Sunday, June 15, 2008
Blog #6 Exploring Counterarguments
In blog post #5, I claimed that God did not create the universe because man created the idea of a God. This causes a lot of controversy amongst religious believers. Someone holding an opposing viewpoint might argue that the nature of earth is too intricate and fits together so perfectly that it had to be created by an intelligent designer. I will agree that the way life works on earth is amazing. Let us imagine that an intelligent designer did indeed create the universe in all its intricacies. This deity did not make automobiles, houses, computers, etc. So this means that at some point in this theory evolution had to have taken over. When did that occur? What characteristics separate the things that have been intelligently design by a deity and the things that have been intelligently designed by a human? Maybe earth was intelligently design by a being that came from another place in our universe? There are a lot of unknowns about the way our universe works, what it consists of and where it truly ends. I feel our universe is so enormous and filled with so many other galaxies with planets of their own that the chances of life occurring on one or more of them are not that unlikely.
Thursday, June 12, 2008
Blog #5 Questions about God and the Origin of the Universe
Did God create the universe??
No.
There are many big questions out there. Where did we come from; is one of them. People want answers. Sure, God is an option. However, I do not think it is any more reasonable than any other theory. Let’s go back in time, when humans existed without the use of science, technology, and the knowledge we use today. Early humans could not come up with logical explanations for simple occurrences such as thunderstorms and death. At that time of the world, God was a reasonable explanation. The belief in God instilled fear and established rules. I believe the religion was used as one of the first forms of government. People were scared to go to hell and scared of the wrath of God so in return they would behave. I think that people believe in god because they do not have another option and they are scared not to.
In an interview conducted by CCTV with Daniel C. Dennett, the author of “Breaking the Spell,” He says that most religions do not even exist anymore. Mr. Dennett also suggests that the religions we still see active today were designed for survival. While being interviewed Daniel C. Dennett stated, “We know there was a time, not long ago by biological standards, when there was no religion at all.” Can religion exist without believers? Can religion and God exist if humans do not? What I gathered by listening to Dennett’s interview was that God did not create man; rather man created God.
No.
There are many big questions out there. Where did we come from; is one of them. People want answers. Sure, God is an option. However, I do not think it is any more reasonable than any other theory. Let’s go back in time, when humans existed without the use of science, technology, and the knowledge we use today. Early humans could not come up with logical explanations for simple occurrences such as thunderstorms and death. At that time of the world, God was a reasonable explanation. The belief in God instilled fear and established rules. I believe the religion was used as one of the first forms of government. People were scared to go to hell and scared of the wrath of God so in return they would behave. I think that people believe in god because they do not have another option and they are scared not to.
In an interview conducted by CCTV with Daniel C. Dennett, the author of “Breaking the Spell,” He says that most religions do not even exist anymore. Mr. Dennett also suggests that the religions we still see active today were designed for survival. While being interviewed Daniel C. Dennett stated, “We know there was a time, not long ago by biological standards, when there was no religion at all.” Can religion exist without believers? Can religion and God exist if humans do not? What I gathered by listening to Dennett’s interview was that God did not create man; rather man created God.
Tuesday, June 3, 2008
Blog #4 "Conceptual Clarifications"
Topic: God and the Origin of the Universe
Intelligent Design
is the assertion that "certain features of the universe and of living things are best explained by an intelligent cause, not an undirected process such as natural selection".
Relevance
Intelligent Design is one common belief, among religious people, about the origin of the universe. The intelligent designer is most often thought of as “God.”
"Intelligent design." Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. 3 Jun 2008, 04:02 UTC. Wikimedia Foundation, Inc. 4 Jun 2008 <http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Intelligent_design&oldid=216775926>.
The Big Bang
The Big Bang is a cosmological model of the universe that has become well supported by several independent observations. If the universe is seen to be expanding today, then it must have been smaller, denser, and hotter in the past. This idea has been considered in detail all the way back to extreme densities and temperatures, and the resulting conclusions have been found to conform very closely to what is observed.
Relevance
The Big Bang is the opposing common belief, popular amongst scientific people, about the origin of the universe.
"Big Bang." Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. 31 May 2008, 08:04 UTC. Wikimedia Foundation, Inc. 4 Jun 2008 <http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Big_Bang&oldid=216146065>.
Darwin
an English naturalist,[I] eminent as a collector and geologist, who proposed and provided scientific evidence that all species of life have evolved over time from common ancestors through the process he called natural selection.
Relevance
Darwin developed theories explaining the development of the universe through natural selection. Which differed from the theories of “ by chance,” and that of “itelligent design.”
Until the time of Darwin these were the only two options providing an explanation of the universe.
"Charles Darwin." Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. 3 Jun 2008, 22:06 UTC. Wikimedia Foundation, Inc. 4 Jun 2008 <http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Charles_Darwin&oldid=216937910>.
Natural Selection
Natural selection is the process by which favorable heritable traits become more common in successive generations of a population of reproducing organisms, and unfavorable heritable traits become less common.
Relevance
Darwin invented the term “natural selection” to explain his process of evolution, leading back to the origin of the universe.
"Natural selection." Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. 3 Jun 2008, 20:50 UTC. Wikimedia Foundation, Inc. 4 Jun 2008 <http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Natural_selection&oldid=216923220>.
The Size of the Universe
The Universe is most commonly defined as everything that physically exists: the entirety of space and time, all forms of matter, energy and momentum, and the physical laws and constants that govern them. Astronomical observations indicate that the universe is 13.73 ± 0.12 billion years old and at least 93 billion light years across.
Relevance
I feel that understanding the size of the universe will help support or oppose the popular theories concerning the origin of the universe. Understanding the size of the universe and what it consists of will provide a better understanding of it’s origin.
"Universe." Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. 3 Jun 2008, 23:37 UTC. Wikimedia Foundation, Inc. 4 Jun 2008 <http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Universe&oldid=216954830>.
Intelligent Design
is the assertion that "certain features of the universe and of living things are best explained by an intelligent cause, not an undirected process such as natural selection".
Relevance
Intelligent Design is one common belief, among religious people, about the origin of the universe. The intelligent designer is most often thought of as “God.”
"Intelligent design." Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. 3 Jun 2008, 04:02 UTC. Wikimedia Foundation, Inc. 4 Jun 2008 <http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Intelligent_design&oldid=216775926>.
The Big Bang
The Big Bang is a cosmological model of the universe that has become well supported by several independent observations. If the universe is seen to be expanding today, then it must have been smaller, denser, and hotter in the past. This idea has been considered in detail all the way back to extreme densities and temperatures, and the resulting conclusions have been found to conform very closely to what is observed.
Relevance
The Big Bang is the opposing common belief, popular amongst scientific people, about the origin of the universe.
"Big Bang." Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. 31 May 2008, 08:04 UTC. Wikimedia Foundation, Inc. 4 Jun 2008 <http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Big_Bang&oldid=216146065>.
Darwin
an English naturalist,[I] eminent as a collector and geologist, who proposed and provided scientific evidence that all species of life have evolved over time from common ancestors through the process he called natural selection.
Relevance
Darwin developed theories explaining the development of the universe through natural selection. Which differed from the theories of “ by chance,” and that of “itelligent design.”
Until the time of Darwin these were the only two options providing an explanation of the universe.
"Charles Darwin." Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. 3 Jun 2008, 22:06 UTC. Wikimedia Foundation, Inc. 4 Jun 2008 <http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Charles_Darwin&oldid=216937910>.
Natural Selection
Natural selection is the process by which favorable heritable traits become more common in successive generations of a population of reproducing organisms, and unfavorable heritable traits become less common.
Relevance
Darwin invented the term “natural selection” to explain his process of evolution, leading back to the origin of the universe.
"Natural selection." Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. 3 Jun 2008, 20:50 UTC. Wikimedia Foundation, Inc. 4 Jun 2008 <http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Natural_selection&oldid=216923220>.
The Size of the Universe
The Universe is most commonly defined as everything that physically exists: the entirety of space and time, all forms of matter, energy and momentum, and the physical laws and constants that govern them. Astronomical observations indicate that the universe is 13.73 ± 0.12 billion years old and at least 93 billion light years across.
Relevance
I feel that understanding the size of the universe will help support or oppose the popular theories concerning the origin of the universe. Understanding the size of the universe and what it consists of will provide a better understanding of it’s origin.
"Universe." Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. 3 Jun 2008, 23:37 UTC. Wikimedia Foundation, Inc. 4 Jun 2008 <http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Universe&oldid=216954830>.
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