Mark I’m with you there on the last line. I wish I could debate it more. I understand it but a lot of it is way beyond me.
Answers in Genesis Ark Encounter
Nah. I never thought you were coming up to the ARK. Matter of fact Red State is SO well known that it was not beyond me to think you came up just for it and headed back south stopping at points on the way.
However, science took silica, petroleum by-products, metals and magnets to make computers that actually allowed you to make that post on something as incredible as the internet. Conversely , there is not one single shred of evidence that suggests the “story” of the Ark or anything it entails ever happened. Wanting to believe in something doesn’t make it a reality. If that were the case I would still believe in Santa Claus. It’s disturbing to me that you would actually think that and cast such aspersions on the scientific community that has done so much to improve our daily lives. Is that what you teach your children? That science is all wrong? You really believe that the earth is only 6000 years old? You really think that “modern” man interacted with dinosaurs? The only reason they were forced to included dinosaurs in the exhibits is because we have absolute proof of the previous existence of dinosaurs. The problem is that dinosaurs occurred some 65 million years before man walked the earth and that completely blows the " young earth" theory out of the water. It’s disappointing and somewhat infuriating that people will engage in willful ignorance to dismiss or outright deny actual scientific evidence while simultaneously allowing themselves to swallow hook, line and sinker some of the most outrageous and easily disproved claims known to man. You are not doing yourself or anyone else any favors. You are only embarrassing yourself. Reality might suck but it is what it is.
I’m not embarrassed at all by my beliefs. Although the idea that we’re were all made in Gods image and other truths of the Bible are getting less and less popular everyday!
I try raise my kids to know what truth is…That’s the best I can do.
I do believe in science, and science does prove the Bible. (God created the laws of science by the way, how else could it all actually work.) It all depends on what idea you have that your trying to prove or disprove as to what the scientific data will prove. Arguments can easily be made on both sides if you look only at scientific data.
Concerning the flood. All cultures have stories of a worldwide flood, not just the Bible. Things we see also points to a worldwide flood, such as the Grand Canyon. If the Grand Canyon was formed over millions of years then the walls would be smooth I think. But, if the Grand Canyon was formed very rapidly (maybe during the flood) the walls would be jagged and rough, kinda like they are now…
As for dinosaurs, it’s certainly not impossible that they existed the same time as man. Think about all the things science tells us about that, and most people just believe it. One example is carbon dating, are we certain it is reliable? Has carbon always decayed at the same rate that it does now? The best scientists in the world, both the evolutionist and creationist, have to make some assumptions to come to a conclusion.
I truly wish people were more open minded and would think outside of the box, instead of just believing what a text book says. I have learned to not believe that the Bible says something just because someone tells me it does. I am reading through the Bible this year for the second time in my life and it is even more eye opening than the first time. I still have a lot of questions, but I have some answers too that I didn’t have before.
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Thanks for keeping it civil, folks! I love respectful dialogue.
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My problem with this is that people tend treat this as fact rather than the leading theory that it actually is. So far, man has no way to know for certain the age of the fossils. We have a theory based on the rate of carbon decay, but we have to have a certain amount of faith that the assumptions we’ve made about the rate of decay actually represent reality.
I’ve studied both sides of this argument quite a bit. In the end, neither side is completely faith free. That’s why I’m agnostic about it.
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Anyone here still believe in Santa Claus? If not, why?
That could be interpreted as an insulting reply, Keith. Let’s try to stick to the topic and keep things above the belt.
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Why is that insulting? That question is below the belt? Perhaps you can explain to me why there is a perceived reality of all things biblical yet Santa, the North Pole and everything that goes with is considered nothing more a than a simple children’s fairy tale? Perhaps you could explain the difference.
The topic had veered to evolution vs creationism. I think it’s a fairly debatable topic without having to bring one’s faith into question. If you don’t see a problem with trying to compare God / Jesus to Santa Clause, then my advice would be to just drop it.
The debate can go on without insulting people’s faith.
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It’s all the same thing. So, you choose not to answer the question? What about the comparison is problematic for you and why do you consider it an insult? Can you in fact explain any difference between the absolute belief in the “stories” of the bible and those of Santa, etc.? What about that is insulting? What about Greek Mythology or any of the other hundred’s of various “god’s” throughout the relatively short history of man? How can one be completely bought in to and the others summarily dismissed as too far fetched?
Frankly, your deviation from the topic of creationism vs evolution seems to be an attempt at avoiding the issue I brought up of faith in the theory of evolution. You’ve taken the topic, one that doesn’t necessarily have to include the idea of God (or any god) and tried to turn it into a theist / anti-theist exchange.
In the rules of polite debate, that’s called a red herring. It’s dishonest and only serves the purpose of you avoiding the conversation at hand.
https://www.logicallyfallacious.com/tools/lp/Bo/LogicalFallacies/150/Red-Herring
Please stick to the subject.
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I do think you can be more courteous in your replies, @stixx3969, but I’ll give you a quick answer. And, I’m more than happy to join you in a new thread with plenty of dialogue. Further, some of my great friends and favorite people are atheists, so I’m hardly new to, or afraid of, this topic.
The first question I had to ask was if Jesus existed. Question numero uno. Is this guy for real? What I quickly found is that virtually no scholar, secular especially included, denies the historicity of Jesus. To deny he existed would require a most obtuse bias. Did St. Nicholas exist? Yep. What makes them different? Two things, at least.
One: what did Jesus claim about himself? Christ claimed he is God and would rise from the dead. Two, did people who knew Jesus believe him? I’d say so, as it is also historically proven that hundreds went through torturous deaths while holding to Christ’s claims.
So, in those few short thoughts, I think we have demonstrably seen quite the difference between the two. And I didn’t quote a single Bible verse!
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So, to question your religious beliefs is considered discourteous? What is this forum for? It is discourteous to pose the question why of your god is to be considered real and not Santa or perhaps any number of comic book super Hero’s? Those were books as well, Again, what is the difference and why is one to be considered the absolute truth and the other but a mere fairy tale?
It’s tough to decipher tone in written text, that’s for sure. No, I love when folks question their, or my, beliefs. You can’t arrive at true faith without questioning and challenging it. I don’t have a blind faith, friend. I walked away from the faith I was exposed to as a child, then came back when I found no answers anywhere else. I love to think, I love to question, and I love to challenge. And, I gave you just a few reasons why I don’t agree with your statements about Jesus vs. Santa. You didn’t reply to those. I’d love to continue with you, but please start a new thread.
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The difference is the timing you chose to raise the question. You seem to have taken the discussion in an entirely different direction to avoid rebutting the notion that evolution is also just a theory.
I’m sure plenty of people here have no problem debating your question, but start a new topic for it and continue the current topic here.
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So, it’s an ok topic in a new thread, but not a thread about the Ark? That doesn’t make anymore sense then the entire Ark premise either. But ok, fine.
Yes I believe there was a man named St Nicolas who brought so much joy to children. There are so many stories and events from the past that leave us with many questions unanswered.
Why was Stonehenge built and by whom. Who built the Standing Stones at Aylesbury, Orkney and many other sites around the UK and Ireland.
Who built the statues on Easter Island and why ?
We know the Egyptians built Pyramids as did the Maya and the Inca’s who built Machu Picchu.
The Chinese built the Forbidden City there are ancient temples in Cambodia. We know the Romans built an Empire across Europe and beyond How do we know this?
Because there is lots of physical evidence from the ancient world that leaves us in modern times to ponder what went on in the past.
The Bible is a history book, physical evidence of stories and legions from another time. We know .Pontius Pilate was the fifth prefect of the Roman province of Judaea, serving under Emperor Tiberius from AD 26 to 36. He is best known today for the trial and crucifixion of Jesus
We are free to question whether or not the stories in the Bible are true or exaggerated as much as were are free to question the stories we read in the New York Times. When it boils down to it, it’s what WE as individuals choose to believe.
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What if I told you that I really believed in Spiderman? Would that sound a little too far fetched for you? As to the crucifixion of Jesus, there was nothing specifically special about that in it’s day and putting a man on a cross was an very common practice. I have never stated there was nothing interesting in our past but nothing stated now or throughout history has offered in one verifiable shred of evidence of any god, Christian or otherwise. If there were an actual god, why would they need you or anyone else to convince me of it’s existence? Why does it require faith? Faith is required when evidence is absent. That is my point.
With regards to evolution, that’s my point, too. 
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