My naturalistic view on life...
Okay, so there are probably going to be a lot of people who disagree with me on this topic, but that isn't going to stop me from saying what I want to say. It is, after all, MY blog, right?
To sum up my overall view on our existence, I would have to say that there is a natural explanation for everything we see, feel, and experience around us. Earth, animals, memories, plants, beautiful sunsets, pretty landscapes, and yes, even Spam (the wonder-meat!) are all products of nature.
I once had a gentleman (that I didn't know) ask me how I could believe such a thing. We were drinking a few beers on a boat off the coast of Cabo San Lucas and taking in the beauty of the ocean, which included some amazing rock formations. He gestured towards our surroundings and commented that this was all too beautiful NOT to have been created by an intelligent designer (obviously he was referring to his own personal version of God). I told him that it was indeed beautiful and certainly impressive, yet I reminded him that despite all of the beauty that was before us, there was an equal amount of ugliness in the world...and I wasn't just talking about the woman who served us our beer!
I reminded this man that he was probably in Cabo because of the beauty. I'll bet he wouldn't have been so impressed with his God's work had we been sitting in a Volkswagon and looking out at the vast frozen tundra while traveling through Northern Canada. Or how about if we were having a picnic in one of the drought-ridden tribal areas of Central Africa? Would his God have appeared as spectacular if we were floating on a log in the middle of the Florida Everglades? My guess is...probably not.
My point is simple: The same "God" that created all of the beauty in the world also created some pretty terrible things. We never talk about the tsunamis, earthquakes, hurricanes, mental illnesses, diseases, birth defects, or droughts that this supposed Creator has bestowed upon us. We never mention the crime, hunger, or wars that he has allowed to occur. We fail to recognize that the great majority of our "well-designed" planet is actually inhospitable to humans (or is it more accurate to say "Humans weren't designed to live on a great portion of this planet"?).
I guess I get frustrated with people that ignorantly assert the "fact" that we were all "intelligently designed!" I use the word "ignorant" to describe the specific people that I have discussed this issue with because it is out of ignorance that they take their stance. Not even one of the three people that I have discussed this topic with has ever picked up a book that discusses or explains evolution. The response to my suggestion to do so was simply, "I don't need to know about evolution to know that it is wrong."
Huh? Is that so? Let's use a little analogy here:
Let's suppose that last night the best team in the NBA played the last-place team in their division. Let's also suppose that you score some tickets and end up enjoying a night out at the game. The next day you decide to call me up to tell me about how exciting the game was. You then go on to tell me that the last-place team ended up winning the game in overtime! I refuse to believe you because "there's just no way that the last-place team could have won." I don't believe you because your statement defies "common sense." You insist that you are telling the truth then suggest that I watch the news or pick up a newspaper to verify it...but I won't do it because "I already know that it isn't possible for the last-place team to have won." I therefore go about the rest of my day believing that it was indeed the first-place team that won. End of story.
This is exactly the same logic that the majority of Creationists (IDers) use when they ignore the FACT of evolution...they refuse to even "look into it" even though the evidence speaks for itself.
I, too, used to believe the story of Creation. I was told as a child that that is how the world (and all the life on it) began. I had no reason to question it...that is, until I acquired a level of reasoning equivilant to that of a third-grader (I was probably in second grade!). Since then, I knew there was something more to our existence...but I never took the time to investigate. I have started doing so recently and I must say that I have been truly intrigued and fascinated by what I have discovered. I recommend that everyone do the same thing. After all, knowledge is better than speculation.
Evolution vs. Ignorance...where do you stand?
Okay, so there are probably going to be a lot of people who disagree with me on this topic, but that isn't going to stop me from saying what I want to say. It is, after all, MY blog, right?
To sum up my overall view on our existence, I would have to say that there is a natural explanation for everything we see, feel, and experience around us. Earth, animals, memories, plants, beautiful sunsets, pretty landscapes, and yes, even Spam (the wonder-meat!) are all products of nature.
I once had a gentleman (that I didn't know) ask me how I could believe such a thing. We were drinking a few beers on a boat off the coast of Cabo San Lucas and taking in the beauty of the ocean, which included some amazing rock formations. He gestured towards our surroundings and commented that this was all too beautiful NOT to have been created by an intelligent designer (obviously he was referring to his own personal version of God). I told him that it was indeed beautiful and certainly impressive, yet I reminded him that despite all of the beauty that was before us, there was an equal amount of ugliness in the world...and I wasn't just talking about the woman who served us our beer!
I reminded this man that he was probably in Cabo because of the beauty. I'll bet he wouldn't have been so impressed with his God's work had we been sitting in a Volkswagon and looking out at the vast frozen tundra while traveling through Northern Canada. Or how about if we were having a picnic in one of the drought-ridden tribal areas of Central Africa? Would his God have appeared as spectacular if we were floating on a log in the middle of the Florida Everglades? My guess is...probably not.
My point is simple: The same "God" that created all of the beauty in the world also created some pretty terrible things. We never talk about the tsunamis, earthquakes, hurricanes, mental illnesses, diseases, birth defects, or droughts that this supposed Creator has bestowed upon us. We never mention the crime, hunger, or wars that he has allowed to occur. We fail to recognize that the great majority of our "well-designed" planet is actually inhospitable to humans (or is it more accurate to say "Humans weren't designed to live on a great portion of this planet"?).
I guess I get frustrated with people that ignorantly assert the "fact" that we were all "intelligently designed!" I use the word "ignorant" to describe the specific people that I have discussed this issue with because it is out of ignorance that they take their stance. Not even one of the three people that I have discussed this topic with has ever picked up a book that discusses or explains evolution. The response to my suggestion to do so was simply, "I don't need to know about evolution to know that it is wrong."
Huh? Is that so? Let's use a little analogy here:
Let's suppose that last night the best team in the NBA played the last-place team in their division. Let's also suppose that you score some tickets and end up enjoying a night out at the game. The next day you decide to call me up to tell me about how exciting the game was. You then go on to tell me that the last-place team ended up winning the game in overtime! I refuse to believe you because "there's just no way that the last-place team could have won." I don't believe you because your statement defies "common sense." You insist that you are telling the truth then suggest that I watch the news or pick up a newspaper to verify it...but I won't do it because "I already know that it isn't possible for the last-place team to have won." I therefore go about the rest of my day believing that it was indeed the first-place team that won. End of story.
This is exactly the same logic that the majority of Creationists (IDers) use when they ignore the FACT of evolution...they refuse to even "look into it" even though the evidence speaks for itself.
I, too, used to believe the story of Creation. I was told as a child that that is how the world (and all the life on it) began. I had no reason to question it...that is, until I acquired a level of reasoning equivilant to that of a third-grader (I was probably in second grade!). Since then, I knew there was something more to our existence...but I never took the time to investigate. I have started doing so recently and I must say that I have been truly intrigued and fascinated by what I have discovered. I recommend that everyone do the same thing. After all, knowledge is better than speculation.
Evolution vs. Ignorance...where do you stand?
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