"I don't think he created evidence of an old world."
That's great, I was just saying that if he can do anything, he could do that too.

"Oh, one other thing Scott, which "recorder" were you talking about?"
I meant whoever it was who tried to describe science or a miracle in terms people would understand. Those weren't scientific times. There wasn't even scientific thinking. People didn't go around testing things, or trying to find out how it worked. It was more of a reaction that can be seen in, oh, ANY Godzilla movie. "Oliakshfjsl GOD!!! Ojaskdhf!!!" Yunno? It doesn't change what happened, but how it was perceived. Doesn't mean I doubt any of it or anything, but you have to put it in the proper context. The end.

Tune in tomorrow for another EXCITING edition of "Scott versus Josiah"!

  posted by Scott @ 9:59 PM

 
Hey Scott, remember that one time where we spent like two hours trying to find something we disagreed on? Found it. "Okay, if it was an omnipotent God, he could do that, he could create evidence of an old world, but why would he do that?" I don't think he created evidence of an old world. Carbon-14 dating, I think, has some problems in its accuracy.


Actually, just forget it. I'm not gonna put all this crap in here. You guys can get off your lazy...fingers...and look at it yourselves. Here.


There ya go. I found it quite interesting. As far as I know, this article, page, whatever thingy, answers most of the evidence for an old earth.

Oh, one other thing Scott, which "recorder" were you talking about? Do you mean the translations or the original Hebrew text?

Hey Larissa. Just to confirm, you basically believe that pretty much all religions are going towards the same thing and we all worship the same God. John 14:6 says, "Jesus said to him, 'I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me.'" How does that mesh with what you believe? I was just wondering your take on the verse.

  posted by Josiah @ 7:53 PM

 
Also, in order to be contrary, I pose you this question, Larissa:

If everyone's opinion is right, then how can you say I can't say you're wrong? It's like the infamous dual truth problem.

THE NEXT SENTENCE IS TRUE. THE LAST SENTENCE WAS FALSE.

How do you decide?

  posted by Scott @ 9:47 PM

 
Hmm, I hope noone else notices the odd typo in my last post... nanamachines, haha.

THIS JUST IN! SMALL BANANA ROBOTS ARE ATTACKING THE EARTH!
Associated Press
-- Washington, D.C.

Microscopic robots have invaded the Earth's atmosphere and are now crawling their way slowly towards humanity. They travel in large groups, oddly shaped like tiny bananas. Somewhat affectionately called "nanamachines", these robots have the potential to clean up their surroundings, and perform odd tasks not suited to larger machines.

Already these 'nanabots' have broken numerous international laws, including the Second Law of Thermodynamics... stay tuned for more information as we receive it.

  posted by Scott @ 9:44 PM

 
Haha, now I don't even believe myself, and I don't think anyone else should.

But anyways, there's been some neat stuff happening in science lately. Recently, the Second Law of Thermodynamics was broken by nanamachines. Basically, this makes it possible for life to become more complex, rather than falling farther and farther into disorder. Interesting, eh? I don't care though, all of this is trivial. If someone believes in evolution, I'm not going to just go willy-nilly saying their an evil being and a blasphemer. People are too individual for that. But hey, I'm not sure what I believe, in most respects. I mean, the Bible says six days. Okay, if it was an omnipotent God, he could do that, he could create evidence of an old world, but why would he do that? I think the error is more in the recorder, because a perfect God could never err, blah blah blah. Basically, I don't know. But in the quest for knowledge, I enjoy hearing a second/third/[insert number here] opinion, so fire off, ya'll.

  posted by Scott @ 6:38 PM

 
Yep. Evolution vs. Creation. This is gonna get ugly, cause I'm a hardcore Creationist, Scott's a wuss and takes the middle of the road, and there's a bunch of people that are hardcore evolutionists. So here goes.

I think it takes more faith to believe in evolution than it does in creation. Look at the world. Look at the human body. It is incredibly complex. Each little part doing a job and it all works so perfectly. My question is, if we all came from the primordial ooze, and all we are are a bunch of chemical reactions, where does thought and emotion and the soul come in? How can you manufacture a soul?

I don't really understand your thing on Adam and Eve. Being born female doesn't make you sinful, being born makes you sinful. It doesn't matter if you're male or female. And both Adam and Eve sinned in Eden. Eve started it, sure, but Adam was just as guilty.

Here's a question for you. The big bang. A couple of pieces of matter run into each other or something like that. Where did the matter come from? How did that little bit of matter create everything there is in the universe today? I dunno 'bout you, but that sounds like spontaneous generation, the bane of all scientists. I think only God can make something out of nothing (algebra anyone?).

Oh, and carbon-14 dating tests? Totally off. In those dating tests, they assume that everything has stayed exactly the same, that there has been no outside interference, which is completely impossible considering the condition most of the things they're testing are in.
So yeah, there it is.

  posted by Josiah @ 1:44 PM

 
Even though I've already answered Andy personally, I'll do it again because he asked again.

I'm a middle-of-the-road guy on this one. I'm probably a very wishy-washy person on most taboo topics, but hey. I think that there was a big bang, spurred by a creator, and then that same creator guided the evolution of animals and plants and stuff, and then specially creating humans. For me, this makes the most sense, and if anyone is confused I'd be glad to elaborate, but that's my basic idea. Well, I guess it wouldn't be my idea, but my idea of what the truth is. I mean, there's gotta be one right answer, and I just think this might be close to it. Yeah, or something.

Oh, and Larissa, if you don't like thinking of women as the bringers of doom, then how about blaming Adam (and all males) for not keeping Eve out of trouble? :) On that whole thing, I figure that it doesn't matter who did it, it happened, and it happened for a reason. And yes, I do believe in Adam and Eve, as you could guess from my stance on creation/evolution. The End (for now).

  posted by Scott @ 1:44 PM

 
Is it better to lie to someone if it builds their self-esteem (or keeps it intact), or to tell the truth, even if hurt feelings may result?

I lean more towards the truth, but sometimes the truth would just destroy people. And sometimes it's best to just not talk at all, but that's not always an option, and then it's REALLY tricky. So what do you all think?

  posted by Scott @ 9:33 PM

 
Hmmm....new topic...new topic...Let's go to something where everyone's a critic and nobody has a friggin' right answer (except everyone, of course). How about politics? or abortion? or death penalty? or hypercalvinism vs. supraslapranarianism?
Yeah.

  posted by Josiah @ 12:50 PM

 
That's only because you're losing. Loser.

Haha, yanking your chain. Loser.

I'd say that we've pretty much beat the whole poverty issue to death now, because, well, I feel like I get what you all are saying, and it's not like I'll be changing any minds with a few words. But as far as a new issue...

Is it okay to not miss your sisters when they're gone? They always say they miss me, but I can't say that! I enjoy the quiet times I get when they aren't shouting at each other and hitting and screaming. I mean, it's not like I have to be mean to them or anything; no, they do enough on their own. It's absolutely ANNOYING.

  posted by Scott @ 5:11 PM

 
I dunno bout you guys, but I'm starting to get a little sick of the whole poverty/charity issue. How bout a new one, eh?

  posted by Josiah @ 3:46 PM

 
I'm actually pretty surprised that there are such interesting stories from people here. Reading here I learn bunches about things that I probably wouldn't get to ask about. Haha, that's probably some of the clumsiest wording I've done in a while, but I don't care. I love this place. I get sucha... warm feeling? happy feeling? pleasure? I don't know how to say it, but I enjoy [sic] (<-- I don't know how to use that, but there goes...) knowing that other people... are just like me? STUPID WORDS!

I have a broken connection from abstract to concrete. Phooey.

  posted by Scott @ 3:05 PM

 
Yeah, just to let you know, Scott's right. I am a major hypocrite. I am trying to work on it though. Everybody who walks on this Earth has been hypocritical a lot. Some more than others.


I do not understand the things I do. I do not do what I want to do, and I do the things I hate.
Romans 7:15 (NCV)

  posted by Josiah @ 12:38 PM

 
Actually, I have no disposable income. I get 5 bucks a week from my parents for allowance (when they remember to give it to me and I remember to ask for it). BUT, that may be changing soon. I had an interview at Christian Book & Gift today at 10. I thought it went good. That would rock to work there too, cause I know a ton about the whole Christian music scene, and a good deal about Christian literature too. Plus, discounts on CDs... ohhhhhhh yeeeeaaaaah. The library called me too, but I haven't called them back yet. But anywho. Now to the discussion.

Hey Larissa, my bad about only donating to third-world countries. You're right that there are a bunch of charities you can donate to. I was just using that as an example. I also agree with you that some people have earned the right to spend their money how they choose. I think that those are the people who have the most incentive to give though. They know what it's like to be at the bottom, so I think that they should try to help others to do what they've done. Welfare's a touchy issue. I'm not sure where I stand. I think that welfare is a super idea. I think that we need to be supporting people who can't do it by themselves. It's kinda like a charity, only it's mandatory. The problem, however, is the people who abuse it. I think we need to reform the system somehow so that the money gets to the people who need it, not to the people who just sit around all day. Don't ask me how to do that, cause I dunno. I'm actually pretty liberal in terms of political issues. The only reason I consider myself a Republican is because of my stance on moral issues (abortion, religious issues, etc.). Major tangent, but oh well.

Sarah, I partially agree with you. Sure, parents have the responsibility to look after their families and prepare for their kid's future. But how do you define "looking after their families." My problem is with people who seem to think that it is absolutely necessary to have every new gadget or giving their kids a "chance for success" by buying them a top of the line stereo and a Camaro. HE'S JUST GONNA CRASH IT ANYWAY!!!! Give him a beater, and send the extra money to a worthwhile cause like feeding some starving kid or saving the environment or giving it to the church or something. And that's, "The Josiah Point of View."*


*"The Josiah Point of View" is a registered trademark of Josiah Allen Inc. Copyright 2002.


  posted by Josiah @ 12:31 PM

 
And don't worry folks, he knows he's a hypocrite. Heck, I'll be all (if not most) of us are, in this respect.

And a little note, I only meant the race thing as a metaphor for the advantage aspect I was talking about. Sorry to introduce a tangent.

  posted by Scott @ 10:14 PM

 
Oh, hey, also..."if someone has worked his/her whole life to attain a goal, then they should be able to enjoy that goal, no matter if it's shallow to other people." So what if my goal is to blow up the World Trade Center. Dangit! I should enjoy that! You have to let me enjoy that! I know we can't force people to give money. Many people use the excuse of "I'll wait till I have more to give" or something like that. YOU ALREADY HAVE ENOUGH, YOU'RE JUST TOO FRIGGIN' SELFISH TO GIVE IT UP!!! The heart of this matter goes down to basic selfishness. Every single one of us has the financial resources to give money, we're just too caught up in ourselves and what we want instead of thinking about what others are literally dying for want of. The end.

  posted by Josiah @ 9:25 PM

 
Man, I should save that. With margins, double spacing, and adding a lot of BS, that could be a two-page paper!!

  posted by Josiah @ 9:19 PM

 
We might be past this already, but I haven't been here in a while, so here goes. Katie, you said, "everyone can't always be helping third world countries." Why not? Sure, everyone can't, but the vast majority can. Do YOU give money to charities and other "third-world stuff?" My guess is that you don't. Neither do I. And I'm guessing that nobody on this board does. Yet teenagers have the most disposable income out of all age groups. We don't have to pay off loans and house insurance and taxes (for the most part), all we spend our money on is gas (well, I don't, cause I still can't drive), clothes, movies and other goodies. I go to see maybe 2 or 3 movies a month. What if I decided to see, for example, 1-2 movies a month, and give the rest to charity? Oh no, I missed one movie and gave some family in Cuba 2 meals (and that's probably an understatement). The point is, we're so spoiled rotten that we don't even think about what we have compared to the rest of the world. While we're deciding on whether to spend 6,000 bucks on U of M or 20,000 on Wheaton College, there's a mother somewhere in Africa deciding which of her kids she should give her food to. The direction this seems to be taking is, "Why should we care?" I think Scott said it pretty good. They're the same as we are, minus the money and the attitude. That's why it ticks me off when I see some guy harassing a Somalian kid. He has no idea what that kid has been through, and he doesn't care. All he knows is that he's Somalian and he can't speak good English. I say, deport him to Africa and see how he likes it. I may have missed the point of what you were trying to say Katie, so if I did, sorry.

PS: Scott, I commend you for this site. This is fun.

  posted by Josiah @ 9:17 PM

 
Heralding back to what I said about society...

We're all individuals. We each live our own lives, and yet we each have to live with each other's lives. Ever heard the theory of 6 degrees of separation? Everyone knows someone, who knows someone, who knows someone, etc. down the line until eventually, everyone knows everyone else in the world by about six connections. Can you imagine that? All of these individuals are all tied together. But it never feels that way, or at least not for me. I see things the way I do... I don't have to look at myself, as all of you do. I don't know my mannerisms or how they appear to everyone else. And in all the time I spend thinking about stuff like this, I can't help but realize that everyone else must do this too. You all think your thoughts and live your lives, just as I do. That's mind-boggling. I mean, I have so many thoughts on so many things, and to think that everyone else thinks so too, that's... too much!

Haha, I just deleted about two sentences of a tangent that I don't need to go down right now, but I'll leave the first paragraph for posterity. What am I getting at? We're all a lot more similar than we might want to admit. Dreams and goals, although different, are still dreams and goals! If you want to realize yours, don't you think someone else might want to too? And so, if you can realize yours, shouldn't someone else be able to too?

Wow, I didn't even start out intending to make that point. I forgot what it was I DID want to say, but hey! oh well, I said something, didn't I?

PS- Thanks Sarah!

  posted by Scott @ 9:32 PM