[MD] Debate on Science_ReligionToday

[gav]

hear hear

--- Platt Holden <pholden at davtv.com> wrote:

> Hi Robbie, All
> 
> I read the article with a deep sense of sadness
> tinged with anger. Here 
> are a group of supposedly "the best and brightest"
> preaching the gospel 
> according to the church of scientism and claiming
> they have "a monopoly 
> on truth." Richard Dawkins, who wrote "The God
> Delusion" and a hero 
> among atheists, is no less a absolutist than the
> Rev. Jerry Farwell, 
> and twice as arrogant. These people have no clue
> about art and beauty, 
> not to mention Pirsig's assessment that:
>  
> "The reality science explains is that 'reality'
> which follows 
> mechanisms and programs. That other worthless stuff
> which doesn't 
> follow mechanisms and programs we don't pay any
> attention to." (lila, 
> 11)
> 
> That "other worthless stuff" is only what we live
> for!
> 
> Best,
> Platt
>  
> 
> > NY Times weekly Tuesday's Science Section today
> had a by "George
> > Johnson" article devoted to the Science/ Religion
> debate that reminds
> > one of discussions that appear in this group
> periodically. 
> > 
> >   The article quoted Dr. Steve Weinberg, "the more
> the universe seems
> >   comprehensible, the more it also seems
> pointless", then he goes
> >   further: "Anything that we scientists can do to
> weaken the hold of
> >   religion should be done and may in the end be
> our greatest
> >   contribution to civilization."
> > 
> >   Dr. Rich Dawkins (Oxford Evolutionary biologist)
> and conferee at the
> >   reported on event is author of the National best
> seller book "The God
> >   Delusion."
> > 
> >   The article makes the point that when scientists
> periodically convert
> >   from experimentation, problem solving, fact and
> evidence gathering to
> >   the God justification for natural phenomena than
> their most productive
> >   life as a creative cutting edge scientist are
> usually about over.
> > 
> >   The article begins with another Steve
> Weinberg...Nobel Laureate,
> >   physics quotation, "The world need to wake up
> from its long nightmare
> >   of religious belief". Moreover, Dawkins believes
> religious education
> >   is "brain-washing" and "Child abuse."
> > 
> >   One speaker after another lined up to present
> the general message
> >   challenging scientists to be less timid about
> challenging unverifiable
> >   teachings about nature based only on scripture
> and belief. Science's
> >   core being: intellectual honesty, said Sam
> Harris, a doctoral student
> >   in Neuroscience and the author of "The End of
> Faith: Religion, Terror
> >   and the Future of Reason" and "Letter to a
> Christian Nation."
> > 
> >   Another profound moment was Nobelist, chemistry
> by Sir Harold Krot's:
> >   call for  the John Templeton Foundation to give
> its next prize for
> >   "progress in spiritual discoveries" to an
> atheist.  I myself would
> >   wish to nominate the 14th Dalia Lama for this
> prize.
> > 
> >   Does anything in this post contain information
> that might conflict
> >   with our societies social immune system? If so
> you might try writing a
> >   letter to the Editor of the Time's science page
> very soon!. An
> >   unedited video of the reported on proceedings
> will be posted on the
> >   web at tsntv.org
> > 
> >   If this subject interests anyone they should
> examine the source: page
> >   D1 of Nov. 21, 2006 of the N. Y. Times...the
> newspaper.
>  
>  
> 
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