tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37148773.post372617388439043396..comments2024-03-27T14:50:47.345-04:00Comments on <center>Sandwalk</center>: Science vs religion in the Princeton Guide to EvolutionLarry Moranhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05756598746605455848noreply@blogger.comBlogger153125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37148773.post-66341542021314839712014-01-01T10:02:12.533-05:002014-01-01T10:02:12.533-05:00No, but although I used the term NOMA it wasn'...No, but although I used the term NOMA it wasn't my intent to comment on Gould's ideas directly but rather the common idea that religion and other magic-infused ideologies provide a different valid way of knowing things that are not amenable to standard investigation. That idea is likely as old as religion itself and I used the acronym NOMA as shorthand for the general concept.SRMhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07299706694667706149noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37148773.post-52730194037501090132013-12-26T09:54:27.716-05:002013-12-26T09:54:27.716-05:00Thanks Piotr. I forgot the about the Orthodox Chur...Thanks Piotr. I forgot the about the Orthodox Church. I'm surprised too that Evangelical churches are outnumbered by JWs since in North/South America they're the only churches registering growth. Newbiehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12112647387206975751noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37148773.post-22152315570646137362013-12-26T08:09:38.513-05:002013-12-26T08:09:38.513-05:00I keep hearing these alarming reports regarding th... I keep hearing these alarming reports regarding the prevalence of functional illiteracy in our society. I find them hard to believe, but every now and then someone like "LouiseG" comes along to confirm these reports are likely true.<br /><br />"Media reports" in this context, as would be clear to someone who <i>isn't</i> functionally illiterate, refers to news stories that discuss suicide in general and whether it is more likely in the holiday season. It does not refer to media reports of individual suicides.<br /><br />It is likely inaccurate media reports of this sort that have led you to falsely believe that suicide is more common at Christmas. Thankfully, you now know this is not the case, since an actual expert in the field has pointed you to the correct data.<br /><br />In Canada there is no law preventing the media from reporting a suicide. However, the media usually refrain from doing so unless there is some pressing public need or interest. This is out of respect for individual privacy and also to prevent "copycat" suicides. There's also the sad fact that suicide is so common that is is not usually really newsworthy,Faizal Alihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00937075798809265805noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37148773.post-84322993658954947852013-12-26T07:19:18.583-05:002013-12-26T07:19:18.583-05:00Just curious, what is the second largest religion ...<i>Just curious, what is the second largest religion in Poland?</i><br /><br />The Polish branch of the Eastern Orthodox Church, with ca. half a million members (mainly along the eastern border of Poland). Jehovah's Witnesses come third, with 130,000 members (I'm actually surprised that this recent import has twice outnumbered the Evangelical Lutheran church, which has been present in Poland since the 16th century). The Jewish religious community, once one of the largest in the world, was almost annihilated in the Holocaust. We also have a residual Muslim community (Tatar settlers integrated into Polish/Lithuanian society a few hundred years ago -- Charles Bronson was one of their descendants).Piotr Gąsiorowskihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06339278493073512102noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37148773.post-61012298599361134612013-12-26T05:40:40.073-05:002013-12-26T05:40:40.073-05:00The JWs don't consider themselves YEC because ...The JWs don't consider themselves YEC because their official interpretation of "a day of creation" is "an eon" (something of the order of 7000 years). That makes life on earth 50+ thousand years old. I think it's still "young" in comparison with 3.8 Gy.They do interpret the creation story more or less literally, and certainly don't accept macroevolution. Some of those I have had talked to regard themselves as "ID proponents" (not creationists by any means, no, no, sir).<br /><br />That Polish Creationist Society website seems dead. They were pretty active until some three years ago. Their discussion list is still active, but the traffic is lower by more than an order of magnitude when compared to 2010 -- the peak of their popularity.<br /><br />http://groups.yahoo.com/neo/groups/kreacjonizm/info<br /><br />R.I.P.Piotr Gąsiorowskihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06339278493073512102noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37148773.post-71539906501695733782013-12-25T20:44:37.677-05:002013-12-25T20:44:37.677-05:00Piotr???Piotr???Newbiehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12112647387206975751noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37148773.post-56733265497446238012013-12-25T20:20:52.562-05:002013-12-25T20:20:52.562-05:00"The Annenberg Public Policy Center has been ..."The Annenberg Public Policy Center has been tracking media reports on suicide since 2000. A recent analysis found that 50% of articles written during the 2009–2010 holiday season perpetuated the myth."<br /><br />Media reports? Is it legal in Canada to report suicides by medias? Larry, what's your thought? Newbiehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12112647387206975751noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37148773.post-69022530500296199612013-12-25T12:29:13.724-05:002013-12-25T12:29:13.724-05:00http://www.cdc.gov/ViolencePrevention/suicide/holi...http://www.cdc.gov/ViolencePrevention/suicide/holiday.htmlFaizal Alihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00937075798809265805noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37148773.post-4735368246654421622013-12-25T11:10:55.837-05:002013-12-25T11:10:55.837-05:00Ok, you go first. Present some stats proving your ...Ok, you go first. Present some stats proving your point. Newbiehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12112647387206975751noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37148773.post-38037669001013022962013-12-25T10:38:42.352-05:002013-12-25T10:38:42.352-05:00If you're going to call me a liar, it would be...If you're going to call me a liar, it would be good if you actually substantiated that accusation by producing some evidence that what I said is incorrect. Then we can move on to whether I deliberately set out to deceive, but first things first.....Faizal Alihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00937075798809265805noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37148773.post-79298358971553870432013-12-24T22:49:35.622-05:002013-12-24T22:49:35.622-05:00How do you figure?How do you figure?Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03503746944125068931noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37148773.post-11411120154473945402013-12-24T17:32:53.510-05:002013-12-24T17:32:53.510-05:00I'm asking because I see all my employees fee...I'm asking because I see all my employees feeling so stressed and so anxious over this holiday that I just assumed that if they get a $2 gift from someone they bought a $50 or a $100 dollar gift for, they may get a bit suicidal over it.Newbiehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12112647387206975751noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37148773.post-29766583770924699482013-12-24T17:28:17.030-05:002013-12-24T17:28:17.030-05:00You are not being truthful. People feel more suici...You are not being truthful. People feel more suicidal during Xmas than any other tie of the year. Are they more successful? Newbiehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12112647387206975751noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37148773.post-42004402991143559262013-12-24T17:17:12.951-05:002013-12-24T17:17:12.951-05:00Non-believers during Xmas? Or in general?
Why ar...Non-believers during Xmas? Or in general?<br /><br />Why are you asking, anyway?Faizal Alihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00937075798809265805noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37148773.post-13974263501746527242013-12-24T17:13:06.933-05:002013-12-24T17:13:06.933-05:00Really? How about non-believers? Have some stats ...Really? How about non-believers? Have some stats for that? Doubt it. Newbiehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12112647387206975751noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37148773.post-793116137681786902013-12-24T17:04:02.173-05:002013-12-24T17:04:02.173-05:00The suicide rate isn't particularly high at Ch...The suicide rate isn't particularly high at Christmas. It actually peaks in spring.Faizal Alihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00937075798809265805noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37148773.post-80926544470230480282013-12-24T16:44:09.327-05:002013-12-24T16:44:09.327-05:00Off topic. Larry, I hope you forgive me this one a...Off topic. Larry, I hope you forgive me this one as you have forgiven me my trespasses in the passed, I assume,since I'm still able to post on this very blog- I don't have a word for it, innovating blog. (Innovating is not the right word but bizarre is right next to it.)<br />Lutesuite is a psychiatrist, possibly a good one since he doesn't treat baldness.; <br />Why do you think the suicide rate is so high during this time of the year? I'm not saying just Christmas, because there are other so-called holidays around this time of the year. Are you allowed to comment on the theme?Newbiehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12112647387206975751noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37148773.post-77665231279052989452013-12-24T16:30:32.471-05:002013-12-24T16:30:32.471-05:00So do you now understand why that quote does not s...So do you now understand why that quote does not support the position you're trying to promote?Faizal Alihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00937075798809265805noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37148773.post-1268598956835623272013-12-24T15:55:28.322-05:002013-12-24T15:55:28.322-05:00Lutesuite, you're wrong. The site gives exampl...Lutesuite, you're wrong. The site gives examples of often occurring misquotes and explaining how it differs from the original quote, which is the one I posted in English and German.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03503746944125068931noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37148773.post-50678986884835919302013-12-24T15:41:45.102-05:002013-12-24T15:41:45.102-05:00LOL! I don't know if you're deliberately ...LOL! I don't know if you're deliberately trying to be funny, Andy, or you're really that clueless.<br /><br />Obviously (or so I thought) I'm not saying you fabricated the quote. Rather, you quote mined it. A "quote mine" is when a statement is taken out of context so that it seems to be endorsing a position that the person who made the statement does not actually hold. In this case, as the article explains if you had bothered to read it, the mined quote creates the impression that Habermas is endorsing Christianity, when he is actually doing no such thing.<br /><br />Quote mining is a form of lying, BTW, which is supposed to be forbidden by your Christian ethics. But, of course, "know the tree by its fruit."Faizal Alihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00937075798809265805noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37148773.post-7487538911750653492013-12-24T12:51:31.027-05:002013-12-24T12:51:31.027-05:00Lutesuite, not sure what your point is the site wh...Lutesuite, not sure what your point is the site which you refer to gives the German original which reads the same as the quote I posted:<br />""Das Christendom ist für das normative Selbstverständnis der Moderne nicht nur eine Vorläufergestalt oder ein Katalysator gewesen. Der egalitäre Universalismus, aus dem die Ideen von Freiheit und solidarischem Zusammenleben, von autonomer Lebensführung und Emanzipation, von individueller Gewissensmoral, Menschenrechten und Demokratie entsprungen sind, ist unmittelbar ein Erbe der jüdischen Gerechtigkeits- und der christlichen Liebesethik. In der Substanz unverändert, ist dieses Erbe immer wieder kritisch angeeignet und neu interpretiert worden. Dazu gibt es bis heute keine Alternative. Auch angesichts der aktuellen Herausforderungen einer postnationalen Konstellation zehren wir nach wie vor von dieser Substanz. Alles andere ist postmodernes Gerede". From Jürgen Habermas - "Zeit der Übergänge" (Suhrkamp Verlag, 2001) p. 174f."Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03503746944125068931noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37148773.post-34394765351237519482013-12-24T12:25:11.965-05:002013-12-24T12:25:11.965-05:00Thanks Piotr. Just curious, what is the second lar...Thanks Piotr. Just curious, what is the second largest religion in Poland? Is it some form of the 7 Day Adventists? <br />Also, I have done some research and it looks like JWs do not consider themselves creationists and YEC, at least in North America, which is totally bizarre to me. I sent an email to my colleague who knows these things but because it's Christmas, he may not be do respond soon. <br /><br />There used to be a Polish Society devoted to creationism but it seems like it's not very active now. <br /><br />http://www.creationism.org.pl/Newbiehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12112647387206975751noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37148773.post-11934766907868235842013-12-24T12:16:43.024-05:002013-12-24T12:16:43.024-05:00Oh dear. Andy Wilberforce provides yet another ex...Oh dear. Andy Wilberforce provides yet another example of how his Christian ethical roadmap leads to lying:<br /><br />http://www.habermasforum.dk/index.php?type=news&text_id=460Faizal Alihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00937075798809265805noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37148773.post-74686544411765440472013-12-24T11:05:58.523-05:002013-12-24T11:05:58.523-05:00Piotr says: "You haven't demonstrated tha...Piotr says: "You haven't demonstrated that your map is any good. A false map may be worse than none."<br /><br />Let's see what atheist philosopher Jurgen Habermas has to say on the subject.<br /><br />For the normative self-understanding of modernity, Christianity has functioned as more than just a precursor or catalyst. Universalistic egalitarianism, from which sprang the ideals of freedom and a collective life in solidarity, the autonomous conduct of life and emancipation, the individual morality of conscience, human rights and democracy, is the direct legacy of the Judaic ethic of justice and the Christian ethic of love. This legacy, substantially unchanged, has been the object of a continual critical reappropriation and reinterpretation. Up to this very day there is no alternative to it. And in light of the current challenges of a post-national constellation, we must draw sustenance now, as in the past, from this substance. Everything else is idle postmodern talk."Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03503746944125068931noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37148773.post-33542148259351618982013-12-24T10:58:34.969-05:002013-12-24T10:58:34.969-05:00Diogenes mentioned Jerry Falwell as an example of ...Diogenes mentioned Jerry Falwell as an example of hateful speech. Later in life he renounced this rhetoric and worked for reconciliation with the gay community. <br />"Falwell's legacy regarding homosexuality is complicated by his support for LGBT civil rights (see "civil rights" section above), as well as his efforts at reconciliation with the LGBT community in later years. In October 1999 Falwell hosted a meeting of 200 evangelicals with 200 homosexuals at Thomas Road Baptist Church for an "Anti-Violence Forum", during which he acknowledged that some American evangelicals' comments about homosexuality entered the realm of hate speech that could incite violence."Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03503746944125068931noreply@blogger.com