Im not sure if I am understanding your question. The way you worded that, I dont see a difference between the two. It seems that adaptation is just another name for evolution in the manner you used the phrases.

Yes, I agree that we do not have control over the evolution of the world though. Think of it this way; a farmer uses insecticide to kill insects. Some insects resist the poison and reproduce. Eventually, the farmer must switch formulations because it no longer kills the bugs. Maybe the bugs want to evolve more of a brain/eye/sense of style....whatever, but they adapt to the surroundings since that is what is needed to keep them alive.

 

ceasing to be. not existing.

what isn't supposed to happen? Bush winning those elections? things like that either boil down to cheating or coincidence.

I've very into dreaming, i practice lucid dreaming from time to time. Making up stories, painting fantasy landscapes, taking hallucingens, believe me, i enjoy fantasy alot. But it's just that. fantasy not reality. I really wish it was, it's fun. I too would love a magic afterlife and gain some superpowers. sounds badazz, huh? I can definitely see the draw. Looking forward to ceasing to be, to nothingness with no consciousness can be depressing for some people.

ok, sarah silverman can be annoying sometimes on tv, because she's very censored. watch the standup she does on jesus is magic. definitely up there with unique performances only a little woman like that could get away with.

 

we're evolving in some noticable ways. height is the obvious. people 500 years ago were about half a foot shorter on average. There are probably alot more bigger brains out there now then there were 500 years ago as well, hopefully they procreate more, while the dumb people procreate less(but that doesn't seem to happen).

I'm really not sure if our immune system or lungs are developing in a positive way, though. That brings up a good point if our inner systems are adapting to our environement anymore. I would think that people that live in crazy high elevations like those that live in the andes have possibley developed slightly different lungs for their environment. Probably not in the last 100 years though, as medicine is really screwing up natural selection.

 

Wait... Krusty, I can't remember what your avatar was before and it's driving me crazy.

 

One thing that's really getting on my nerves in this thread is the constant misunderstanding of evolution. Evolution is not an active and conscious ability. It is a description of a process. We do not just decide one day, hey you know what? I think I want an organ to make me better detect my prey, and then pop! there it is. Genetic mutations are RANDOM. Radiation from the sun causes bonds in our DNA to break and alters its structure. This can have severe reprecussions or it can benefit us. Other DNA mutations occur during fertilization when things like crossing over and mistakes in DNA combinations can mix and match genes or errors in translation that can alter the whole DNA strand (phase shifting, base pair removal, etc.) You get a mutation that can either stop something from being made, make some new protein or structure, or replace the old structure with the new structure.

Short story long... One mutation occurs. Either the organism benefits from the mutation (photopores for example) and is better equipped to survive and thus breeds more and passes the gene on (in which case over time this gene should propagate while the rest of the population, being less equipped to survive relative to the mutant, slowly over the generations does not.) or the organism is harmed by the mutation and either dies on the spot (aborted because of a malformation of the heart for example) or can survive but struggles (example: stunted limbs) and will not breed to propagate the inferior genes or is eaten by predators (example: albinism) and thus it's genetic line ceases. This is how natural selection works. Evolution is merely the description of how species' can change over time through mutations and breeding. (by the way, for reference, as far as I recall the definition of a species is a group of organisms that can breed with one another and foster a fertile offspring)

 

you can not pass on a mutation caused from this. you can only pass on a mutation you were born with.

 

lengthy, but well said. darwinism at work....

 

sorry, im just getting irritated. this topic is really heated at times. For evolution, see above 2 posts...

and just for the fun of things, men have nipples becuase the last thing to develop on an infant is its gender. So by the time their genitailia is developed they are nearly complete, including nipples. also, just to creep everyone out... it is a fact (no not tested dont even ask ) that men can lactate (produce milk from their nipples)... so they do work but are not developed because the ability to lactate (which comes from milk glands) are last to develop.

WHY DO PEOPLE KEEP ASKING THIS DUMB QUESTION!

 

Well the way I see it is I feel like there is something to look forward to in my afterlife but at the same time I don't know when my number will be called so I do also want to make the best of my life on earth. I want to do the best I can here and be the best person I can be here so I can go to heaven feeling proud of who I was and the ways I have contributed and helped others.

I get what you are saying, no longer existing, no recall of anything that happened in your life. Basically to put it into a nutshell you are no more, and never will be.

 

Where did you hear the Bible written by men alone? It was written by GOD! He used men as tools to physically write it though. You should try reading it before passing judgement.
Besides, how can you experience everything in the world and not realize it did not happen by chance? Would you rather have been descended from apes or made in the image of God? It's a case of if I need to explain it you won't understand! I'll also pray for you!

 

First off, do you have physical evidence that "God" was controlling them? No I thought not. Second, you have no proof that the world did not happen by chance. And yes, if you understood the natural laws and tendencies of the universe you would see that it really isn't that hard to see life arising on its own. Thirdly, I'd rather know the truth of my origins. It doesn't matter what I want to be descended from. I don't have a choice in the matter. I'm not a follower of blissful ignorance. And the last two sentences are a cop out and a half. If everyone took that stance the world would be thrown into the dark ages and the world would be drown in the grip of communism.

 

Hey, nice to see a new face. Don't bother praying for me, I'd rather God help out some less fortunate people that are dying from starvation than focus his efforts on trying to make me a believer. Oh and by the way, I've read the bible cover to cover three times going on four so ease up on the attacking.
Would I rather have been descended from apes or made in God's image? God's image of course. Unfortunately history and science are not based on "What I would rather be".
How can I experience everything and not think it is chance? If God designed us why did he create the need to eat? He could have solved all the world's hunger problems by simply making it not necessary to sustain ourselves through eating. So either God wanted people to starve to death or it isn't a grand design.

 

speaking of the dark ages, I read somewhere that if the dark ages had not occurred, our technology would probably be 100-150 years more advance than it is now.

Buy me an iRobot

 

there are good and bad things we have now because of the dark ages.

If christians hadn't dominated from 476-1000ad, then muslims may have taken over more, maybe we'd have had a much different europe.
and if we had the current rate of stupid overpopulation, and we were 100+ years farther with medicine, then our population may be a lot higher.

you never know. sure the church was stupid back then, but so was everyone else.
most people NEED a religion to live their life right.

as an atheist, it scares me when christians ask something like "if you don't believe in a god, why don't you just go buck wild and kill people." I am soooo glad they have a religion, because if that's their attitude about life, that they need rules based off of fairy tales to keep themselves in check, then them and the rest of the world need to be kept in the dark about reality.

Again, like 99% of all the rapists and murderers in prison are christians. Jus think if they didn't have a religion and it's rules, if they can't even keep themselves in check when they do.

 

I have read some of the comments on this thread, but do not plan to read all of them, but thought I would share my belief and we can go on from here.

I wasn’t raised with church and religion. I was baptized in a Catholic church, but that was it. My parents never took our family to church, I think mostly because my father had to work on Sundays, but even after that, we never went. My gf is Catholic and has participated in all the steps needed to be a Catholic. I have had this conversation with here from time to time when we talk about marriage, as many of you know; we cannot get married in a Catholic Church unless I do what is needed to be an accepted member of the Catholic Church. I told her I would do them for her to give her the wedding she has always wanted and that in the future, if and when we have kids that I would not mind for her to take our children to church, (She knows I will not go) but when they get older and ask why daddy doesn’t go, I will then sit them down and tell them that I do not believe in church and explain why and we must allow them to make a decision if they want to continue to go. My GF gets mad because she thinks that I question God, Its not that I question God, But I rather question Churches beliefs.

I am not an Atheist and I have faith that there is a God. With out it this world would be chaos. There has to be a medium, if no one believed in God and feared him, then all hell would break lose. If there was no punishment for doing wrong, and we knew that was a fact, hell…I would be a looting ****!
So maybe, even if God’s Wraith was just an Idea created to scared people from doing wrong, It’s been working for me!
Whether we evolved from dirt, or we just popped out of thin air, I do believe there is a higher being responsible

 

that's horrible. You're going to have your 3 year old get brainwashed. Go check out her church's sunday schools for children. Do they got these kids singing about jesus dying on the cross for their sins? That if their good boys and girls they'll go to heaven. In ten years those kids will be immersed in "the truth" about jesus and you'll have a good little christian who hasn't come up with his faith or ideas about the world on his own.

Sending your children off to be brainwashed every sunday, starting as soon as they can talk. that's disgusting. I'm a parent and I went through that process myself.


lol. did you read my last post? exactly what I was talking about. Dumb people need religion or they go crazy and destroy the planet.

 

^^lol

why would the world be in chaos without religion?

There would actually be a a lot fewer wars and fanatacism.

i agree with dave on this one, there is a bigger problem here if all that stops people from going out and destroying the human civilization is a system of beliefs instituted 1000+ years ago.

I mean, im not a homicidal maniac or terrorist...and i am very anti-church. I actually probably give back more than most church-goers....and a lot of atheists im sure can say that.

 

Apparently I didnt read all of the posts and realize that this was a one way Thread, were Dave calls people dumb for believeing in religion.

Maybe you didnt read all of my post. I told my GF that she could take them, and when they got old enough to ask why I dont go, I will tell them and let them decide if they want to continue to go. She is a Catholic/Christian, but dont get it wrong, She is by no means a fulltime. You say you were raised with it....were you brainwashed Dave? .......Cause it seems to me that you have been abled to think for yourself and come to your own conclusion about religion. My children will not be forced to go if they do not want to. My GF understands this and respects it.

 

^LOL. Atheist help mankind because it is the right thing to do, theists help mankind to get to heaven.

 

I read all of your post, twice just to make sure before iposted before
so you're going to wait until they've been in church for 10+ years being told "this is the undeniable truth, and questioning it is a sin." and then "let them decide". you're kidding me, right?

Look, your kids are hardly going to care about the end of the world, and what everything means until they are much older. PLEASE wait until then, before you give them a choice on where they want to believe in life. If you have them spend 10+ years of their life learning one thing, especially during their impressionable childhood they're going to believe that the rest of their life. Teach a child it's ok to hit your wife, and they'll believe it.

Say you were to teach your child racism is tolerated, they'll be a racist all growing up, until hopefully when they're out of your house they realise it's not. But you've grown up a racist, who more than likely will always be. Are you starting to get what I'm saying?

HELL YES i was brainwashed. Have you not read any posts in this thread?
Like I said above, after being brainwashed for 14+ years, I dove deeper into the religion learning all about it, at which point i started realising the bible is false. You can do that to your kid if you'd like, teach them lies they're whole life, but i don't, and i think responsible parents wouldn't. Ok, if you're kid's going to be lesser intelligence and like you said, "I'd run amok without believes in a religion", then maybe it's better to teach them lies to keep them inline.

church since i was born, christian school. I wasted much time praying, and while i was a depresser kid growing up, and praying helped give me hope and alleviate that, i realised it was just all in my head.