You might not believe this but I like knowing how things work and why we think about the world the way we do. For instance, my understanding of how science works is that some guy observes something in nature which he cannot readily explain. He takes the time to consider the whys and the wherefores, he might even test his thinking about it and finally he comes up with a tentative explanation about how it works. Then more people get in on the act, making observations, running their own tests, and before you know it the scientific community comes out with a hypothesis about just how this particular thing works. Over the years someone else might make so different observations and the hypothesis is adjusted ....and on it goes until virtual unanimity is reached among scientists. The next thing we know kids in school are learning about gravity and 32 feet per second per second, or
some such thing, and before we know it we have an educated population.

Observsations about religion are a little different...I'm speaking mostly about western culture. What we have is writings ostensively from as long ago as three to four thousand years ago, as well as many stories passed on from father to son until they were finally written down. Over the centuries the stories are amassed and put into some order and kept in book form. Then about 1700 years ago the leaders of one group of humans decided that the writings needed to be organized and the 'bad' ones discarded and the ';good' ones kept-----and lo and behold we discover the BIBLE..

Then a funny thing happened. For a large part of humanity the words of some ignorant peasant held more importance for many people than the words of scientists after their years of study. But what is scary is that some of these people have gotten political power and we see the writings of the wandering nomads taking precedence over the ideas of the scientists.

The beauty of science is that it is constantly---dare I say it---evolving, while the words of religion were put down all those years ago and were not to be changed.

The Bible as we read it today is replete with miracles. But have you noticed that as more and more people became educated the number of miracles has fallen off---so that most of the miracles today are wrought in the scientist's laboratory.

As a social organization I have no quarrel with the church---or even serving as psychiatric clinic. Church might be a great place to get together and visit with your friends and neighbors, but what ever gave therse people the idea that they were qualified to comment on the orkings of science?

Now in the good old days, they could summon a council of all the Bishops and decide on simple matters---simple things like the relationship of Christ to God or the son to the father, take a vote and then have the Emperor proclaim a new creed that was binding throughout the empire. ,.,.,.,and if anyone disagreed, execution was the proper fate f heretics. I suspect that the members of the board of education in Kansas had just that idea. Fortunately they did not have the emperial power. I guess we can thank God for that!

You are the biggest bigot on this forum. Congrats you hatred for Christians puts you right up there with the likes of the KKK, Hitler, Hussein, and other hate filled people. Hope you are happy.

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People should not be afraid of their governments. Governments should be afraid of their people.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vp92vkXcC0w

Looks like erasmus got stood up on another date last night. Here comes the "It's all Gods fault" rants.

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How soon do we get our rebates, free health care, lower taxes, better schools, and cheap energy?

What the members of the Kansas board of education were trying to do was get back to teaching evolution as a THEORY,(which it is) not as fact. They also wanted to introduce the Theory of religion into the mix to have something to compare the Theory of evolution to. It's called critical thinking. And critical thinking is a very important part of education. Science can also be very stubborn with their thinking...for instance science teachers and science books in Kansas still teach that there are NO poisonous snakes in Eastern Kansas, despite overwhelming evidence to the contrary. Ask any farmer and he'll be able to capture you a prairie rattler, cottonmouth water moccasin, or copperhead. My son actually was bitten my the latter.

1.) What makes you think that they were “ignorant peasants”? What proof do you have that they were any less intelligent than any scientist out there?

2.) You seem to believe that science is more perfect than God. If science is so perfect then why are there so many mistakes made in the sciences? The skyrocketing cost of medical care due to malpractice cases is an excellent example of how those who practice the science of medicine are not infallible. The fact that scientists have provided us with more than a thousand ways to get cancer is another good example of how science cannot always be trusted to provide what’s best for mankind.

3.) Just because you refuse to acknowledge God does not mean that God does not exist. As I have told you before, the beauty of God is that he never changes and so is therefore a constant foundation that man can always depend on. Science, on the other hand, cannot be depended on since it is ever changing and its reality can be altered as quickly as the next theory can be dreamt up. The fact is, there is no law found by scientists that God did not provide.

True but they could use the theory of group selection or Lamar's aquired characteristics. I mean as theories go "religion" is pretty shit, you might as well give them teach them homeopathy in Chemistry.

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Remember that you are an Englishman, and have consequently won first prize in the lottery of life.
- Cecil Rhodes

All that's necessary for the forces of evil to win in the world is for enough good men to do nothing.
-Edmund Burke

Well, I don't really think that "religion" is a shit theory, and since it is a more popular "theory" than evolution, it would make the best comparative study. The point of the Kansas board of education is that evolution was/is being presented as fact simply because the majority of scientist believe it. If that is the case, then "religion" is also a fact , because all the Christians believe it.

Why not just teach them the truth? There are some things that man, even with all his intelligence, still just cannot comprehend or explain. Even very specialized doctors who often think of themselves as little gods who have years upon years of high level education have no problem with admitting that they just don't know why someone with an incurable disease or condition suddenly and "miraculously" has it go away. If these highly trained medical professionals and scientists can do this, why can't teachers?

Assume you premise is true....

What is the solution? Make pols disavow their religion?

Wouldn't that go against the essential freedoms outlined in the Constitution?

I believe the idea here is that erasmus thinks if certain politicians can set aside their commitment to God and give them what they want then all politicians should do the same.

What people like erasmus are not able to recognize though is that anyone whose commitment to God is so weak that they are able to set it aside in order to satisfy the lustful demands of their constituents will have an equally weak commitment to their constituents. This is what has led our government to the mess it's in. Instead of politicians putting God first and the people second, they are more than willing to forsake God to serve the people. That leads to them having to choose which people they will serve first. In the end the people who write the biggest checks or promise the most votes are the ones who get the most favor or who are at least promised the most favor.

In short, that means our politicians are being bought and as the saying goes, "you get what you pay for".