Subject:
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Re: We're being attacked by the intelligent, educated segment of culture!
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Newsgroups:
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lugnet.off-topic.debate
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Date:
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Mon, 11 Apr 2005 15:18:28 GMT
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Viewed:
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1401 times
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In lugnet.off-topic.debate, John Neal wrote:
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At some point, logically,
something came from nothing. I don’t believe it is valid to simply state
that “the universe always existed”-- this isn’t a valid scientific
hypothesis, but a dodge.
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I don’t think I’d consider it a dodge, really. My own thought on it is that
there’s no such thing as “first”. The concept of time is just a perception you
have that appears linear. I happen to think it’s more circular in nature,
without a real “beginning”. But even if it *is* linear, I’m not sure it’s a
dodge to say that it just always existed.
Effectively, what you’re assuming in the above statement is that “nothing always
existed” prior to Event #1, which has just as much proof as “something always
existed”. The assumption that nothing existed for all eternity before something
suddenly popped in there requires just as much faith.
You’re right to say that it isn’t exactly scientific, however, because at this
point I dont know if we have any evidence concerning events before a certain
point in time. Hence, to make a guess about events before that time *is*
something you’d have to base on faith. As a theory it’s not falsifiable yet.
Perhaps someday it will be, but not yet (at least I don’t think).
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Do you mean that the quote should be read as “respect of
God is the beginning of wisdom” or am I misreading you?
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No, that is exactly what I meant.
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Sort of an aside-- one idea I had long ago was that God was a cellular organism
made up of humans, or just life in general. Similar to how mitochondria and cell
nuclei are living organisms making up a cell, which in turn make up a living
being. And beyond that, there’s great examples like an ant colony, where you’ve
got cells for specific tasks, just like muscle cells (workers), brain cells (the
queen), reproductive cells (breeders), protective cells (soldiers), etc. A
living being in the form of an ant colony.
Anyway, it was rather interesting to re-read quotes about God with that
interpretation in mind. Personally, being a relative moralist, I think one of
the first steps towards being moral is acknowledging that the people around you
have desires just like yours. And just like yours, their desires have worth.
Hence, you could interpret the above quote as “respect of other people is the
beginning of wisdom”, which I might agree with. Also, things like ethics. Who
defines ethics? God? => Society. Which is effectively correct, I think.
Certainly it’s not what is intended, and it doesn’t fit every single quote about
God. But it made for some interesting interpretations nonetheless.
DaveE
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