Scalia

[gatoveintisiete]

Do you think there is life anywhere else in the universe?

IMO it's foolish to think there isn't.  Statistics alone prove there is.

do they look like flying spaghetti monsters?  How are you both so sure there is no God and there is other life out there?  I believe both exist.

[MakeItRain]

I don't know which story is a bigger load of crap; a dude taking 6 days to create our entire existence then taking a day to chill by the pool, or a grand explosion actually creating instead of destroying life.

Really? I think you know which one is a bigger load of crap.

I really don't, but the notion of an explosion creating life is counterintuitive to everything else science teaches us and common sense while the other is some dude a few hundred years ago telling an elaborate lie that stuck.

[michigancat]

I don't know which story is a bigger load of crap; a dude taking 6 days to create our entire existence then taking a day to chill by the pool, or a grand explosion actually creating instead of destroying life.

Really? I think you know which one is a bigger load of crap.

I really don't, but the notion of an explosion creating life is counterintuitive to everything else science teaches us and common sense while the other is some dude a few hundred years ago telling an elaborate lie that stuck.

Good grief, MiR. I'm going to disengage you on this topic because it seems like you're being willfully ignorant.

[MakeItRain]

I don't know which story is a bigger load of crap; a dude taking 6 days to create our entire existence then taking a day to chill by the pool, or a grand explosion actually creating instead of destroying life.

Really? I think you know which one is a bigger load of crap.

I really don't, but the notion of an explosion creating life is counterintuitive to everything else science teaches us and common sense while the other is some dude a few hundred years ago telling an elaborate lie that stuck.

Good grief, MiR. I'm going to disengage you on this topic because it seems like you're being willfully ignorant.

I'm being willfully ignorant because I won't acknowledge the legitimacy of one widely held odd belief over another? I do think the story of creation as is taught in the bible is a laughable farce. However, even if you believe the big bang to be true it still would involve some form of creation before that occurred. I believe in creation just not the widely taught biblical version.

[steve dave]

Who created the creator? Is it turtles all the way down?

[michigancat]

I'm being willfully ignorant because I won't acknowledge the legitimacy of one widely held odd belief over another? 

With these two "beliefs"? Yes, you are.

[MakeItRain]

Who created the creator?

Good ass question

[The Big Train]

Do you think there is life anywhere else in the universe?

IMO it's foolish to think there isn't.  Statistics alone prove there is.

do they look like flying spaghetti monsters?  How are you both so sure there is no God and there is other life out there?  I believe both exist.

What makes life here the standard to look like?  Also are your spaghetti monsters single or multi-cellular organisms? 

There are way too many reasons to list why there is no God.  I chose to think and reason why there can't be a god, in any form, not just Christianity.  When you actually think for yourself and not belief a text that was written without a full grasp of the universe, you understand the truth.

[The Big Train]

Who created the creator?

Good ass question

String theory

[mocat]

MIR they just found tangible evidence of two black holes colliding. perhaps in our lifetime (probably not though) there will be real answers to the question of the beginning of the universe

[MakeItRain]

I'm being willfully ignorant because I won't acknowledge the legitimacy of one widely held odd belief over another? 

With these two "beliefs"? Yes, you are.

Do you want to explain to me what I'm missing or are we going to go with "you're ignorant so I quit" without offering up any explanation at all?

[michigancat]

We don't have blind faith in government but we really don't mind at all when government gets larger and controls more and more . . . But honest, we don't have blind faith in government, we want too be very clear in that . . .

Lol @ resident ProgLibs

I think the nsa should be abolished and the CIA and military budgets should be cut in half (or more) because I don't trust them or elected officials charged with overseeing them.

This seems disingenuous. Unless you're a proponent of relying on blind faith to tell us that these organizations do absolutely nothing of value.

I believe those organizations do things of value. I just don't think they do enough good to justify their budgets and abuses and misuses of power.

[michigancat]

I'm being willfully ignorant because I won't acknowledge the legitimacy of one widely held odd belief over another? 

With these two "beliefs"? Yes, you are.

Do you want to explain to me what I'm missing or are we going to go with "you're ignorant so I quit" without offering up any explanation at all?

Yes, I'm going to quit here.

[MakeItRain]

I'm being willfully ignorant because I won't acknowledge the legitimacy of one widely held odd belief over another? 

With these two "beliefs"? Yes, you are.

Do you want to explain to me what I'm missing or are we going to go with "you're ignorant so I quit" without offering up any explanation at all?

Yes, I'm going to quit here.

I think you're making an assumption here you shouldn't make but whatever.

[chum1]

We don't have blind faith in government but we really don't mind at all when government gets larger and controls more and more . . . But honest, we don't have blind faith in government, we want too be very clear in that . . .

Lol @ resident ProgLibs

I think the nsa should be abolished and the CIA and military budgets should be cut in half (or more) because I don't trust them or elected officials charged with overseeing them.

This seems disingenuous. Unless you're a proponent of relying on blind faith to tell us that these organizations do absolutely nothing of value.

I believe those organizations do things of value. I just don't think they do enough good to justify their budgets and abuses and misuses of power.

What is your belief based on?

I believe that the justifications/abuses/misuses of those organizations are comparable to those for any typical organization. This belief is based on the assumption that similar things behave in similar ways and no particular substantive evidence to the contrary. Like, no news story on these organiztions that I've seen should be enough to trump this belief.

[michigancat]

My belief is based on the history of those organizations. And I didn't mean to imply that I didn't think there were misuses of power in other government organizations, although I think abuses of power in the NSA would generally be more damaging to society than abuse of power in the department of transportation, for example. The ones I mentioned were just off the top of my head.

[chum1]

My belief is based on the history of those organizations. And I didn't mean to imply that I didn't think there were misuses of power in other government organizations, although I think abuses of power in the NSA would generally be more damaging to society than abuse of power in the department of transportation, for example. The ones I mentioned were just off the top of my head.

I assume that the harm is comparable, too.

[michigancat]

My belief is based on the history of those organizations. And I didn't mean to imply that I didn't think there were misuses of power in other government organizations, although I think abuses of power in the NSA would generally be more damaging to society than abuse of power in the department of transportation, for example. The ones I mentioned were just off the top of my head.

I assume that the harm is comparable, too.

Based on what?

[Kat Kid]

Organizational/Institutional theories certainly apply to the CIA/NSA etc., but the missions/purposes of the organizations can also be contrary to someone's vision for our country's government.  It is important to understand how organizational theory, groupthink, banality of evil can allow atrocities to occur, it is also much more likely for them to occur when the missions of the organization are contrary to what many consider to be foundational principles of limited government power and the freedom and privacy of the individual

[chum1]

My belief is based on the history of those organizations. And I didn't mean to imply that I didn't think there were misuses of power in other government organizations, although I think abuses of power in the NSA would generally be more damaging to society than abuse of power in the department of transportation, for example. The ones I mentioned were just off the top of my head.

I assume that the harm is comparable, too.

Based on what?

Same as before. There are lots of different ways to directly or indirectly harm people. Some are just more tabloid worthy than others.

[catastrophe]

Anyone who thinks they understand the origin of the universe (whether religious, agnostic, or atheist) is probably not worth engaging with.

[MakeItRain]

Anyone who thinks they understand the origin of the universe (whether religious, agnostic, or atheist) is probably not worth engaging with.

I won't go as far as saying that they shouldn't be engaged in conversation with but their assurance is pretty laughable and they're almost always quick to lampoon the beliefs of others.

[The Big Train]

Anyone who thinks they understand the origin of the universe (whether religious, agnostic, or atheist) is probably not worth engaging with.

So instead of engaging with thoughtful, intelligent people you should just engage with other idiots?  Got it

[MakeItRain]

Anyone who thinks they understand the origin of the universe (whether religious, agnostic, or atheist) is probably not worth engaging with.

So instead of engaging with thoughtful, intelligent people you should just engage with other idiots?  Got it

People who are sure of our origins tend to be very irrational.

[The Big Train]

Anyone who thinks they understand the origin of the universe (whether religious, agnostic, or atheist) is probably not worth engaging with.

So instead of engaging with thoughtful, intelligent people you should just engage with other idiots?  Got it

People who are sure of our origins tend to be very irrational.

I agree with that. However there are a lot who have done their own research and made decisions about it themselves.  They tend to be very open