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Aeson
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orangesoda
Nov 2001 time: 22:19
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I'm not a creationist, but most of my family is. I've had this discussion with several family members several times, and will present their argument.
It is somewhat different than most creationist's claims. A lot of it is based off of writings by Joseph Smith, considered a prophet in the LDS (Mormon) religion. Joseph Smith supposedly was given revelation by God to translate the Bible back into it's original form. The Mormons use the standard King James version of the bible, with notations from Joseph Smith further explaining certain points.
One of the most important items is that the term used for creation in the Bible is better translated as organised. God didn't create the universe or matter, but rather had spiritual children and formed the earth (and countless others) so that his children could recieve physical bodies and perform the nessesary tasks to become like Him.
God is viewed as a being who has achieved perfection, but was once just like us, the offspring of another God, in an infinite progression backwards. The goal for members is continual progression until they too can achieve this perfection.
I'm not sure how much is actually LDS doctrine, but evolution (as a process, not theory) is supported by my family. They just view the whole process as organised by God. Ocham's razor would view this as unecessary, but doesn't actually disprove that it couldn't have happened. In effect, God is just added to scientific explaination. There really would be no percievable differences if it had been this way.
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Aeson
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orangesoda
Nov 2001 time: 22:19
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Actually Mormons don't believe that they are the only ones who can go to heaven. They believe that everyone will be given the opportunity to accept Christ. Baptisms are done for just about everyone, in case those who died before getting that opportunity will later accept the religion. Also there is no Hell in the LDS doctrine, just 3 levels of salvation (all much better than life currently here on earth) and a special "outer darkness" that isn't really defined, but reserved for those who have a perfect understanding of Christ and still reject Him. There really isn't much about outer darkness, from what I've read it means a dissolution or death of the soul.
I live in Utah, and it is somewhat weird. I grew up going to church, and didn't really seperate myself from the religion until I was 19 or so. I have a lot in common from a moral standpoint with Mormons (and Christians in general) so it isn't a big culture shock. I do feel rather left out of the community to be honest, but that's not such a bad thing. I prefer to be somewhat of a loner anyways.
The worst part is dating, because I know that every good mormon girl is looking for a return mormon missionary, which I most decidedly am not! And being brought up with the morals I do have, a good mormon girl is what I'm looking for. It's a paradox, as to convince her to marry me would be to corrupt her and maker her other than what I'm looking for. 
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DaShi
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The Taste of Japan
Sep 2000 time: 05:19
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quote: Originally posted by Zhu Yuanzhang
In what way would the world appear different if evolution was true? In other words, if you set two worlds side by side, one in which evolution took place and one in which "creation" took place how would you be able to tell that evolution took place in the one where it did and in what ways would this world differ from our own? Please be specific. |
Well, the creationist world would be pretty simple. Just look out your window. Whoop!, there it is!.
Now, the evolutionist world simply wouldn't exist. One, even if random molecules came together to form some semblance of life, it would still the ability to reproduce. No DNA, or other information carrying molecules. Even if such molecules existed, the machinery to translate them randomly appearing and working efficiently to maintain life randomly appearing would be improbable. Then, of course, there is the soul. Or that intangible essence that we all carry that can not be identified, categorized, or analyzed by science. Such a thing does just randomly appear, and evolution gives no explaination for it.
quote: On the other side of the fence us "evilutionists" can think of quite a number of ways that the earth would look very different if creationism had indeed taken place. For example we have the fossil record and the light of stars that we know are quite a lot farther than 6000 light years away hitting the earth. This asymetry is quite striking if you look at the debate for a while as I have... |
The fossil record is accurate. The Bible speaks of a time before man. Of creatures that walked the Earth long before Eden, when the planet was vile and untamed. This is all under that fact, that although the Bible is translated now as the world being form in seven days, it is not really accurate. The 'days' may have been millions or billions of years. There is no exact way to tell. Though the seven is accurate and holds much significance in Judaism and Christianity. Of course, I think the time of the dinosaurs was before the Seven Days, but I'm not sure. It's been along time since I talked with anyone who believed this stuff.
Sorry, Zhu, I tried. I'm usually on the other end, but one must expand his horizons. Not to so blindly turn away the ideas of others because they seem absurd, but to look carefully at them. Try to understand the reasoning behind them and why they are so valuable to those who believe them. All people's ideas have merit in that they are thoughts of man themselves, true or not. Except communism, which is just a load of malarkey. 
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Bosh
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Taehan Mingook
Jan 1970 time: 00:19
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quote: One, even if random molecules came together to form some semblance of life, it would still the ability to reproduce. No DNA, or other information carrying molecules. |
Don't quite follow you here, are you saying that proto-life wouldn't have the ability to reporduce? If so you're wrong since there's a number of quite simple self-catalyzing cycles.
quote: Even if such molecules existed, the machinery to translate them randomly appearing and working efficiently to maintain life randomly appearing would be improbable. |
Right, its fairly improbable but if you've got enough pools of mud and enough hundreds of millions of years (let alone billions and billions of planets) then all the improbables add up fast, especially since the simplist self-catalyzing cycles are much simplier than DNA.
Also albiogenesis (sp!) (ie the creation of life) is a different topic from evolution (ie the change of life), so none of what you said applies to evolution per se.
But am I correct in saying that there's you percieve there to be no physical evidence on the earth that argues against evolution, just that evolution is a logical impossibility, right?
quote: The Bible speaks of a time before man. Of creatures that walked the Earth long before Eden, when the planet was vile and untamed. |
Also, unless I'm mistaken there's no death before the Fall? Thus there wouldn't be fossils.
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Ethelred
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quote: Originally posted by Aeson
I'm not sure how much is actually LDS doctrine, |
That was all pure LDS from the BOM or other LDS writings. Not much of the Bible in it. The Bible is NOT better translated as orginzation since its pretty clear about Jehovah creating life out nothing or clay at the most. Of course clay has the just about the perfect chemistry for NOT supporting life but that is another issue.
Now the Bible can be construed, if you ignore stuff and make some unusual interpretations, into saying the Earth and the water came from preexisting material but there is no way to force fit the creation of life that way.
Mormons are into saying "The Bible is true when it is translated correctly." This protects the BOM a tiny a bit from all the mistakes that Joseph Smith when created his bogus testament. However it has nothing to do with the Bible since it is readily available in the original language. The Jews for instance have never used anything but the original language.
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Ethelred
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quote: Originally posted by DaShi
Sounds like a regular enzyme. An enzyme could act indefinitely as long as there is enough substrate. But I've never heard of an enzyme catalizing a reaction that eventually creates an identical version of itself. I may look it up a bit tomorrow morning. |
Well it there are some that can come close to that.
Here is a link for a ribozyme that can partly copy RNA helixes.
http://www.spacedaily.com/news/life-01n.html
Can't really copy itself but very interesting anyway.
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