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I'm a Christian and I agree. Well said, @4EverBonded.
No problem, Thunderfinger.
Some fierce opponents of scientific research of the kind mentioned are indeed religious folks, and not only Christians. But to turn this around and claim that all Christians are saboteurs of scientific progress would be utterly wrong.
Well that's easy, as Christianity and Judaism, in Europe, werethe common denominator: Athaism is the new kid on the block, relatively, of course. But what people believe is the almighty power in the universe, or what happens after death, doesn't really matter that much. I had a Christian collegue who claimed he had to live the perfect life as he not only had his direct surroundings and the law to abide to but thought he'd be judged by God as well. For me, I think it's the other way around. I only have to be judged by those around me (and the law), but that's the thing. For me there's no reconcilliation after death. If I die I can not right the things I've done wrong.
Does this all affect science? not in the least. If your scientific work is meant to advance humanity, I don't think anyone, in or after this life, will judge you negatively.
Then there's this odd thing about life and stemcells. Many don't seem to care about how many plants or animals that are killed daily (life!), but stemcells are life and you should not use them? How many deaths do those people have on their concience? How many squatted flies, burnt ants, killed wasps, smashed mosquito's? Life, on this planet, is in abundance. stemcells are all part of that. It's intelligent life that is, in one way or another, rare and special. And intelligence is, of course, open to debate. ;-)
I should have been clearer, the religious fanatical wing does usually nothing by logic only by their big book that is to be interpreted as people see fit, albeit the Bible, Torah or Koran, not sure what the Hindoes describe to.
And while I do not think that scientists should be given carte blanche in everything there should be a lot of leeway if humanity can benefit. Alzheimer and dementia are awefull on families and certainly in the beginning fases for the victim. Knowing that everything that you were is slowly dissapearing is a horrible faith for anybody.
Yes, I intend to keep this one for good now! Thanks for your support, dear @4EverBonded.
I remember a remark from a Muslim girl in one of my classes a few years ago. She thought it was outright criminal to abort pregnancies even if it could be demonstrated that the infant-to-be was genetically destined to spend but a few years on this planet and all the while in agonizing pain. A few days later I learned from a colleague, who teaches history, that she considered the Holocaust a "gift from Allah", a good thing as it were. Strange, how intervening with unborn life was something she detested, while terminating several millions of healthy lives over so superficial an issue as religious or political heritage was perfectly fine in her mind. (PC safety note: I'm don't mean to comment on all Muslims.)
This illustrates the nonsense that occurs when religious types derive their morality from a bunch of ludicrous, contradictory, execrable and ancient texts groundlessly held up to be 'the word of god'.
I get exasperated whenever a discussion of morality is joined in with by a contributor airing religiously-coloured viewpoints. Not simply because such viewpoints are inherently worthless (if they are untempered biblical quotations), but most particularly because of the arrogant presumption on the part of the religious that human morality comes from god and that their views must therefore carry absolute weight in any debate.
Ethics is not a subdomain of theology. Yet so often, even in more liberal media, morality always seems to be discussed in a religious context.
Whatever the rights or wrongs of stem cell research, religious arguments against or in favour are simply irrelevant to me.
So, you've got an (several) eternal judge in the sky who's work you're doing. That means you need a rule book. You probably have stories about the first person to start your religion. You pick the ones that work best, stick them together and you've got your rulebook, with stories to be interpreted in your favour, every single time. in Christianity it's called a 'bible', in Islam the 'q'oran' or whatever way you spell it and the Jews have their Tora. Names of books of others I don't know but no doubt they're there.
Every book should contain some of the following:
- Superiority of it's peoples. Why? Because that binds them together! When you're attacked by another clan you most certainly want to be the chosen peoples, right? And you wnat your neighbour on your side and not walking over to the other party.
Nice to know there's never been a people at war where one side did not claim to have a diety on their side.
- Rules to live your daily life. Hey, it's a rule book, and again, daily rituals also bind people together. It's a two-in-one.
- Punishment stories. If you do this (insert wrongdoing), you get hanged/stoned/ beaten/ burnt/ etc. Make it gruesome, that should teach them!
- Promise of paradise if you follow the rules. Hey, it's called 'stick AND carrot'right?
So, here's your basic religion. Why people believe in these things? Well, we're genetically set to belong to a group, for safety reasons. We tend to prefer a certain set of safety's or constant factors, so we'll notice it when they're different, but moreso because it gives time to prioretise on other matters. Those who guard, guard. Those who seek food, seek food, and both sides depend on eachother.
So genetically we're programmed to follow sets of rules, and to play it safe we prefer those rules that give us certainty over things we cannot be certain about but scare the hell out of us, preferably death. Hey, that's where religion has one over secular lawbooks.
Christianity,taking some of the better parts of Judaism and adding the threat of Hell, was introduced by the Roman elite to pacify the population. Worked real well, so well in fact that they lost Constantinople and their Eastern kingdom to the invading muslims.
Islam, taking the worst parts of Judaism,turning most of the ten commandments upside down and adding a lot of even worse commandments and a brothel in the sky for "martyrs", was invented to help Muhammad access booty and slaves and make him ruler of Arabia. Worked wonders as well.
A rather oversimplified and untrue account on the faith of Islam, at least some respect for the truth. Like Christianity and Judaism they have their share of lunatic followers. I have many believers of the religion Islam that carry the same values as the average christian and they both detest the extremists.
I found the history of Islam a fascinating one and just as plagued by schisms as Christianity has.
Sorry to hear that you have read a false version of the Quran, the Hadiths and the Sira as well as a false version of islamic history. Personally I have only read those versions that are agreed upon by all Islamic scholars. Most "muslims" are as clueless as you are about it, I have several friends and aquaintances like that too. They live in a lalaland that is designed by some well meaning mullahs or family members who do not fancy the truth. The "islamists" (as we call them, they say "muslims") have it 100 percent right, and I really really wish that was not the case.
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/business/news/article.cfm?c_id=3&objectid=11270548
http://www.dailystar.co.uk/tech/382938/Supercomputer-passes-the-Turing-test-could-Terminator-become-a-reality
The singularity is near...
@forgotmyusername, I'm a fan of Tesla's work (and in a geeky note: Bowie's portrayal of the man in The Prestige makes me an even bigger fan on the pure 'cool' factor alone. :))
@QBranch, I feel like the days of the fembots are finally upon us. :D
http://www.theguardian.com/science/2014/jun/13/earth-may-have-underground-ocean-three-times-that-on-surface
I don't know about anyone else, but I find this VERY interesting. I mean, it could make for a superb sequel to Waterworld. Watch this (inner) space.
Groovy, baby! I have a love-hate relationship with machine gun jubblies. But mostly love >:D<
:))
And without Tesla there would of course be no Tesla coils to perform classic hits like this: