I recently took part in a discussion at an atheists’ blog, Proud Atheist, the resulted in me being blocked form commenting. It was not the act of being blocked that disappoints me, it in the way the host (named Mark) did it. Did he notify me in any way? Nope. Did he warn me either in the comments or an email? Nope. All he did was block me. I found out this morning when I went to respond to some questions and accusations from some of the other commenters and my comments do not show up. Is this the kind of open discussions that atheists claim to have with theists?

There are plenty of other atheist blogs that have not resorted to this kind of censorship, at least that I know of. But this is representative of what is happening in the scientific community and government school systems. My comments where my opinion, usually made in response to a question or statement made by someone else, but the responses I got where mainly name calling and character attacks. Then when it did not scare me off, BLOCK.

Thank you Mark of Proud Atheist for showing your true colors and I hope you enjoy preaching to your choir. And yes I will censor and block any hateful comments you make in response to this post, as I have stated before I do not allow profanity on my blog. Profanity is a weak mind trying to express itself.

Ok, after talking with some evolutionist friends of mine and reading other blogs, I have come up with a project that I need your input on. Debates get off track and accomplish nothing when both sides are arguing against different subjects. As we have engaged in discussions and debates on this blog on the theory of evolution, so lets define what the theory of evolution is. Email me at coville(at)gmail(dot)com with your definition.

Once I get some responses I will put togther a definistion to post here and then we can discuss what is and what is not part of the theory. I hope veryone takes this seriously please. This will give us a better platform to further the discussion in a civil and proper way. I hop ealso that everyone that reads this participates, and let your friends know about this project so they can participate.

Over at Nonaeroterraqueous a new post was added that is interesting to read. Check it out here.

Over the last 6 months or so I have been reading posts across wordpress from creationist, evolutionists and everyone in between. I would like to start a series on my blog address some of the favorite strawmen that evolutionists like to build up to represent Christians, creationists and generally anyone that does not think the same way they do.

So lets start with one of the most common strawmen built to represent Christians, “just because you where born in a Christian family you believe in Jesus” (or some variation on this).

This one is so over used that my mind blocks it out if I try to read it. This is so easy for me to refute because I am an example of someone that was raised in a completely secular home and now follow Jesus. I did not grow up in an atheistic home, my family had no belief either way.

When someone someone joins the Army they ask you what religion you hold to so they can put it on your dog tags, this way the chaplain knows what prayers to say over your body when they find it. I had no idea what to say, I did not follow any religion, so the receptionist put agnostic on my paper work. This suited me fine and I went on my ignorant way.

It was not until later in life when I began to study the world more and question the things I was taught that I discovered the truth of Christianity. I am over joyed to say that it was only a couple of years after I was saved that both my mother and father have some to know Jesus and are secured in His gift of salvation. As a side note, they both grew up in non-religious families also.

There is also the testimony of many in the middle east and Asia that grew up in Muslim or Hindu or Buddhist cultures that are now followers of Jesus that refute this strawman. If an atheist, evolutionist or Darwinist wants to be taken seriously in a discussion or debate, AVOID this strawman at all cost.

This is one of the biggest problems I have with evolutionists, they have to trust that what they observe today is the same has it was for all time.

Oh ya, welcome back. I took some time off from posting so I could spend more time doing that trivial thing called work and I hope I can now balance work and posting so I can continue this blog. Anyways I have not totally disappeared this whole time as I have continued to comment on other blogs and have noticed some consistencies in the fallacies of evolutionists.

There is no evidence that the decay rate of anything is the same now as it was before. There is no evidence that the speed of light is the same now as it was before or the same everywhere in the universe. With out these two things radiometric dating falls apart. How can someone determine the age of anything if the decay rate may have been different in the past than it is today or if the speed of light is different today that it was before? My answer, ask someone who was there.

I know how old I am, not because I can remember the day I was born and every birthday since. But because my mom was there and she remembers every birthday. God was there when He created time and everything else and we are lucky enough to have been given His revalation of His creation. Sometimes I wounder why He took six days to create everything, he could have done it all in one instance that is so small we can not measure it in time, but He chose to take 6 days for a reason… so we could study His creation. Just because we know who created everything, it does not stop us from wanting to know how it all works. In fact, I am more interested in learning on everything works so I can wounder at the power of Jesus. Thinking this was all by chance through mutation leaves no awe and would bore me out of science.

I have often heard people comment that “if a theory is not ‘falsifiable’ then it is not good science”. I will admit I am still on the fence with this idea. On the serface it makes sense, but after given it some thought I can see some flaws in this idea. I recently came across an article written with a lot more intelligance than I could have, so I am going to link to it. Click Here to read.

Please read the article and then comment here to let me know what you think about “falsifiability”.

Here is the definition of religion as given by Dictionary.com:

re⋅li⋅gion [ri-lij-uhn]
1. a set of beliefs concerning the cause, nature, and purpose of the universe, esp. when considered as the creation of a superhuman agency or agencies, usually involving devotional and ritual observances, and often containing a moral code governing the conduct of human affairs.
2. a specific fundamental set of beliefs and practices generally agreed upon by a number of persons or sects: the Christian religion; the Buddhist religion.
3. the body of persons adhering to a particular set of beliefs and practices: a world council of religions.
4. the life or state of a monk, nun, etc.: to enter religion.
5. the practice of religious beliefs; ritual observance of faith.
6. something one believes in and follows devotedly; a point or matter of ethics or conscience: to make a religion of fighting prejudice.
7. religions, Archaic. religious rites.
8. Archaic. strict faithfulness; devotion: a religion to one’s vow.

So how does atheism fit in to this definition?

I am going to focus this post on point 2 “a specific fundamental set of beliefs and practices generally agreed upon by a number of persons or sects: “. Many atheists will say “I do not believe in the existence of any god, so I am not religious”, but that statement in it self is a religious statement. You still have to have a belief that there is no god, that is a belief that is “generally agreed upon by a number of persons”. But too often atheists rage against religion to the point that they refuse to say anything that will associate themselves with what they hate.

The interesting part is I do not see myself as a religious person. Sure I read the Bible daily, listen to sermons on my mp3 player and attend church worship service on Sunday but there has come to be a very negative climate around someone who is religious that I am guilty of the same crime of denial as atheists. I view my own practices as following Christ and his teachings and not as following the Christian religion. So I can sympathise with the atheist that does this.

There is also the avoidance on behalf of the atheist to be lumped on the side of religion in the debate of “religion vs science”. Of course this is a strawman argument. Religion has nothing against science, in fact Christ encourages His followers to understand His creation and how the things of the world work which is the pure definition of science. Atheists again deny their beliefs are part of a religion so they can continue this method of denying creation.

Atheists have shown they have a set of beliefs and practices that set themselves apart as a social group. They have organizes meetings to discuss what it means to be an atheist and how to further their cause through educating the public of what they stand for. Lately they have stepped up efforts to convert others to their cause, bus signs and billboards. There are books about what it means to be an atheist and how to relate to others. There is every sign that atheism is an organized religion and should get all the freedoms that any other religion gets, and the restrictions.

I came across this blog post and thought it was very well written. Go check it out.

“Scientism: Materialism on Steroids!”

I have come across several atheists that have made this claim. I would like to challenge those that believe this to point to the bases for this claim. Name one country, or empire, that has lasted for more than 300 years without a religion being at the base of their civilization.

Do not read anything more in to this than what is on the surface. I am not saying that a civilization can not survive without religion or that one religion creates a better civilization than another. This is just a conversational study of the topic. Thank you in advance to anyone that contributes.

National Atheist's Day

I would like to take a moment to celebrate all the Atheists out there. I admire your ability to deny a creator while living in His creation and I love the way you deny intelligent design by pointing to abiogenesis experiments that where designed by an intelligent scientist.