Well, Langan, in #5615, I’ve taken your suggestion to “Think on these things.”

I think you and I have completely different and incompatible philosophies of life. I think what you CHOOSE to believe is utter nonsense. And I’m sure you would judge my views similarly.

There’s nowhere to go with this stuff. We’re both intelligent adults free to cherry-pick what we’ll believe and what we won’t. Arguing over it is about a stupid as starting a fight in a supermarket because you disagree with someone else’s choices in his/her basket.

What I believe is simply NONE OF YOUR BUSINESS. And your views are none of mine. Luckily both of us enjoy the freedom to express our views. But NEVER should either of us be at liberty to IMPOSE them on others.

So how about we each… we ALL… just MIND OUR OWN BUSINESS?

The full interview can be found at http://www.guardian.co.uk/religion/Story/0,,1735404,00.html

I don’t want to put words in the Archbishop’s mouth, but he seems to be saying that creation theory is bad theology. It narrowly limits the creative act of God and he wants as broad a view as possible. One that could accept scientific discovery while retaining the concept of a creative God. 

He references St. Augustine who made the same point.  If one insists on the literal truth of every word, then to find one mistatement would call into doubt the whole Work.  That is the harm creation theory ulitmately does to religion. It makes faith falsifiable which the Archbishop wisely wants to avoid. 

To take one simple example, in Genesis, the earth is created before the sun or stars.  If this order of creation is false are we to disbelieve in God?  That is the true dilemma posed by creationists. Why they don’t have the sense to realize this is beyond reason.

#5576 & #5615,

Let me ask you something.  Have you actually read Darwin’s Origin of Species from cover to cover?  Now, let me go way out on a limb and answer for you.  No, you haven’t.  I’ll ask you the same question about the Old and New Testaments and, again, the answer will be no, you haven’t.  Origin of Species is a scientific thesis.  It’s about making observations in the natural world and drawing conclusions.  It’s about testing those conclusions and making accurate predictions based on the results of the tests.  The Bible is a collection of stories that are unverified and unverifiable.  Conclusions drawn from biblical claims cannot be tested nor can any predictions based on them be made.  In the Origin of Species, Darwin doesn’t make laws; he very specifically defines laws that have always existed.  God makes laws in the Bible and very contradictory ones at that.  He also either carries out Himself or condones rape, incest, theft, lying, slavery, murder, infanticide, genocide and the annihilation of the entire human race (except for Noah and kin).  Because of science, a modern fifth grader possesses more knowledge of the real world than Mark, Luke, John and Jesus combined (if, indeed, those men ever even existed).  Anyone who suggests that these two tomes (Origin of Species & the Bible) be compared and debated in science classrooms of public schools should first be made to read and understand every word of both.  I’ve heard it said and I heartily agree that if more Christians actually read their Bibles, there would be fewer Christians.

Religions has no place in federally and state funded schools. It is the job of the parent to teach this. Children should go to school to become better people and to become interrested in fields that will better the human race. There is too much information and religion does not seem to better the human race. religion is corrupt; religion is the reason that wars are started.

I do not believe in God. I have to be very careful who knows this because it seemes that even casual believers scorn athiests. I believe that man created God out of fear and as a means of control. I believe that human beings, the only narcissistic animal, in large numbers would not know how to behave if they thought that they dissappear, do not reunite with loved ones, and simply and finally just die. As intelligent beings we search for the reasons behind our existence and this pusuit is, in my opinion, a waste of time.

If people need faith to thrive then that is their perrogative but don’t push that on the youngest, most impressionable children; children who cannot always decide for themselves, intelligently, what their true beliefs are.

All this is a storm in a teacup. Once you accept that the entire Universe and everything in it came into being fortuitously you can believe anything for clearly nothing is more fantastically absurd.Accepting God is a far greater comfort and a better governance for life cannot be found anywhere. For those able to hold sincere faith in the sacrifice made by Jesus on the Cross the rewards are infinite both iun this life and the next. Think on these things.

In #5576, Tigitarius wrote, in part “Only a well informed populace is capable of making rational, intelligent decisions.”

I (mostly) agree!

The problem… the HUGE problem… is that it seems to be impossible for the “populace” to access the reliably accurate information upon which to make “rational, intelligent decisions.” Those “in the know” don’t tell us the “truth” unless it directly supports their agendas. Our leaders and “informers” lie through their teeth. They distort facts and omit essential “information” at will. We don’t have a chance.

The other major stumbling block seems to be that our “populace,” in general, can’t or won’t differentiate between reality and fantasy. When you have 8 or 9 people out of 10 fervently believing that an invisible “God” created everything in 6 days, there’s little hope of them reaching any “rational, intelligent decisions.”

No. The astrology-as-science-crowd exists in the land where Darwin was born? At least one religious leader is speaking up ... thank goodness.

A PhD teacher friend of mine with 40 years college teaching experience, said that (thinking of college level), that religion, Christianity, creationism, etc. should be brought in as subjects of study. Once they are subjected to the scrutiny of the intellectual disciplines, that will be the end of their competing for legitimacy. The Archbishop’s concerns are apparently confirmed here.

People have evolved and people have a right to know both sides of the story wether one negates the other or not. Only a well informed populace is capable of making rational, intelligent decisions. Last I checked there are more than a few solid facts supporting creationism where as the bible (and other documents) has been interpreted for thousands of years.
Personally I would like to see more review on this interview he gave. The information provided here is far from complete.