I think I get it. I think I get why some religious people are such vehement evolution deniers. To accept the well founded theory of evolution you have to give up human's special place on the earth. To wit we have souls and animals don't. I got that right from my Lutheran minister's mouth when I asked if old Shep was going to heaven.
NO!
To accept evolution (which is like accepting gravity) is to then ask the question, at what point did we also evolve souls? If we are separate from the animal kingdom how do you explain all the similarities with the animals? For example our DNA is 95% similar to chimp DNA. If we always had souls does that mean that there are Australopithecans in heaven? Java man? Lemurs? Fish? Where does the evolved soul begin? Maybe there are levels of heaven for levels of evolution? If Cro-Magnon man had souls how sinful were they to be extincted!?
And another thing. .. .I am so sick of people decrying evolution because they don't like the idea of us evolving from monkeys. WE DIDN'T EVOLVE FROM MONKEYS! We evolved from earlier versions of US and so did monkeys evolve from earlier forms of monkeys. Us and monkeys have a similar common ancestor way back in the evolutionary tree but we did not come from monkeys so stop saying that!
This speaks to the larger idea of throwing out ideas and theories because you don't like them or they go against what you already thought. To find truth you have to first have a truly open mind. That can be hard to do but to just dig in and deny, deny, deny is, well, boring and leads you nowhere. It is also the kind of thinking that leads a civilization nowhere.
Tuesday, April 06, 2010
Tuesday, March 30, 2010
Hutaree
News recently of the arrest of several members of a 'christian militia' called the Hutaree. What the hell? I went to their website and sure enough there's a bible quote at the top right above a picture of a bunch of dumb asses in military garb. So if you're inclined to believe fundamentalist crazy talk you might be susceptible to falling into an organization like this. If you're a person who doesn't care for facts. If you're a person who likes tough talk. If you're a person who is under-educated.
I'm thinking, what would it take to get me to join some para-military group and go after policemen as these guys were planning to do. . . . (thinking) . . . There's no WAY! Without some nut spouting crazy as stuff from the bible to the susceptible there's no way to get people to join up for this sort of thing. You simply couldn't put a group of skeptics together in any kind of group this way. Skeptics ask too many annoying questions!
Would the world be a saner, safer and more peaceful place without religion? HELL YEAH!
I'm thinking, what would it take to get me to join some para-military group and go after policemen as these guys were planning to do. . . . (thinking) . . . There's no WAY! Without some nut spouting crazy as stuff from the bible to the susceptible there's no way to get people to join up for this sort of thing. You simply couldn't put a group of skeptics together in any kind of group this way. Skeptics ask too many annoying questions!
Would the world be a saner, safer and more peaceful place without religion? HELL YEAH!
Sunday, March 21, 2010
Uneducated
One of the qualities of the uneducated is holding on to beliefs that have no basis in fact. Or, holding on to a belief even after it has been shown to be untrue. I run into this commonly when trying to teach Newton's laws of motion. Nature tends to give us false clues as to what is fundamentally going on.
For example, it seems pretty obvious that it takes a force to keep something moving. If you stop peddling your bike the bike stops moving. If you take your foot of the gas the car stops. And yet, when I take away all frictional forces (on an air table for example) and ask, "What force keeps the puck moving?", consternation ensues. Words and hypothesis are bandied about until it finally dawns (as it did for Galileo and Newton) that once put in motion things keep going UNLESS a force stops them. It's our experience to almost always have some friction around that causes us to 'believe' in a different law.
To believe that all things naturally come to rest is to be slightly uneducated in physics. No big harm there but still it is what it is. To hang on to such a law in the face of examples to the contrary is to be ridiculously stubborn.
People used to think that when it lightninged and thundered that the gods were mad at them - that they were being punished for being sinful. As the work of reasonable investigators (Franklin, et. al.) proceeded, people slowly learned that lightning was a natural phenomena and disconnected from any godly intent. Well, most did.
To ignore the bushels of data and experiments that put lightning in the larger context of electrical phenomena and hang on to a godly explanation would be silly and one would just be showing their ignorance or their stubbornness.
So, how is it different when one chooses to ignore the bushels of data and experiments that confirm the general paradigm of evolution? How is this not considered just being silly and uneducated? Well it is considered just that by about anyone who has read a book about such things WITH AN OPEN MIND. If you have a personal ax to grind from the get go, well then no, you cannot be educated to see a bigger idea. You will remain uneducated.
And forced to live in Texas.
Now the closed minded theist will say that my belief in the experiment is just another religion. I choose to believe in science and he chooses to believe in a higher power. We all believe in something, right? There is a fatal flaw in that kind of thinking. The theist has no way to prove any of his assertions. His are truly pure belief or if you prefer, faith. I can have an idea and test it and people completely disconnected from me could run the same test. A theist could do it with the same results. A computer could analyze the data. When the results keep coming up the same no matter who runs the test then I think we've got something that is real and independent of whether I believe in it or not.
Mixing the two has always produced failure for the theist. Controlled test of prayer. Miracles at Lourdes. Mind readers. I could go on. More importantly, it seems for most theists conducting a rational experiment with, let's say prayer, sort of 'ruins' it. They might have a feeling in the back of their minds that 'this ain't going to work'. They know that prayer is not 'of the laboratory' and yet they desperately want it to somehow work too! This is the slippery slope that all believers in magical things have to walk. On one hand you want your beliefs to be of a higher plane than this old regular, boring world. On the other hand you want your magic to actually intersect this world when it suits you. That seems unthinking to me at the best and disingenuous at the worst.
If you pray because it gets you through the night or helps you get through tough times, well ok. But please try to not take that next step where you start thinking that what works for you should work for everyone or that it should be taught in school!
For example, it seems pretty obvious that it takes a force to keep something moving. If you stop peddling your bike the bike stops moving. If you take your foot of the gas the car stops. And yet, when I take away all frictional forces (on an air table for example) and ask, "What force keeps the puck moving?", consternation ensues. Words and hypothesis are bandied about until it finally dawns (as it did for Galileo and Newton) that once put in motion things keep going UNLESS a force stops them. It's our experience to almost always have some friction around that causes us to 'believe' in a different law.
To believe that all things naturally come to rest is to be slightly uneducated in physics. No big harm there but still it is what it is. To hang on to such a law in the face of examples to the contrary is to be ridiculously stubborn.
People used to think that when it lightninged and thundered that the gods were mad at them - that they were being punished for being sinful. As the work of reasonable investigators (Franklin, et. al.) proceeded, people slowly learned that lightning was a natural phenomena and disconnected from any godly intent. Well, most did.
To ignore the bushels of data and experiments that put lightning in the larger context of electrical phenomena and hang on to a godly explanation would be silly and one would just be showing their ignorance or their stubbornness.
So, how is it different when one chooses to ignore the bushels of data and experiments that confirm the general paradigm of evolution? How is this not considered just being silly and uneducated? Well it is considered just that by about anyone who has read a book about such things WITH AN OPEN MIND. If you have a personal ax to grind from the get go, well then no, you cannot be educated to see a bigger idea. You will remain uneducated.
And forced to live in Texas.
Now the closed minded theist will say that my belief in the experiment is just another religion. I choose to believe in science and he chooses to believe in a higher power. We all believe in something, right? There is a fatal flaw in that kind of thinking. The theist has no way to prove any of his assertions. His are truly pure belief or if you prefer, faith. I can have an idea and test it and people completely disconnected from me could run the same test. A theist could do it with the same results. A computer could analyze the data. When the results keep coming up the same no matter who runs the test then I think we've got something that is real and independent of whether I believe in it or not.
Mixing the two has always produced failure for the theist. Controlled test of prayer. Miracles at Lourdes. Mind readers. I could go on. More importantly, it seems for most theists conducting a rational experiment with, let's say prayer, sort of 'ruins' it. They might have a feeling in the back of their minds that 'this ain't going to work'. They know that prayer is not 'of the laboratory' and yet they desperately want it to somehow work too! This is the slippery slope that all believers in magical things have to walk. On one hand you want your beliefs to be of a higher plane than this old regular, boring world. On the other hand you want your magic to actually intersect this world when it suits you. That seems unthinking to me at the best and disingenuous at the worst.
If you pray because it gets you through the night or helps you get through tough times, well ok. But please try to not take that next step where you start thinking that what works for you should work for everyone or that it should be taught in school!
Saturday, March 20, 2010
Death Sentence for Sorcery
Guess the country. . . CORRECT! Saudi Arabia. Our oil friends. Apparently some schmo used to have a TV show where he would predict the future for people. He got arrested by the 'religious police' for this act.
To get released the guy pictured above is going to have to cut him a break. That's King Abdullah. Does he look like he goes around passing out breaks?
From CNN: Ali Hussain Sibat, former host of a popular call-in show that aired on Sheherazade, a Beirut based satellite TV channel.
According to his lawyer, Sibat, who is 48 and has five children, would predict the future on his show and give out advice to his audience.
He gets death for this? Wow. As an appeal why not have him do a controlled test and see if he really can predict the future. If he can't (and I'm guessing he can't do any better than random chance) then his verdict should be reversed. You're not practicing sorcery if it doesn't work are you? Funny, you CAN be a practicing Christian even though praying as been proven to not work.
Well, I don't suppose anyone in the 'religious police' could ever stoop to testing things in a reasonable way. They'd be out of work!
Wednesday, March 17, 2010
The Devil Makes us Do It
From CNN, Father Gabriele (Gabe) Amworth is the top exorcist in the holy roman church. Follow the link to the whole (short) article. Some excerpts follow with my sarcastic (but witty) comments.
"It's not my opinion: I'm saying that if you believe in the Gospels, you believe in the existence of the devil, in the devil's power to possess people," he said in an interview with CNN.
Hey, hold on, believing in the Gospels is in itself an opinion so belief in the devil is too. Nice try!
Amorth, the founder of the International Association of Exorcists, has performed more than 70,000 exorcisms in his career, he estimates.
Ok, first off I want to attend one of their conventions. What kind of wacky things do they do at the hotel after the meetings? They already have the crazy hats to wear. What booths are set up to sell things - Holy water squirt guns? Vomit proof vestments?
Now to the numbers. . .70,000? Really? This guy is 85. Let's say he's been doing this for 50 years. That's 1400 a year or 3.8/day EVERY DAY. Wow the devil is really keeping this guy busy! Hardly leaves time to buy candy for the choir boys.
"I have carried out exorcisms on some priests who had been molested by the devil," he said, without going into details.
Now there's a nice twist. The devil molesting priests. He didn't go into details but perhaps he shared the photos.
Well, there you have it. To the faithful, this guy is employed by the church and that means when you drop money in the plate some of that goes to him. Praise the Lord!
Monday, March 08, 2010
Thursday, February 04, 2010
World Without God
I'd like to ask a reasonable theist this: You are darn sure that there is a God. A supreme being. You have faith that there is someone at the helm shall we say. OK, just for a moment try to imagine a world, a universe, that is devoid of such a creature and ask you what this world would then look like? How it would be different from this God filled world?
Now we're going to have to get around the problem of believing in a God that created the whole world. If you're going to hang on to that then there is no gedanken experiment because then you'll get to argue that to imagine no God is to imagine that the whole universe doesn't exist and then we're done.
So, is there a theist out there who believes in a God of people but understands that this may not be the God of creation and that God and the universe evolved somehow 'naturally'. If so, then I need this theist to just keep the universe evolving naturally but drop the idea about there also being a God of man. OK, let's say Bob is this theist I am imagining.
Bob, if that is your real name, since you believe in a universe with a God, can you imagine what this world would look like without him? Could it perhaps be a world where sometimes bad things happen to good people? Could it be that naturally occurring spectaculars like tornadoes or Oprah sometimes take the righteous as well as the sinful? Would it be a world were people die never to be heard from again? Where the sick are not healed miraculously. A world where greed coaxes people to do awful things and where decent people lend a helping hand without being asked? A world where most parents are good at it and some suck?
I obviously contend that this is already that world so why not just drop the whole God thing and let's get on to problem solving! Bob, where do you see God in this world? What God-thing is there that can't be explained by naturally occurring phenomena? Now, Bob, if you say, 'it's a faith thing', I just get to say, 'what do you get for that'? What actual phenomenon can you point to that is the product of your faith?
Now, if Bob gets peace of mind, a calming effect, a shot of energy or confidence via his faith and praying well I'm ok with that. We don't live all that long and if something gives us peace that's fine. But Bob really shouldn't step over the line and pretend that that good feeling is a 'real thing' and they everyone should be doing it. Bob shouldn't be voting based on his faith. Bob shouldn't raise his kids to somehow adopt what works for him necessarily and certainly he shouldn't present his faith/praying as a real thing to impressionable children. Bob nasn't think that he can be a shit in this life then ask for forgivness and get a reward in eternity. Bob shouldn't be tipped toe around nor should we mistakenly think that he is automatically a good guy for finding a way to calm himself. Faith like meditaion, sensory deprivation, and back rubs should stay in the area of personal, special time and not be moved into the general arena of public opinion, thought, or politics.
C'mon Bob, let me buy you a beer!
Now we're going to have to get around the problem of believing in a God that created the whole world. If you're going to hang on to that then there is no gedanken experiment because then you'll get to argue that to imagine no God is to imagine that the whole universe doesn't exist and then we're done.
So, is there a theist out there who believes in a God of people but understands that this may not be the God of creation and that God and the universe evolved somehow 'naturally'. If so, then I need this theist to just keep the universe evolving naturally but drop the idea about there also being a God of man. OK, let's say Bob is this theist I am imagining.
Bob, if that is your real name, since you believe in a universe with a God, can you imagine what this world would look like without him? Could it perhaps be a world where sometimes bad things happen to good people? Could it be that naturally occurring spectaculars like tornadoes or Oprah sometimes take the righteous as well as the sinful? Would it be a world were people die never to be heard from again? Where the sick are not healed miraculously. A world where greed coaxes people to do awful things and where decent people lend a helping hand without being asked? A world where most parents are good at it and some suck?
I obviously contend that this is already that world so why not just drop the whole God thing and let's get on to problem solving! Bob, where do you see God in this world? What God-thing is there that can't be explained by naturally occurring phenomena? Now, Bob, if you say, 'it's a faith thing', I just get to say, 'what do you get for that'? What actual phenomenon can you point to that is the product of your faith?
Now, if Bob gets peace of mind, a calming effect, a shot of energy or confidence via his faith and praying well I'm ok with that. We don't live all that long and if something gives us peace that's fine. But Bob really shouldn't step over the line and pretend that that good feeling is a 'real thing' and they everyone should be doing it. Bob shouldn't be voting based on his faith. Bob shouldn't raise his kids to somehow adopt what works for him necessarily and certainly he shouldn't present his faith/praying as a real thing to impressionable children. Bob nasn't think that he can be a shit in this life then ask for forgivness and get a reward in eternity. Bob shouldn't be tipped toe around nor should we mistakenly think that he is automatically a good guy for finding a way to calm himself. Faith like meditaion, sensory deprivation, and back rubs should stay in the area of personal, special time and not be moved into the general arena of public opinion, thought, or politics.
C'mon Bob, let me buy you a beer!
Saturday, January 23, 2010
Saudi Arabia Haiti Aid
As I suspected, Saudi Arabia, one of the richest countries in the world has sent NO aid to Haiti. Here's an article showing who has and who hasn't. OK, so there's no law that says you have to but I'm suspicious that the response might have been different if the earthquake had affected some Muslim country.
From the LA Times. . .
Saudi King Abdullah, meanwhile, has sent a message of condolence to Haitian President René Préval.
In an unrelated story we find that a 13 year old girl in Saudi Arabia has been sentenced to 90 lashes for a confrontation (admittedly physical) with her head mistress.
Hey! Saudi Arabia - nice little country you got going there. I was most surprised to read that you were even allowing girls to GO to school. When did that happen?
I guess what really bothers me is how America has to suck up to shit can countries like this and China. Nobody treats their people worse than China (except maybe Mississippi) but we HAVE to play nice because China now builds EVERYTHING that we used to build. Saudi Arabia? We have to suck up to them and not say anything upsetting about their creepy government because we need their oil.
When you 'outsource' so much of our own workforce you weaken the whole country.
Friday, January 22, 2010
Legion - Movie Review
YES I AM GOING TO SPOIL THE ENDING AS A SERVICE FOR ANYONE THINKING ABOUT PUTTING DOWN HARD EARNED CASH ON THIS DOG! READ ON. . .
I never walk out of movies. I would have walked out on this one but there were some large people between me and the aisle. Legion is easily one of the worst movies I've ever seen. Which is something!
The movie opens with an angel literally falling to earth (from heaven?). Although he seems to be a total bad ass we can tell right away that he's the good kind of bad ass. Apparently he has no super-powers as he begins his earthly visit by stealing about 100 rifles, bazookas, machine guns, and assorted hand guns. This is one pissed off angel!
Switch to a road house in the middle of freaking nowhere. I mean nowhere! This is a common Hollywood venue not unlike Petrified Forest or a loopy movie I really liked - Tremors! The lonely outpost where the good guys are going to have to make a stand against impossible odds. Camera shots show nothing in any direction for miles and miles. Makes you wonder how they get their electricity, phone, and gas. Well it does me. Of course they could run all of that on a generator and propane bottles but then the electricity 'goes out' at some point in the film and I guess that's due to the power company. Weird. Populating this diner is the owner (Dennis Quaid), his son, Jeep, (yeah, Jeep) who's main acting skill is to stare at people with his mouth hanging open, the 8 month pregnant waitress with a good heart who Jeep is in love with but who is not the father of the child but, still, he'd like to help.
Right.
And there's the good hearted cook with one hand. Why? Don't know.
Also, stuck in the diner is a mom, dad, and their angst filled daughter. Their car is broken and (ironically) Jeep is supposed to be fixing it but he seems a little preoccupied with having vapid conversations with the waitress and having his mouth hang open.
Finally there is another black guy who is lost and just wants to use the phone.
Enter a nice little old lady who suddenly snaps, says nasty things to the waitress that makes her cry, insults the family, and then bites the dad in the neck when he protests. A pretty good scene here as the other people run, shoot and battle the crazed old lady who can also crawl across the ceiling which is nice. She is finally dispatched by the young black guy (he's got two hands and, like all young black guys in the movies, a hand gun).
What the hell is going on? HA! This is soon answered by the arrival of the bad ass angle (Arch Angle Michael as it turn out). He unloads all his guns and convices the people that they are going to have to make a stand because, get ready, the waitress's baby is going to save the world so they will have to fight to the death to protect it.
"OK! I"ll take the roof! You board up the windows. . . " and so on. Wow, these people did NOT need a lot of convincing! 'Course I think they were still pretty unerved by the granny crawling across the ceiling.
Much gun fighting ensues as legions (get it) of zombie-like humans descend upon the diner. Luckily, as with most zombie movies, the zombies are really mean and ugly but they get around ok and can drive cars but they just can't seem to learn the trick about HAVING THEIR OWN FUCKING WEAPONS!
Well, shockingly the good people get picked off one at a time one way or another and these scenes are separated by really long and boring 'meaningful' dialog between father and Jeep, Jeep and waitress, waitress and Michael, mom and daughter, cook and black guy. Most of these actors were able make a tear come out during their little talks. Nice.
OK, well, I'm not too up on my bible but in this movie it seems that the main battle that the lowly humans find themselves caught up in to is between the angels Gabriel and Michael. Gabriel seems to be supporting God's decision to wipe out humanity because he's just sick of them. I mean let's face it, we can be tedius. Michael still has faith (more than God apparently) and is brave enough to oppose God and Gabiel and somehow knows that the baby is the key. Wow, what a magical, mythical battle this is sure to be. Of course the magical mythical creatures do kung fu type fighting. Michael uses all sorts of guns while Gabriel has this awesome bludgeon that spins like a giant dentist's tool. Wow!
Well, Gabriel kills Michael and that's sad while Jeep and the waitress and the baby (oh yeah she went into labor and spit out the baby in about 45 seconds!) escape in a car (its not a Jeep). Skip to the end where Gabriel is about to finish off baby and waitress and WHAT? You don't say! Michael is not really dead. He's back and with WINGS. He must have just gone to heaven, strapped on some wings and returned to earth to finish off Gabriel. But no, he shows mercy and both him and Gabriel fly up to heaven while the son, waitress, and baby are told to just "have faith".
Movie ends with the new little make-shift family driving down a long highway in a station wagon jammed full of guns.
Amen!
I never walk out of movies. I would have walked out on this one but there were some large people between me and the aisle. Legion is easily one of the worst movies I've ever seen. Which is something!
The movie opens with an angel literally falling to earth (from heaven?). Although he seems to be a total bad ass we can tell right away that he's the good kind of bad ass. Apparently he has no super-powers as he begins his earthly visit by stealing about 100 rifles, bazookas, machine guns, and assorted hand guns. This is one pissed off angel!
Switch to a road house in the middle of freaking nowhere. I mean nowhere! This is a common Hollywood venue not unlike Petrified Forest or a loopy movie I really liked - Tremors! The lonely outpost where the good guys are going to have to make a stand against impossible odds. Camera shots show nothing in any direction for miles and miles. Makes you wonder how they get their electricity, phone, and gas. Well it does me. Of course they could run all of that on a generator and propane bottles but then the electricity 'goes out' at some point in the film and I guess that's due to the power company. Weird. Populating this diner is the owner (Dennis Quaid), his son, Jeep, (yeah, Jeep) who's main acting skill is to stare at people with his mouth hanging open, the 8 month pregnant waitress with a good heart who Jeep is in love with but who is not the father of the child but, still, he'd like to help.
Right.
And there's the good hearted cook with one hand. Why? Don't know.
Also, stuck in the diner is a mom, dad, and their angst filled daughter. Their car is broken and (ironically) Jeep is supposed to be fixing it but he seems a little preoccupied with having vapid conversations with the waitress and having his mouth hang open.
Finally there is another black guy who is lost and just wants to use the phone.
Enter a nice little old lady who suddenly snaps, says nasty things to the waitress that makes her cry, insults the family, and then bites the dad in the neck when he protests. A pretty good scene here as the other people run, shoot and battle the crazed old lady who can also crawl across the ceiling which is nice. She is finally dispatched by the young black guy (he's got two hands and, like all young black guys in the movies, a hand gun).
What the hell is going on? HA! This is soon answered by the arrival of the bad ass angle (Arch Angle Michael as it turn out). He unloads all his guns and convices the people that they are going to have to make a stand because, get ready, the waitress's baby is going to save the world so they will have to fight to the death to protect it.
"OK! I"ll take the roof! You board up the windows. . . " and so on. Wow, these people did NOT need a lot of convincing! 'Course I think they were still pretty unerved by the granny crawling across the ceiling.
Much gun fighting ensues as legions (get it) of zombie-like humans descend upon the diner. Luckily, as with most zombie movies, the zombies are really mean and ugly but they get around ok and can drive cars but they just can't seem to learn the trick about HAVING THEIR OWN FUCKING WEAPONS!
Well, shockingly the good people get picked off one at a time one way or another and these scenes are separated by really long and boring 'meaningful' dialog between father and Jeep, Jeep and waitress, waitress and Michael, mom and daughter, cook and black guy. Most of these actors were able make a tear come out during their little talks. Nice.
OK, well, I'm not too up on my bible but in this movie it seems that the main battle that the lowly humans find themselves caught up in to is between the angels Gabriel and Michael. Gabriel seems to be supporting God's decision to wipe out humanity because he's just sick of them. I mean let's face it, we can be tedius. Michael still has faith (more than God apparently) and is brave enough to oppose God and Gabiel and somehow knows that the baby is the key. Wow, what a magical, mythical battle this is sure to be. Of course the magical mythical creatures do kung fu type fighting. Michael uses all sorts of guns while Gabriel has this awesome bludgeon that spins like a giant dentist's tool. Wow!
Well, Gabriel kills Michael and that's sad while Jeep and the waitress and the baby (oh yeah she went into labor and spit out the baby in about 45 seconds!) escape in a car (its not a Jeep). Skip to the end where Gabriel is about to finish off baby and waitress and WHAT? You don't say! Michael is not really dead. He's back and with WINGS. He must have just gone to heaven, strapped on some wings and returned to earth to finish off Gabriel. But no, he shows mercy and both him and Gabriel fly up to heaven while the son, waitress, and baby are told to just "have faith".
Movie ends with the new little make-shift family driving down a long highway in a station wagon jammed full of guns.
Amen!
Tuesday, January 19, 2010
Asking the Big Question
I'm going to use Haiti since it is current but you can think of any number of similar examples.
A woman gets saved (by other humans) after days of being trapped in a collapsed building. This woman then reports that she just prayed and prayed and thanks God that she was saved. If someone would point out to her that others who were praying just as hard (and maybe harder) perished and ask her how does she explain her own miracle I'm guessing she would say that she doesn't know about that (or care) but just 'knows' that HER prayers were answered.
A couple of things here. On one hand this sort of non-logic is just an example of our ego-centricity. "I prayed so I was saved and don't confuse me with any questions." We see the world in terms of me, me, me. This kind of thinking is along the lines of, "I jump up and down three times and it rained so jumping works".
I wish I could ask the following question of this person (but it would be rude): Tell me what you think the chaos of Haiti would look like or how it would look different if there was NO God instead of the one that saved you and ignored other's prayers? In a random world where events unfurl in a natural way can you imgine some people being found and others perishing? If so, how can you attibute your salvation to a god rather than luck?
Of course this all comes back to the neat loop that you CANNOT understand why some were saved and others not and this just PROVES the magic and incomprehesibility of God.
See?
A woman gets saved (by other humans) after days of being trapped in a collapsed building. This woman then reports that she just prayed and prayed and thanks God that she was saved. If someone would point out to her that others who were praying just as hard (and maybe harder) perished and ask her how does she explain her own miracle I'm guessing she would say that she doesn't know about that (or care) but just 'knows' that HER prayers were answered.
A couple of things here. On one hand this sort of non-logic is just an example of our ego-centricity. "I prayed so I was saved and don't confuse me with any questions." We see the world in terms of me, me, me. This kind of thinking is along the lines of, "I jump up and down three times and it rained so jumping works".
I wish I could ask the following question of this person (but it would be rude): Tell me what you think the chaos of Haiti would look like or how it would look different if there was NO God instead of the one that saved you and ignored other's prayers? In a random world where events unfurl in a natural way can you imgine some people being found and others perishing? If so, how can you attibute your salvation to a god rather than luck?
Of course this all comes back to the neat loop that you CANNOT understand why some were saved and others not and this just PROVES the magic and incomprehesibility of God.
See?
Monday, January 18, 2010
Haiti and Education
I offer this comic from Saturday Morning Breakfast Cereal.
What does this have to do with Haiti? Some facts. . . First of all, a deal with the devil centuries ago did not cause the earth quake. Earth quakes are caused by very understandable actions between the tectonic plates that make up the earth. That's just that TV guy being funny, right? How many Haitians were taught about plate techtonics - standard fare in junior high science in the US and elsewhere?
More importantly, Haiti was a miserable place before the earth quake. Why? The history is interesting and what is shows is that Haiti has suffered through a number of 'governments' that were primarily interested in lining their own pockets rather than do anything for the people such as, libraries, streets and sanitation, and education. Education is the key.
Ignorant people can be controlled with violence and religion. Organized religion is a great way to keep the general population ignorant. If people are allowed and even encouraged to attend church and learn their catechisms ONLY then they won't know what they're missing in the form of real education, critical thinking, skepticism, and scientific inquiry. A totalitarian government goes hand in hand with keeping the people ignorant and religion can only help that government.
Would an educated and reasonable people build such fragile buildings? If the country had universities, scientists, and engineers and a government that supported free thought for the betterment of the people they would also have had some building codes. Would they also then have some structure to their civilization that included heavy equipment, fire departments, police, hospitals, and so forth. We've seen now that other countries have had to bring all of that to Haiti not just support what was already there.
Like most Americans (Rush Limbaugh being the exception) I feel real sorry for the Haitians. I feel sorry on a couple of levels. The obvious is just the huge hunk of suffering that is going on right now. Of course. On another level I'm saddened by the Haitians either thinking that God is punishing them or somehow saving them while killing their friends and neighbors. I was saddened by the woman on CNN who said that while she was entombed for 50 some hours she just prayed and prayed. I wondered how much more quickly she might have been found if she had hollered for help once in a while. I'm always amazed by the human ability to see their prayers as being answered while others are apparently not and them not wondering why that is or making the big leap that maybe prayers had nothing to do with any of it. You can't have that thought without being educated as to the reasonableness of the natural world. Effects have causes that are understandable but it takes an education to know that and it takes religion to NOT know that.
Money is going to be flowing into Haiti now for years to come. If they want to truly pick themselves up and join the 21st century they will funnel as much of that money as possible into real public education and not leave that to the Catholic church but if they have to, leave it to the Jesuits!
This just in from CNN. . .
I'm a little bothered by the portrayal of the spontaneous religious ceremonies and singing on CNN as if it were something cute or miraculous. Maybe in the case of Haiti it is a sad thing since they have nothing to balance their outright submission to religion and these demonstrations are really just another example of their abject ignorance and lack of education.
What does this have to do with Haiti? Some facts. . . First of all, a deal with the devil centuries ago did not cause the earth quake. Earth quakes are caused by very understandable actions between the tectonic plates that make up the earth. That's just that TV guy being funny, right? How many Haitians were taught about plate techtonics - standard fare in junior high science in the US and elsewhere?
More importantly, Haiti was a miserable place before the earth quake. Why? The history is interesting and what is shows is that Haiti has suffered through a number of 'governments' that were primarily interested in lining their own pockets rather than do anything for the people such as, libraries, streets and sanitation, and education. Education is the key.
Ignorant people can be controlled with violence and religion. Organized religion is a great way to keep the general population ignorant. If people are allowed and even encouraged to attend church and learn their catechisms ONLY then they won't know what they're missing in the form of real education, critical thinking, skepticism, and scientific inquiry. A totalitarian government goes hand in hand with keeping the people ignorant and religion can only help that government.
Would an educated and reasonable people build such fragile buildings? If the country had universities, scientists, and engineers and a government that supported free thought for the betterment of the people they would also have had some building codes. Would they also then have some structure to their civilization that included heavy equipment, fire departments, police, hospitals, and so forth. We've seen now that other countries have had to bring all of that to Haiti not just support what was already there.
Like most Americans (Rush Limbaugh being the exception) I feel real sorry for the Haitians. I feel sorry on a couple of levels. The obvious is just the huge hunk of suffering that is going on right now. Of course. On another level I'm saddened by the Haitians either thinking that God is punishing them or somehow saving them while killing their friends and neighbors. I was saddened by the woman on CNN who said that while she was entombed for 50 some hours she just prayed and prayed. I wondered how much more quickly she might have been found if she had hollered for help once in a while. I'm always amazed by the human ability to see their prayers as being answered while others are apparently not and them not wondering why that is or making the big leap that maybe prayers had nothing to do with any of it. You can't have that thought without being educated as to the reasonableness of the natural world. Effects have causes that are understandable but it takes an education to know that and it takes religion to NOT know that.
Money is going to be flowing into Haiti now for years to come. If they want to truly pick themselves up and join the 21st century they will funnel as much of that money as possible into real public education and not leave that to the Catholic church but if they have to, leave it to the Jesuits!
This just in from CNN. . .
Many observers have a simple explanation for what makes Haitians so devout.
"Because in all poor countries, you have to believe in something," said Agnes Pierre-Louis, the Haitian-born manager of her family-owned hotel. "If they don't have that, they don't have anything."
Added Diederich: "They leave everything in the hands of God. When you have so little, what else can you turn to?"
I think this makes my point very well. "You HAVE to believe in something" - sure when you are completely uneducated. It is completely understandable that people with nothing including no access to variety of thought, science, nor critical thinking will inevitably turn to religion as the answer to everything. Is this a good thing though? Is it taking them anywhere? Will it make Haiti a better place in the future?I'm a little bothered by the portrayal of the spontaneous religious ceremonies and singing on CNN as if it were something cute or miraculous. Maybe in the case of Haiti it is a sad thing since they have nothing to balance their outright submission to religion and these demonstrations are really just another example of their abject ignorance and lack of education.
Friday, January 15, 2010
Haiti, God and CNN
I never watch CNN or any other TV news but the reports and images from Haiti via CNN have been riveting. As an uncommon viewer of CNN I have some observations.
- CNN is about 1/3 reporting, 1/3 advertising, and 1/3 telling us how great they are with their "people on the ground". By this they mean people in Haiti who are not filled with helium apparently.
- A woman was rescued after being entombed for 50 some hours. At first she could hear people below her but then all went quiet and not for a good reason. After rescue she said she just kept praying and never stopped. I can't get on people for this kind of thing with my usual snarkiness. In a scary situation (living in Haiti WITHOUT an earth quake for example) whatever gets you through the night. And, if prayer and faith helps the survivors get through the next several YEARS as they rebuild so be it.
Two very cool technology things:
1. The guy who shows the before and after pictures using google earth on a huge touch screen. He's like a maestro!
2. You can give money by texting to various numbers. You text in a number and boom, $10 goes to help. This is a great! Millions of people lobbing in a lousy 10 bucks turns into, well, TENS of millions of dollars. How great is that. Praise be to Google/Gates/Intel/AT&T/etc.
Speakng of numbers. . .
China has donated 1 million dollars. There are more than 1 billion people in China but let's say it's a billion to make it easy. That meas that China donated 1/1000 of a dollar for each citizen. I think maybe America should do the same. there are about 250 million Americans at 1/1000 of a dollar per person... OK, America donates $250,000. Seems fair but, wait no, America has put up 100 million with no doubt more to come. hey China. . .BITE ME!
Who the hell are the crazy orange suited guys from, of all places, Iceland! They were there instantly and have rescued people out of the rubble. They're like super heroes. Iceland? Maybe they are just happy to be in a warm place!
I'm standing by waiting for similar rescue squads from Saudia Arabia, Iran, North Korea, etc. (See China for my opinion of these countries).
Next time you feel like complaining about building codes. Don't.
- CNN is about 1/3 reporting, 1/3 advertising, and 1/3 telling us how great they are with their "people on the ground". By this they mean people in Haiti who are not filled with helium apparently.
- A woman was rescued after being entombed for 50 some hours. At first she could hear people below her but then all went quiet and not for a good reason. After rescue she said she just kept praying and never stopped. I can't get on people for this kind of thing with my usual snarkiness. In a scary situation (living in Haiti WITHOUT an earth quake for example) whatever gets you through the night. And, if prayer and faith helps the survivors get through the next several YEARS as they rebuild so be it.
Two very cool technology things:
1. The guy who shows the before and after pictures using google earth on a huge touch screen. He's like a maestro!
2. You can give money by texting to various numbers. You text in a number and boom, $10 goes to help. This is a great! Millions of people lobbing in a lousy 10 bucks turns into, well, TENS of millions of dollars. How great is that. Praise be to Google/Gates/Intel/AT&T/etc.
Speakng of numbers. . .
China has donated 1 million dollars. There are more than 1 billion people in China but let's say it's a billion to make it easy. That meas that China donated 1/1000 of a dollar for each citizen. I think maybe America should do the same. there are about 250 million Americans at 1/1000 of a dollar per person... OK, America donates $250,000. Seems fair but, wait no, America has put up 100 million with no doubt more to come. hey China. . .BITE ME!
Who the hell are the crazy orange suited guys from, of all places, Iceland! They were there instantly and have rescued people out of the rubble. They're like super heroes. Iceland? Maybe they are just happy to be in a warm place!
I'm standing by waiting for similar rescue squads from Saudia Arabia, Iran, North Korea, etc. (See China for my opinion of these countries).
Next time you feel like complaining about building codes. Don't.
Monday, January 11, 2010
Government Models
It occurred to me that with all the chest thumping and street screaming about how Allah is good and great and all that, and therefore so is Islam and we need death to the infidels (America) and so on and so forth. . .well, I thought, "What is the model you are striving to achieve"? Show me the Islamic country that is leading the world in . . . anything. If you're living in Bumblfuckistan and you have a particle of brain and two shekels to rub together do you want to send your kid (that would be your SON by the way) to the local university (terrorist camp) or get him a student visa and send him to a university in the infidel state known as the USA? Well, look at the state of foreign students getting advanced degrees in the US.
Interestingly and maybe not all that suprising most are from China (there are more than a billion Chinese) and as I look at the pie chart I cannot find any of the most popular (infamous) Muslim countries although I'm not sure what 'East Asia' means. What the hell? Does this mean no one is getting educated at all in the Muslim countries? Really?
Now I'm actually for free dissemination of knowledge and it probably is the best thing for all of us if foreign students do get their education here. That only makes for better relations and more understanding even if it does screw the curve in math class. But the fact that you simply cannot become an engineer, doctor, or physicist of any regard and go to school in your own shit hole, Muslim indoctrinated country should say something about your said shit hole!
So, here's a link to mainly Islamic countries and you tell me, where do you want to move to?
Ironically, it is right in the heart of Islam where I was taught was the "Cradle of Civilization". Right there at the junction of the Tigris and Euphrates rivers. Islam invented the number 0 and alphabetized the letters. This is big stuff! Now? Well, it's been a rare thing when anyone from any Muslim country has won a Nobel in a science. The only one I can find is Ahmed Zewail an Egyptian, in Chemistry in 1999. Oh but wait, here's his education. . .
Speaking of how great Islam has become as a model for civilization we now have the firebombing of churches (wait, are they empty?) in Malaysia because the Christian churches (their invisible guy is named Jesus) is using the word Allah (one of the names of the invisible guy's dad) and THAT WORD is reserved for Muslims only. Jeezus, who didn't know THAT? So anyone who thinks that religion doesn't make this a better world, just look to Malaysia and maybe not vacation there anytime soon. Like we know where that is anyway.
Now then, which end of the egg do you open?
Interestingly and maybe not all that suprising most are from China (there are more than a billion Chinese) and as I look at the pie chart I cannot find any of the most popular (infamous) Muslim countries although I'm not sure what 'East Asia' means. What the hell? Does this mean no one is getting educated at all in the Muslim countries? Really?
Now I'm actually for free dissemination of knowledge and it probably is the best thing for all of us if foreign students do get their education here. That only makes for better relations and more understanding even if it does screw the curve in math class. But the fact that you simply cannot become an engineer, doctor, or physicist of any regard and go to school in your own shit hole, Muslim indoctrinated country should say something about your said shit hole!
So, here's a link to mainly Islamic countries and you tell me, where do you want to move to?
Ironically, it is right in the heart of Islam where I was taught was the "Cradle of Civilization". Right there at the junction of the Tigris and Euphrates rivers. Islam invented the number 0 and alphabetized the letters. This is big stuff! Now? Well, it's been a rare thing when anyone from any Muslim country has won a Nobel in a science. The only one I can find is Ahmed Zewail an Egyptian, in Chemistry in 1999. Oh but wait, here's his education. . .
- Ahmad Zewail was born on February 26, 1946 in Damanhour and raised in Disuq. He received bachelor's degree and MS degree from the University of Alexandria before moving from EgyptUniversity of Pennsylvania with advisor Dr. Robin Hochstrasser. He completed a post-doctoral fellowship at the University of California, Berkeley.
Speaking of how great Islam has become as a model for civilization we now have the firebombing of churches (wait, are they empty?) in Malaysia because the Christian churches (their invisible guy is named Jesus) is using the word Allah (one of the names of the invisible guy's dad) and THAT WORD is reserved for Muslims only. Jeezus, who didn't know THAT? So anyone who thinks that religion doesn't make this a better world, just look to Malaysia and maybe not vacation there anytime soon. Like we know where that is anyway.
Now then, which end of the egg do you open?
Sunday, January 03, 2010
Shot in Church?
Of course this story comes from the south . . .
And it's very sad and of course ironic. For all the blathering on that people do about how God is their protector, savior, and font of all that is good here we have a kid getting shot in the head while in church. Makes you think. Well, it SHOULD make you think.
Tons of examples like this. When a tornado hits a small town there is usually someone to interview who will say that they only survived via the grace of God. Really? What about your poor dead neighbor? Or, better yet, how about not sending the tornado down on you in the first place?
I know, it's just a test. God likes to test your faith by knocking off a few of the faithful (in spectacular fashion) and then seeing if the rest will still pony up at collection time. Assume this previous sentence is true. What would an all powerful creator get out of doing such a thing?
Or. . .
Is this all not better explained by natural phenomena with nobody at the controls. Anybody can just be at the wrong place at the wrong time. Look at the dinosaurs. I guess the idea of nobody at the controls is scarier to most people than to have a murderous psychopath at the controls.
And it's very sad and of course ironic. For all the blathering on that people do about how God is their protector, savior, and font of all that is good here we have a kid getting shot in the head while in church. Makes you think. Well, it SHOULD make you think.
Tons of examples like this. When a tornado hits a small town there is usually someone to interview who will say that they only survived via the grace of God. Really? What about your poor dead neighbor? Or, better yet, how about not sending the tornado down on you in the first place?
I know, it's just a test. God likes to test your faith by knocking off a few of the faithful (in spectacular fashion) and then seeing if the rest will still pony up at collection time. Assume this previous sentence is true. What would an all powerful creator get out of doing such a thing?
Or. . .
Is this all not better explained by natural phenomena with nobody at the controls. Anybody can just be at the wrong place at the wrong time. Look at the dinosaurs. I guess the idea of nobody at the controls is scarier to most people than to have a murderous psychopath at the controls.
Saturday, January 02, 2010
Catholics come home dot com
I was innocently watching tv and was then surprised by a nice little commercial for catholicscomehome.com.
Really. And below is a little hunk from that site . . . with my snarky comments inserted. How could I resist?Moral Issues
Making moral choices in our modern world can be confusing and difficult.
Actually it's not that hard if you have a freaking brain. Be nice to people. Share. Admit when you're wrong. Say, "Can I help you with that" a lot, Move on.
With so many temptations and influences pulling us in all directions, and the pressures of life driving us toward the seemingly "easy" path, it is comforting to know that Jesus Christ, through His Church, has blessed us with clear moral framework to guide us toward a happy, fulfilling life.
Where to start. . . Why do I have to accept the premise that I am necessarily being driven to an "easy' path. Really? Now, if you are comforted to know that a guy who lived 2000+ years ago "blessed" you and that then somehow figures it all out, well ok. God (!) knows it gets lonely and scary at night. On the other hand, if you read the bible I'm not sure you'll find the framework all that clear. Happy? Find me one happy person in the bible!
It makes perfect sense that our Creator,
Gee, do you think that anything has been assumed here?
who made us and designed us to work in a certain way,
Huh? I'm guessing that that 'certain way' doesn't include gay people.
would know what’s best for us.
Based on WHAT? Like volcano eruptions are best for us? How about the holocaust? Plane crashes? Abductions of children? Oh I could go on and on. . .
Fortunately, He gifted the Church with His advice on how to live our lives in such a way that we could be free and happy.
Sure, if you're white.
By giving us a roadmap, Christ gave us the ability to be freed from the negative effects of immorality and unhappiness, because true freedom allows us to live fully.
Hmmm...seems strange then that some very religious and Christian people get into some messy business! Plus, it's easy for them to free us from the negative effects of immoraltiy when you also get to define what it is to be immoral. Circular argument?
The Church never forces anyone to believe what she teaches.
She? Who let the freaking nun in here? Whasn't this Christ's church a few paragraphs ago?
Faith itself must be free (CCC 160). But to help guide us to choose what is best for ourselves, according to the way He made us, He gave us the Church and all her moral teachings.
Somehow I'm not feeling so good. I'm being guided to choose? Is this like 'Work makes you free??
In this section you will find many valuable resources explaining the Catholic Church's teachings on matters of ethics and morality. Please consider the reasonable and beautiful truth found in the Catholic teachings regarding these important issues in our culture:
If this was a book report in a freshman english class it would be a D and I'm an easy grader.What if. . .
I wonder. . .Tim Tebow, by all accounts, seems to be a good guy. He's helped the poor, carried groceries for old ladies, visited at the children's hospital, fed the hungry, etc and so forth. But what if he had done exactly what he has done in his life but put this message on his eye black patches instead of the obscure (Ephesians? Really?) bible references?
I think it's safe to say that he would be considered to be a 'wise ass'. He would be pilloried for trying to make a political or philosophical point via his status as a ball player. Headlines would shriek. Editorials would be written for those 8 people in Florida who still read 'the paper'. The president would probably have to step in. It would be bigger than the Tiger Woods deal. Think about it. It really would.
But Tim can put his belief in invisible beings on his face (used to be on people's sleeves) and he is considered to be a 'good guy' by default. I have no problem with Tebow himself, although the whole public display of one's religious beliefs has become a little passe, but am troubled once again by the weird double standard of elevated status given to those public displays and the derision given displays of rationalism or common sense.
Thursday, October 08, 2009
Bible Correction
What if the Bible had happened to be written this way. . .
From Genesis
Now, a few thousand years after the bible first came out would it be heresy to teach Newton's law of gravitation? Or Einstein's expansion of that theory? Would the devout accept evolution because it was outlined in the bible AND verified by experiment and the preponderance of the evidence and decry evil gravity as the work of the devil even though it could stand the test of experimentation but defied the teachings of the Bible?
hmmm...I wonder? Of course the devote will miss my point entirely and just say, 'Well, it wasn't written that way so end of story'. But, since the Bible was written by people who didn't know shit from Shine-0-La it actually COULD have been written any way at all! Now we have idiots in Iowa and elsewhere who want 'creation science' (I just threw up in my mouth a little) ruining our educational system and pretty much making America the laughing stock of the rest of the educated world.
One more thing...How about a creation scientist asking the nobel committee if he has any chance of winning a nobel prize in Biology?
'Nuff said!
From Genesis
In the beginning God built a wondrous framework whereby more complicated creatures could naturally emerge from less complicated ones. Yea did he arrange it so that that which did not work so well did not make so many progeny and verily did the best of best go forth and multiply to the immense joy of God. It worked! What joy when after eons and eons his thoughtful and reasonable children emerged from the ooze and gave praise to him.
From Job
It also came to pass that Job asked God, "why Lord do I stick so mysteriously to thy earth"? And God said, "Lo, I say unto you, I have made the earth sticky whereby all the plants and animals may understand which way is up".
From Job
It also came to pass that Job asked God, "why Lord do I stick so mysteriously to thy earth"? And God said, "Lo, I say unto you, I have made the earth sticky whereby all the plants and animals may understand which way is up".
Now, a few thousand years after the bible first came out would it be heresy to teach Newton's law of gravitation? Or Einstein's expansion of that theory? Would the devout accept evolution because it was outlined in the bible AND verified by experiment and the preponderance of the evidence and decry evil gravity as the work of the devil even though it could stand the test of experimentation but defied the teachings of the Bible?
hmmm...I wonder? Of course the devote will miss my point entirely and just say, 'Well, it wasn't written that way so end of story'. But, since the Bible was written by people who didn't know shit from Shine-0-La it actually COULD have been written any way at all! Now we have idiots in Iowa and elsewhere who want 'creation science' (I just threw up in my mouth a little) ruining our educational system and pretty much making America the laughing stock of the rest of the educated world.
One more thing...How about a creation scientist asking the nobel committee if he has any chance of winning a nobel prize in Biology?
'Nuff said!
Saturday, September 19, 2009
Hickabee?
Hey looks like Hickabee (sorry) is getting press again. Less we forget, here's his answer to whether or not he 'believes' in evolution. Actually seems like an ok answer for a bit and then he goes off on ridiculing the idea that we descended from primates.
WE ARE PRIMATES YOU MORON! AND we didn't descend from 'monkeys'. We descended from earlier versions of us like all of the other billions of life forms have done over the eons.
Here's an idea...Read a damn science book for a change you dumb ass!
WE ARE PRIMATES YOU MORON! AND we didn't descend from 'monkeys'. We descended from earlier versions of us like all of the other billions of life forms have done over the eons.
Here's an idea...Read a damn science book for a change you dumb ass!
Tuesday, September 08, 2009
Big Foot?
Here's a typical piece from the national news media (CNN).
Big foot? If this wasn't already an urban myth of sorts no one would even consider 'big foot' as a possible explanation of the grainy (isn't it alway?) photograph. A true skeptic looks at something like this but does not consider magic as possible explanation of what is being seen. Why? Because to date there have been zero provable, repeatable instances of 'magic' happening!
The guy seems reasonable and doubts a Big Foot but of course the reporters put that 'explanation' high on their list. Let's face it a garbage bag (my top explanation) blowing through and being caught in a frame is not news worthy. A Big Foot sighting of course is. . . even though THERE IS NO SUCH THING!
Big foot? If this wasn't already an urban myth of sorts no one would even consider 'big foot' as a possible explanation of the grainy (isn't it alway?) photograph. A true skeptic looks at something like this but does not consider magic as possible explanation of what is being seen. Why? Because to date there have been zero provable, repeatable instances of 'magic' happening!
The guy seems reasonable and doubts a Big Foot but of course the reporters put that 'explanation' high on their list. Let's face it a garbage bag (my top explanation) blowing through and being caught in a frame is not news worthy. A Big Foot sighting of course is. . . even though THERE IS NO SUCH THING!
Monday, August 31, 2009
"virgin" Mary. . . MY ASS!
The virgin birth of one, Jesus H. Christ, is a corner stone of the religion that bears his name. A little research shows that the word 'virgin' used to mean other things than it does today! Here's a good link that discusses this problem of semantics.
The short version. . . One ancient definition of the word 'alma or almah' is that of simply 'young girl'. Also remember that the whole bible is a translation subject to the whims and beliefs of the translator. By the time we get to the modern age the word 'virgin' has only one meaning. This coupled with the fact that the idea of virgin birth was quite common in Greek mythology and other places.
People need Jesus to be a god and one way to get there is to be conceived by God himself. The evidence that this actually happened though is tenuous at best and probably better understood in terms of etymology and the evolution of language. There is contention among biblical scholars about the proper translation of the word 'alma or almah' which may or may not connote 'virgin' as we think of it today. It may simply mean 'young woman'. I imagine like a lot of words it is the context that tells you what it means. Suffice it to say that the 'FACT' that the bible predicts (in Isaiah I think) the virgin birth of a son of God is NOT a slam dunk by any means.
The short version. . . One ancient definition of the word 'alma or almah' is that of simply 'young girl'. Also remember that the whole bible is a translation subject to the whims and beliefs of the translator. By the time we get to the modern age the word 'virgin' has only one meaning. This coupled with the fact that the idea of virgin birth was quite common in Greek mythology and other places.
People need Jesus to be a god and one way to get there is to be conceived by God himself. The evidence that this actually happened though is tenuous at best and probably better understood in terms of etymology and the evolution of language. There is contention among biblical scholars about the proper translation of the word 'alma or almah' which may or may not connote 'virgin' as we think of it today. It may simply mean 'young woman'. I imagine like a lot of words it is the context that tells you what it means. Suffice it to say that the 'FACT' that the bible predicts (in Isaiah I think) the virgin birth of a son of God is NOT a slam dunk by any means.
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