Comments on: Why We Need Religion… and I Couldn’t Have Said It Better Myself http://yaholo.net/science-and-religion/why-we-need-religion-and-i-couldnt-have-said-it-better-myself/ "For those who are seeking truth, want to experience God, pondering the meaning of life, and wonder why hot dogs come in packs of ten but the buns in packs of eight." - Yaholo, The Practical Mystic. Sun, 25 Jul 2010 18:01:06 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.2 hourly 1 By: Yaholo http://yaholo.net/science-and-religion/why-we-need-religion-and-i-couldnt-have-said-it-better-myself/comment-page-1/#comment-119 Yaholo Wed, 06 May 2009 20:40:09 +0000 http://yaholo.net/?p=263#comment-119 @junesattack Since you didn't cite your source, I can't directly address what gave you that particular impression. Radiation testing, and other similar methods like carbon-dating, are touchy at best. In order for them to be accurate, you have to know for sure the radiation levels at the beginning of the universe (no one knows that). We can make educated guesses, but we don't know. Also, radiation half-lifes can be effected by the surrounding environment. For an accurate measurement, we would have to assume that the conditions determining the current measurable half-life are identical to the past conditions. You should read into the concept of "assumption of strong priors", which is basically states that all these theories have to make assumptions of prior conditions. I am not disagreeing that current evidence and methodology points to a 14 billion year universe, but I am objecting to the assumption that we "know" it is 14 billion years old or that it is "answered". You are exposing a very "faith" like trust in science if that is your position. And not even science, you are putting faith in contemporary science, which has a long history of absurdity. @junesattack
Since you didn’t cite your source, I can’t directly address what gave you that particular impression. Radiation testing, and other similar methods like carbon-dating, are touchy at best. In order for them to be accurate, you have to know for sure the radiation levels at the beginning of the universe (no one knows that). We can make educated guesses, but we don’t know.

Also, radiation half-lifes can be effected by the surrounding environment. For an accurate measurement, we would have to assume that the conditions determining the current measurable half-life are identical to the past conditions.

You should read into the concept of “assumption of strong priors”, which is basically states that all these theories have to make assumptions of prior conditions.

I am not disagreeing that current evidence and methodology points to a 14 billion year universe, but I am objecting to the assumption that we “know” it is 14 billion years old or that it is “answered”. You are exposing a very “faith” like trust in science if that is your position. And not even science, you are putting faith in contemporary science, which has a long history of absurdity.

]]> By: junesattack http://yaholo.net/science-and-religion/why-we-need-religion-and-i-couldnt-have-said-it-better-myself/comment-page-1/#comment-118 junesattack Wed, 06 May 2009 19:27:15 +0000 http://yaholo.net/?p=263#comment-118 @yaholo actually, based on the leftover radiation from the beginning of the universe, ours is about 14 billion years old. science answered that one. @yaholo
actually, based on the leftover radiation from the beginning of the universe, ours is about 14 billion years old. science answered that one.

]]> By: Rich S http://yaholo.net/science-and-religion/why-we-need-religion-and-i-couldnt-have-said-it-better-myself/comment-page-1/#comment-117 Rich S Wed, 06 May 2009 18:39:25 +0000 http://yaholo.net/?p=263#comment-117 I need the Christ centered belief because I need God in my life. I need the Christ centered belief because I need God in my life.

]]> By: Yaholo http://yaholo.net/science-and-religion/why-we-need-religion-and-i-couldnt-have-said-it-better-myself/comment-page-1/#comment-116 Yaholo Wed, 06 May 2009 17:25:15 +0000 http://yaholo.net/?p=263#comment-116 I think the part of the point is that the origin of life has yet to be an empirical question. Empirical means that we can verify a hypothesis with a repeatable and demonstrable experiment. Until we can create a universe in a lab or life from a petri dish, we are stuck *gasp* with religion. Although I would agree that the age of the universe is not a question either can really answer well at this point. I would also concede that religion, while identifying a source of life, cannot answer HOW that life actually came into existence. Again, it is about logically and realistically acknowledging our limitations. There is too much we don't know, that science or religion claiming an answer to is foolish. However, there are questions of context and purpose where religion gives us a direction, a history, and point of reference that science cannot offer. I think the part of the point is that the origin of life has yet to be an empirical question. Empirical means that we can verify a hypothesis with a repeatable and demonstrable experiment. Until we can create a universe in a lab or life from a petri dish, we are stuck *gasp* with religion.

Although I would agree that the age of the universe is not a question either can really answer well at this point. I would also concede that religion, while identifying a source of life, cannot answer HOW that life actually came into existence.

Again, it is about logically and realistically acknowledging our limitations. There is too much we don’t know, that science or religion claiming an answer to is foolish.

However, there are questions of context and purpose where religion gives us a direction, a history, and point of reference that science cannot offer.

]]> By: Cenobite http://yaholo.net/science-and-religion/why-we-need-religion-and-i-couldnt-have-said-it-better-myself/comment-page-1/#comment-115 Cenobite Wed, 06 May 2009 17:11:36 +0000 http://yaholo.net/?p=263#comment-115 Yeah...that's great. So the next time Science goes out in search of answers to purely empirical questions such as the age of the universe or the origin of carbon-based life, we can trust Religion to STFU and stay the hell out of the way? Yeah…that’s great.

So the next time Science goes out in search of answers to purely empirical questions such as the age of the universe or the origin of carbon-based life, we can trust Religion to STFU and stay the hell out of the way?

]]> By: Paul http://yaholo.net/science-and-religion/why-we-need-religion-and-i-couldnt-have-said-it-better-myself/comment-page-1/#comment-114 Paul Tue, 05 May 2009 12:57:13 +0000 http://yaholo.net/?p=263#comment-114 Excellent article. I should dust off the obsolete library card and get this book. Excellent article. I should dust off the obsolete library card and get this book.

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