tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20067416.post5739430460583617148..comments2023-12-21T06:35:36.624-05:00Comments on Recursivity: James Tour's First Talk: Nanotechnology and GodUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger7125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20067416.post-1182677191636120972018-01-31T22:16:32.845-05:002018-01-31T22:16:32.845-05:00As an atheist, I had to know why a prominent profe...As an atheist, I had to know why a prominent professor of zoology would sacrifice his career & wealth to be ridiculed by his peers. Professor Walter Veith went from a self described "militant atheist" to a creationist. After two of his lectures, I was convinced for the first time in over 50 years that God does exist. I am also curious as to why professor John Sanford's peers walk such a wide circle around his work in genomic entropy...anyone care to take a stab at that? There are many other accomplished scientist that have come to believe and profess their faith in Jesus Christ and it seems to me they know what you do about the sciences but you have a childish understanding of what their faith is based on. It also seems that evolution {include the standard model of cosmology as well} takes an enormous amount of faith...in a secular kind of way. Just rambling a bit...why is soft tissue found in dino bones? What do you really know about the bible? Did you know God should be capitalized? Really, do you have any idea why these men {James Tour} would risk careers for a skydaddy as you see Him? Do you even have enough intellectual curiosity to find out? <br />chris hughenshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10395817938247497646noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20067416.post-12156397522411578712016-03-12T11:36:21.099-05:002016-03-12T11:36:21.099-05:00"God doesn't do tests" is the quinte..."God doesn't do tests" is the quintessential ad-hoc post-facto rationalization when tests falsify god. Every thinking person instinctlively and immediately realizes this when they hear this crap. <br /><br />It's the same kind of after-the-fact rationalizations you hear from all other forms of quacks and nutters when their pet conspiracy theory fails every test imaginable. It will never stop being amazing to me how adult human beings can't instantly see through this shit. Mikkel Rumraket Rasmussenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07670550711237457368noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20067416.post-22608818559609600072016-03-09T21:52:31.212-05:002016-03-09T21:52:31.212-05:00"both topics concern the vanishingly small&qu..."both topics concern the vanishingly small" - I enjoyed that.<br /><br />To Mr. LukeBarnes: thanks for that interpretation. I have been told more than once that "God doesn't do tests" (in response to things like the prayer studies) and thought that was the approved interpretation; I now have a refutation.<br /><br />No doubt you have an answer for this as well, but I found "My 6 year old "tests" me by repeatedly trying to steal cookies or by demanding sweets" interesting because the example given by the Biblical god was to kick the kids out of the house the first time they disobeyed him. Apparently you don't agree that was the right thing for a parent to do, since you used the word "repeatedly".<br /><br />One answer might be that the Genesis story was metaphorical, to which my response would be, surely God could have thought of a better metaphorical analogy without any questionable ethics. <br /><br />JimVhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10198704789965278981noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20067416.post-18230256333886248072016-03-06T09:47:57.447-05:002016-03-06T09:47:57.447-05:00I, too, prayed for a wife. It worked--I got my nei...I, too, prayed for a wife. It worked--I got my neighbor's wife, my customer's wife, and my boss's wife.<br />Isn't this the same sort of thing that was being pushed by someone on Oprah Winfrey's show? If you wish for something, you will magically get it? Not too dissimilar from Rev. Ike and his ilk selling the Prosperity Gospel.Markhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07891989201161664914noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20067416.post-83915726396433134872016-03-04T08:06:30.153-05:002016-03-04T08:06:30.153-05:00I think it's inappropriate for a secular unive...I think it's inappropriate for a secular university to evangelize for any religion. By this, I mean I do not feel it is appropriate for them to officially sponsor events where attendees are told to read the Bible, or the Koran, and so forth. And I also am very specific that this only refers to the official acts of the university, not to classes or student groups or anything similar. I would have no objections to the Pascal lectures if they were organized by students or groups of faculty members or anything like that; only that they should not carry the imprimatur of the university. In this case the Pascal lectures were actually sanctioned by the Board of Governors of the university.<br /><br />I cannot think of any case where a secular university, in its official function, has criticized a particular religion. In any event, criticism of a religion is not the same as evangelizing for a religion. In the latter case, people are told explicitly what to believe. In the former case, criticism is just criticism; you can take issue with it or not. Jeffrey Shallithttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12763971505497961430noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20067416.post-85545589333312948042016-03-04T07:19:01.237-05:002016-03-04T07:19:01.237-05:00I largely agree, except for your bizarre interpret...I largely agree, except for your bizarre interpretation of Deuteronomy 6:16 (which is quoted by Matthew 4:7 and Luke 4:12, so it's really only one reference).<br /><br />"Testing" here is in the sense of presuming upon God's patience by doing evil or giving God orders. My 6 year old "tests" me by repeatedly trying to steal cookies or by demanding sweets, not by want to know more about me. The idea that this precludes a scientific study of anything is a gross distortion of the text. Your interpretation of "test" would make nonsense out of Judges 6:36-40, Psalm 34:8, Psalm 78:18,41,56, Psalm 95:9, Acts 5:9, Acts 15:10 and 1 Thessalonians 5:21 - "Test all things; hold on to what is good." Actually, your account of Tour's account of "prosperity theology" sounds like testing God by presuming upon "personal success".<br /><br />I note that in your previous post you say "it's completely inappropriate for a secular university to evangelize for a particular religion in this manner." Would it be inappropriate for a secular university to criticise a particular religion? Is the case against a religion prohibited, or only the case for?lukebarneshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03245704613008522157noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20067416.post-62583175863984452012016-03-03T15:31:14.520-05:002016-03-03T15:31:14.520-05:00"Second, that he obtained his wife because he...<i>"Second, that he obtained his wife because he prayed for one and his god granted his wish."</i><br /><br />But according to most christians, god cannot or will not mess with human beings free will. So either mr. Tour is married to a non-human or god has violated his rules?Mikkel Rumraket Rasmussenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07670550711237457368noreply@blogger.com