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Belief in God, miracles & heaven declines as Darwin's theory of evolution rises

TownieDeac said:
Yes it is by definition random, chaotic, unpredictable.
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TownieDeac said:
Huh? The placebo effect is fairly well understood.
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Actually, no it isn't which is why the NIH recently put out RFAs (set aside $$) for research on the placebo effect.

http://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/rfa-files/RFA-DA-12-003.html

http://grants1.nih.gov/grants/guide/rfa-files/RFA-DA-12-004.html

Part of this is in response to the FDA requirement that drugs be better than placebo which for CNS drugs was often hard to do. It was always assumed to be some sort of baseline constant but a lot of factors can alter the efficacy of the placebo effect. No one understands it. Researchers are also trying to understand it in order to increase the effect.

http://harvardmagazine.com/2013/01/the-placebo-phenomenon
 
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ChicdeaC said:
The very idea that something would re-evolve in the same way it did historically, absent the same environment is antithetical to the theory itself.
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What exactly did I change about the environment? Nothing except I removed what was not there the first time...the evolved human.

That said, developmental evolutionary theorists absolutely believe that some "solutions" could be conserved during the process if two evolving universes were put side by side under different environments. There are only so many practical solutions to the problems an organism faces. The language of genes is not completely random and neither are the potential outcomes. There is certainly randomness to the process, but it's probably limited. That's what sort of guides futurists in their depictions of what might be down the road.
 
TownieDeac said:
Yes it is by definition random, chaotic, unpredictable.
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Nothing is completely random, chaotic or unpredictable. Particle physics operates under pretty ordered and predictable processes/outcomes...that we don't quite understand but we see cause and effect. Why would life comprised of those particles and rules and processes....be something different? In theory evolution could be completely random, chaotic, or unpredictable but it isn't. The famous Richard Dawkins talked a lot about the non-randomness of evolution. Here's an interesting explanation.

http://www.patheos.com/blogs/daylightatheism/essays/why-evolution-isnt-chance/
 
DeaconCav06 said:
God and evolution aren't mutually exclusive.
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DG3 said:
As a Christian, I am definitely a minority in my belief that Christianity and evolution can co-exist and believe that they do. It's frustrating when other Christians take such a hard line on the Bible and use it as their set of absolute rules. That's not how the Bible was written.


ETA: I'm with Rev on this.
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These
 
TownieDeac said:
http://www.harrisinteractive.com/Ne... Default/mid/1508/ArticleId/1353/Default.aspx

Americans' Belief in God, Miracles and Heaven Declines Belief in Darwin's theory of evolution rises

New York, N.Y. - December 16, 2013 - A new Harris Poll finds that while a strong majority (74%) of U.S. adults do believe in God, this belief is in decline when compared to previous years as just over four in five (82%) expressed a belief in God in 2005, 2007 and 2009. Also, while majorities also believe in miracles (72%, down from 79% in 2005), heaven (68%, down from 75%), that Jesus is God or the Son of God (68%, down from 72%), the resurrection of Jesus Christ (65%, down from 70%), the survival of the soul after death (64%, down from 69%), the devil, hell (both at 58%, down from 62%) and the Virgin birth (57%, down from 60%), these are all down from previous Harris Polls.

Belief in Darwin's theory of evolution, however, while well below levels recorded for belief in God, miracles and heaven, is up in comparison to 2005 findings (47%, up from 42%).

These are some of the results of The Harris Poll® of 2,250 adults surveyed online between November 13 and 18, 2013 by Harris Interactive.

The survey also finds that 42% of Americans believe in ghosts, 36% each believe in creationism and UFOs, 29% believe in astrology, 26% believe in witches and 24% believe in reincarnation - that they were once another person.

Generational & political divides

Echo Boomers are less likely than their counterparts in all older generations to express belief in God (64% Echo Boomers, 75% Gen Xers, 81% Baby Boomers, 83% Matures), miracles (65%, 74%, 76% and 78%, respectively), that Jesus is God or the Son of God (58%, 67%, 74% and 75%, respectively) and angels (59%, 71%, 73% and 68%, respectively.

On the other end of the generational spectrum, Matures are far less likely than any other generation to express belief in ghosts (44% Echo Boomers, 46% Gen Xers, 46% Baby Boomers, 24% Matures), witches (27%, 29%, 28% and 18%, respectively) and reincarnation (27%, 25%, 23% and 13%, respectively).

Turning to the political spectrum, Democrats and Independents show similar levels of belief in most of the tested concepts, with Republicans consistently more likely than either group to express belief in those concepts aligned with the Judeo-Christian belief system; Republicans are less likely than either group to express belief in Darwin's theory of evolution (36% Republicans, 52% Democrats, 51% Independents).

Absolute certainty that there is a God down vs. 10 years ago

In a separate line of questioning, focused on Americans' degree of certainty that there is or is not a God, two-thirds of Americans (68%) indicate being either absolutely or somewhat certain that there is a God, while 54% specify being absolutely certain; these figures represent drops of 11 and 12 percentage points, respectively, from 2003 testing, where combined certainty was at 79% and absolute certainty was at 66%.

Meanwhile, combined belief that there is no God (16%) and uncertainty as to whether or not there is a God (also 16%) are both up from 2003 findings (when these levels were 9% and 12%, respectively).

Outside of specific religious samples, the groups most likely to be absolutely certain there is a God include blacks (70%), Republicans (65%), Matures (62%) and Baby Boomers (60%), Southerners (61%) and Midwesterners (58%), and those with a high school education or less (60%).

Gender of God

There continues to be no consensus as to whether God is a man or a woman. Nearly 4 in 10 Americans (39%) think He is male, while only 1% of U.S. adults believe She is female. However, notable minorities believe God is neither male nor female (31%) or both male and female (10%).

Women, perhaps surprisingly, are more likely than men to believe that God is male (43% women, 34% men), while men are more likely to believe that God is neither male nor female (34% men, 28% women).

God's control over the Earth

There also a continuing - and increasing - lack of consensus as to how much control, if any, God has over what happens on Earth.

A 37% plurality of Americans (including 52% of Catholics) believes that God observes but does not control what happens on Earth - down considerably from 2003, when half of Americans (50%) expressed this belief. Just under three in ten (29%) Americans, including majorities of those who self-identify as very religious (60%) and/or born-again Christians (56%), believe that God controls what happens on Earth.

Religious texts as "Word of God"

Just under half of Americans believe that all or most of the Old Testament (49%) and the New Testament (48%) are the "Word of God," representing declines of six percentage points each from 2008 findings.

Prevalence of "Religious" self-identification

Just under two in ten Americans (19%) describe themselves are "very" religious, with an additional four in ten (40%) describing themselves as "somewhat" religious (40%, down from 49% in 2007). Nearly one-fourth of Americans (23%) identify themselves as "not at all" religious - a figure that has nearly doubled since 2007, when it was at 12%.
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Oh damn, I will set you straight.
 
pourdeac said:
Nothing is completely random, chaotic or unpredictable. Particle physics operates under pretty ordered and predictable processes/outcomes...that we don't quite understand but we see cause and effect. Why would life comprised of those particles and rules and processes....be something different? In theory evolution could be completely random, chaotic, or unpredictable but it isn't. The famous Richard Dawkins talked a lot about the non-randomness of evolution. Here's an interesting explanation.

http://www.patheos.com/blogs/daylightatheism/essays/why-evolution-isnt-chance/
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lolwut_verbose_display.jpg
 
Chaos theory, quantum mechanics, and a host of other topics say hello to your statement.
 
pourdeac said:
What exactly did I change about the environment? Nothing except I removed what was not there the first time...the evolved human.

That said, developmental evolutionary theorists absolutely believe that some "solutions" could be conserved during the process if two evolving universes were put side by side under different environments. There are only so many practical solutions to the problems an organism faces. The language of genes is not completely random and neither are the potential outcomes. There is certainly randomness to the process, but it's probably limited. That's what sort of guides futurists in their depictions of what might be down the road.
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Meh. The solutions they are referring to being conserved do not come close to being the types of biological processes, or anything else for that matter, which distinguish us as humans. The fact that evolution finds common solutions to problems (see: convergent evolution) does not mean it is directed in the sense you are describing as likely possibility. You seem to be misconstruing the fact that there are, in every example I can think of, a limited number of evolutionarily favorable responses to selective pressures as the system having some sort of defined or destined endpoint. Evolution will never cease so long as life exists and as such there is no endpoint to which it can be directed or destined. It simply happens at every level of life we can observe. Hell even viruses evolve and those shits are not even alive by most classical definitions.
 
Deadbolt said:
This is the best thing to come out of this thread. Good game everyone, but Diggler won.
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agreed - some amazing stuff there.

Regarding belief in evolution, I'm really surprised the percentages are so low. I really had no idea, thought it was a small group who didn't believe. I've never (knowingly) met anyone who did not believe in evolution, even with 10 years of Catholic school and lots of Christian friends. I guess based on the statistics I'm very likely to have met someone who didn't, but I've never heard someone speak to that belief.
 
RollTheQuad06 said:
agreed - some amazing stuff there.

Regarding belief in evolution, I'm really surprised the percentages are so low. I really had no idea, thought it was a small group who didn't believe. I've never (knowingly) met anyone who did not believe in evolution, even with 10 years of Catholic school and lots of Christian friends. I guess based on the statistics I'm very likely to have met someone who didn't, but I've never heard someone speak to that belief.
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i'm guessing the non-believers are a little more bold when answering an anonymous survey
 
RollTheQuad06 said:
agreed - some amazing stuff there.

Regarding belief in evolution, I'm really surprised the percentages are so low. I really had no idea, thought it was a small group who didn't believe. I've never (knowingly) met anyone who did not believe in evolution, even with 10 years of Catholic school and lots of Christian friends. I guess based on the statistics I'm very likely to have met someone who didn't, but I've never heard someone speak to that belief.
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Met a few people early freshman year who didn't believe in evolution and was pretty shocked by it. Was definitely a "welcome to the south" moment.
 
Say Hey Deac said:
LizLemonWhattheWhat.gif


This was just sort of slipped in there all casually. Are you fucking kidding me? Like fucking MOVIE witches with brooms and cauldrons and shit? Please at least tell me they're talking about the ChicDeac nature witches who have magicsex, and not the Wicked Witch of the West.
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I don't really understand that stat either. Witches exist. There are now and have been in the past people that practice witchcraft, do ceremonies, spells, potions, curses, etc... That doesn't mean they have real magical powers.
 
WakeForestRanger said:
I don't really understand that stat either. Witches exist. There are now and have been in the past people that practice witchcraft, do ceremonies, spells, potions, curses, etc... That doesn't mean they have real magical powers.
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you clearly have never had magicsex...that ish is real ;)
 
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