"It is far better to grasp the Universe as it really is than to persist in delusion, however satisfying and reassuring" - Carl Sagan http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carl_Sagan When asked whether his observation of the natural world has given him faith in a creator, he generally responds with some version of this story, making reference to the Loa loa parasitic worm: "My response is that when Creationists talk about God creating every individual species as a separate act, they always instance hummingbirds, or orchids, sunflowers and beautiful things. But I tend to think instead of a parasitic worm that is boring through the eye of a boy sitting on the bank of a river in West Africa, [a worm] that's going to make him blind. And [I ask them], 'Are you telling me that the God you believe in, who you also say is an all-merciful God, who cares for each one of us individually, are you saying that God created this worm that can live in no other way than in an innocent child's eyeball? Because that doesn't seem to me to coincide with a God who's full of mercy'."- David Attenborough http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Attenborough "A man's ethical behavior should be based effectually on sympathy, education, and social ties; no religious basis is necessary. Man would indeed be in a poor way if he had to be restrained by fear of punishment and hope of reward after death" - Albert Einstein http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Albert_Einstein I like the David Attenborough one as an argument against creation the best. Just read this article on the Loa loa worm: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Loa_loa what kind of god would create that?
My favorite: by some guy who wrote a book review in amazon http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3VVqL9etvU0 p.s. Darpie have you visited my youtube anti-creationist channel? http://www.youtube.com/user/nubemet uploaded my 15th movie yesterday. thunderf00t's "why do people laugh on creationists" is the role model.
Helvetti says the ban is set to end 5th of August. :S He wasn't back more than a week or so, by my count XD
Reading the quotes, this one by Einstein caught my eye. Sympathy is feeling sorry for others. Empathy might have been a better word - the ability to put yourself in others shoes. Education, should your ethical behavior be based on education? Will understanding mathematical equations help you to be more ethical? And, should you base your ethical behavior on social ties? I don't think so. Am I misunderstanding this quote? This part of the quote, "no religious basis is necessary" I agree with 100%. Then, the very last sentence, it seems to have this assumption that all religious people would only behave ethically out of fear of punishment and hope of reward after death. While that may sometimes be the case, it seems to be a gross generalization.
This is not the Garden from which the Everlasting is attainable. Sagan should have known the souls creation is not the same as the path it follows. By the way, what man does to cattle by some standards is no less brutal, perhaps both species are doomed and Sagan might concur for both. Why create something that doesn't tick - the Creator can just as well put an end to it.
One of my websites I'm not finished building (in sig) has a lot of quotes (for and against God), one of my favorites: The quotes section is the one that's complete, the rest of the site is more or less static--but sorting through these quotes over the previous weekend I read hundreds of God-related quotes! http://www.amigod.com/quote/9/if-you-talk-to-god-you-are-praying-if-god-talks-to
Is this a real quote or an urban myth? I have most of Einstein's books and I can't recall this quote from anywhere. Why did you cite Einstein's Wiki page? Your quote cannot be found there. Unless you can quote me EXACTLY what that quote is from, I have to conclude that it isn't valid. "Science without religion is lame; Religion without Science is blind" - Albert Einstein "I'm not an atheist" - Albert Einstein "As a child I received instruction both in the Bible and in the Talmud. I am a Jew, but I am enthralled by the luminous figure of the Nazarene." - Albert Einstein "No one can read the Gospels without feeling the actual presence of Jesus. His personality pulsates in every word. No myth is filled with such life." - Albert Einstein Above quotes from Religious Views of Albert Einstein "Atheists cannot be trusted" - Thomas Jefferson