe even think he's crazy, but cannot prove God didn't speak to him.

Bundy blamed violent porn as I recall - it's all ass gravy.

Religion is the opium of the people.... as some beardy guy said (paraphrased)

__________________
"It’s taken me all my life to learn what not to play...” - Dizzy Gillespie

I recently just started reading into the bible because I needed to find out for myself what it is that I beleive..

I too was beleiving that Evolution was based on Science, well its what they taught me in school. But Evolution is just a theory. I'm not sure if it was just my school, but I was led to beleive that this was actually proven, when in fact it was not. Just Theories..

Evolution in my opinion is a religion.. Because you have to have some sort of faith that the world began that way in order to beleive it.

I recently saw some seminars by Dr. Kent Hovind.. Although this guy can be a bit hard to take, he made some very valid points and discoveries with regards to creation. It definately opened my eyes to the "possibilities". I'm still digging further into it for myself. Dr. Kent Hovind

But regardless of what you beleive.. I think faith has to be involved.

__________________
Great works are performed, not by strength, but by perseverance.