You are seeking out the minutia that you don't understand in some misguided attempt to attack the whole. Have you turned this same effort on your own position that "god did it"?
How can you not hold your version to the same standards you hold anything else? Why lower the bar for religion?
Fair points, and I'm sure many haven't done so. I personally have. It's something everyone should do.
You have repeatedly demonstrated you have not. Doggedly refused to when specifically challenged.
Wow this is where I step out of the thread. I never said I went through my entire belief system in this thread or in the FFA. I specifically wrote that I "personally have". Every person should at some point examine their beliefs, do soul-searching, etc. I have done that.As such I have come to the point where I am secure in what I believe. Just because you and others want me to provide "proof" for God doesn't mean I can do so. Anymore than you can prove to me how life could have originated without God.
I could write a 1,000 word dissertation on why I believe in God, but would you read it? Or just point out the "logical errors" and look to attack it?
As I said previously, there are many evidences for God, and they are unbelievably obvious to me. The cell, DNA, the human body, the mind, consciousness, it's all pretty evident for me.
Again, I beg of you to accept that, and stop demanding that I explain MY beliefs to YOUR satisfaction. It's not going to mix.
Your reaction is comical.We have asked you to show us where and how you have held your own beliefs to the standards you are trying to hold scientific theory accountable. Nothing more. Always the most simple and direct questions that drive you guys to cry foul.
You would not accept the following as evidence supporting evolution:
The cell, DNA, the human body, the mind, consciousness, it's all pretty evident for me.
Yet you repeatedly throw it out there as a (self evident) slam dunk for your own beliefs. Predictable hypocrisy and the heart of my issue with religion - you somehow allow yourself to be unwaiveringly convinced by lower standards of evidence and logic than you hold
every single other situation and topic in your life.
Matsuki, I'm struggling to figure out what you're asking of me. When I say that the cell is proof of a designer, I'm not implying that I see a cell, imagine a designer and give it no more than a brief cursory thought. I've given it plenty of thought and time over the years, and my personal investigations led me to believe it was designed. Why that isn't enough for you, I don't know. I'm not asking you to believe that, just that you guys respect the beliefs that many smart and logical people share along these lines.
If you want a quick peek into how I logically try to come about my beliefs that's fine. Just understand that I'm not posting them in order to convince you. I'm posting them so you'll quit saying that I'm not answering your questions, which is just not true.
The bottom line is that at some point there was not life on this earth, and than at a later point there was. Me personally, I haven't seen any way it could arise spontaneously. The sheer complexity of DNA and of the inner workings of a cell appears to be designed. Much like when you come across a fine-tuned machine, design appears to be obvious.
Now who designed it? Green aliens, God, Buddha, a pantheon of God's, highly intelligent creatures from another dimension? I don't think the physical evidence necessarily tells us anything about exactly who it was. At that point, you either accept that you don't know, or you look to other sources. At that point, your journey leaves the realm of science and enters the realm of religion. But whether it's religion or science, the ultimate reality is that there is a truth, and each person has to decide that for themselves.
Could my theory be falsified? I suppose so. I suppose that if it could be demonstrated that life easily arises, perhaps that would shake the beliefs of a lot of Christians. I personally haven't seen any evidence of that occurring, but I suppose it could. To me, it seems that the cell, DNA and life gets infinitely more complex as we continue to study it. Just when we think we figure things out, we learn new layers of complexity that cause us to start over.
I suppose also, aliens could show up and surround our planet next week and show us exactly how and when they seeded the planet.
I suppose that God could eventually show Himself to the world in a way that leaves little doubt as to his existence. Any of these events would dramatically affect the beliefs of many people.
When I criticize portions of the theory of evolution, I"m not questioning all of science, or burying my head in the sand, I'm questioning aspects that don't make sense to me. Just as there are portions of my beliefs I can't quite explain, I understand that evolution is a work in progress and that it doesn't paint a complete picture of the evolution of life from cell to man.
Hope this is taken as me NOT avoiding the issue, and if you guys pick this apart, or look for ways to attack the logic contained there-in, then we can then consider that the end of the discussion.