'Scuse me while I take exception to each of your points:
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Originally posted by john70t
I believe threats of eternal damnation and prayers for divine assistence and intervention is, and has been throughout time, the fundamental core of many theologys- Christianity foremost.
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Eternal damnation is a function of the Bible. It isn't a threat, it is the just wages of the sin of man. God provided a bridge to escape that damnation even after man turned his back on God and sinned. Prayers for intervention are just that, prayers. They do not harness anything, any more than a child asking a parent to borrow the car forces the parent to comply. Hence your statement is still fundamentally incorrect.
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Originally posted by john70t
The principle core of Christianity is that man sinned through the apple of knowledge, was thrown out of paradise, and man must spend a lifetime regaining that paradise.
If Eden was Gods creation and gift to mankind, then by that definition destroying nature is destroying God.
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Not sure which Christianity you are referring to, but it ain't mine. Man does not spend anything "regaining" paradise. Heaven is attainable only through the intervention of Jesus Christ. The idea of earning your way into heaven is fallacious, says so right in the Bible. Second, "destroying" nature is not destroying God. The Bible says that God gave man dominion over the earth and everything in it. That is not to say that we should not be good stewards of our planet, but your suggestion that each time an animal or plant dies we somehow kill God is simply incorrect.
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Originally posted by john70t
Sorry, the reference was cheeky, but was made to dispute the false premise that "humans" are any different from "animals".
-We share the bones/blood/hair/muscles and all other physical elements that comprise mammals: Ever hear of a pig heart transplant because of genetic compatability?
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Um, no. I am a physician and we do not transplant pig hearts into humans. Now, we DO use valves from porcine hearts to replace human valves, however since valves are avascular there is minimal opporutnity for rejection of that tissue...no more than you would reject a piece of plastic or titanium that was implanted to replace your knee. There were a few attempts at baboon heart transplantation, however they were short lived and ended in rejection of the organ.
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Originally posted by john70t
We share the common actions of other animals: Maternal instinct, hierarchial competition, tool usage, verbal and unspoken language, and even(gasp) higher concepts such as mourning of the dead.
-If one put an upright chimpanzee and an exceptionally hirsuite retarded midget side-by-side, there would be little to identify as "unique", except perhaps a larger prefrontal cortex and brainstem connection point.
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Perhaps you are missing the point of the thread. This entire thread is about the idea that evolution might be God's method of creation. Therefore these simplistic arguments about retarded midgets and chimps aren't germane. What is it with you and bathroom humor? First giant testicles and now retarded hairy midgets?
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Originally posted by john70t
God is God, an ill-defined concept of an intellegent sentient being beyond reproach or comprehension, and any man who speaks for "it" is a liar.
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And again, I'm not sure where you are saying that anyone thinks they can speak "for" God. The only example I can think of would be the Catholic Pope, and even he does not claim to speak FOR God.
It sounds like you have some preconceptions based on incorrect information about Christianity. Perhaps if you studied it a bit more you might find it more reasonable than you think.