12yo Texan Girl Told to Write that God is Fake!

[Greed and Death]

Technically, belief in God is an opinion, because it's not proven..

Belief in good is proven you can find any believer and document his belief.

God's existence is non provable.

[Greed and Death]

Evolution is not coercing religion nor the opposite of religion. Religion and the idea of evolution can coexist.

I am talking about the school districts that ban teaching students about evolution precisely because it contradicts The Bible. How is that not a violation of the separation of religion and education?

Only when they try to teach creationism do they cross the line. School boards are free to not teach a subject for whatever reason they choose within the requirements of state law.

[Grave_n_idle]

She was given a definition of Myth that religion meets and failed to answer it. I really do not see the controversy.

I suspect the real controversy happened at home, when over-zealous parents over-reacted to a story they under-researched.

[Alvecia]

She was given a definition of Myth that religion meets and failed to answer it. I really do not see the controversy.

I don't even think the term was myth, I think it was "common assumption" or something like that. Trying to find the article I saw now.

[Alvecia]

She was given a definition of Myth that religion meets and failed to answer it. I really do not see the controversy.

I don't even think the term was myth, I think it was "common assumption" or something like that. Trying to find the article I saw now.

Here we are.

A reading teacher passed out a critical thinking worksheet in class. Students were instructed to pick if something was fact, opinion or common assertion. One of the statements on the worksheet read, "There is a God."

[Vassenor]

She was given a definition of Myth that religion meets and failed to answer it. I really do not see the controversy.

I suspect the real controversy happened at home, when over-zealous parents over-reacted to a story they under-researched.

I thought we'd established that was exactly what happened.

[Dyakovo]

She was given a definition of Myth that religion meets and failed to answer it. I really do not see the controversy.

I don't even think the term was myth, I think it was "common assumption" or something like that. Trying to find the article I saw now.

Yes, that was the terminology that was actually used.

[Communes of Europe]

I'm not sure why you think the RT article was a lie. I can agree that the girl's statement was heavily biased and one sided (as can be expected). I think we can also both agree that the news blew the story way out of proportion (as can be expected). But to say that the entire story was made up? Now that's different. No amount of news exaggeration or 12-year-old sass changes the fact that the assignment in question was objectionable and that the teacher was wrong to have given it to the class, credit or no credit.

I agree the assignment should not have been given, but that is because questions about gods existence do not belong in a public school.

The article is a lie because the statements that the girl was told to renounce god or fail the test, are a lie. This was no issue of atheists verse god. The teacher is a christisn. RT has an agenda, and the story was written to fit the agenda of a godless america.

Wait, hold on.
1. Rise of the ultra-religious in Russia.
2. Russian media accusing America of being godless.
It's the Cold War in reverse!

[Kvatchdom]

I agree the assignment should not have been given, but that is because questions about gods existence do not belong in a public school.

The article is a lie because the statements that the girl was told to renounce god or fail the test, are a lie. This was no issue of atheists verse god. The teacher is a christisn. RT has an agenda, and the story was written to fit the agenda of a godless america.

Wait, hold on.
1. Rise of the ultra-religious in Russia.
2. Russian media accusing America of being godless.
It's the Cold War in reverse!

RT also repeatedly cites the US as a haven for religious zealots. RT is very confusing.

[Dyakovo]

Wait, hold on.
1. Rise of the ultra-religious in Russia.
2. Russian media accusing America of being godless.
It's the Cold War in reverse!

RT also repeatedly cites the US as a haven for religious zealots. RT is very confusing.

The religious zealots in the US are bad becausethey aaren't Russian Orthodox.
*nods*

[Korhal IVV]

Technically, belief in God is an opinion, because it's not proven..

Belief in good is proven you can find any believer and document his belief.

God's existence is non provable.

Where did the universe come from? Did it create itself? Did the atoms create themselves?

[Vassenor]

Belief in good is proven you can find any believer and document his belief.

God's existence is non provable.

Where did the universe come from? Did it create itself? Did the atoms create themselves?

Simple: We don't know.

[Ifreann]

RT also repeatedly cites the US as a haven for religious zealots. RT is very confusing.

The religious zealots in the US are bad becausethey aaren't Russian Orthodox.
*nods*

They don't even bless their weapons for war against the heathen!

[Dyakovo]

Belief in good is proven you can find any believer and document his belief.

God's existence is non provable.

Where did the universe come from? Did it create itself? Did the atoms create themselves?

A singularity.
Possibly.
Unlikely.

Your turn. Provide verifiable evidence that your deity did it.

[Tryarnia]

Where did the universe come from? Did it create itself? Did the atoms create themselves?

A singularity.
Possibly.
Unlikely.

Your turn. Provide verifiable evidence that your deity did it.

It's a bigger leap of faith to believe that the universe came from absolute chance in the matter of seconds without any plausible cause, then it is to have a singularity responsible for existence.

[Mavorpen]

A singularity.
Possibly.
Unlikely.

Your turn. Provide verifiable evidence that your deity did it.

It's a bigger leap of faith to believe that the universe came from absolute chance in the matter of seconds without any plausible cause, then it is to have a singularity responsible for existence.

No, it isn't. Why would the addition of something unfalsifiable DECREASE the amount of faith required?

[The Qeiiam Star Cluster]

Belief in good is proven you can find any believer and document his belief.

God's existence is non provable.

Where did the universe come from? Did it create itself? Did the atoms create themselves?

It was vomitted into existence by the great god Mbongo.

[Allet Klar Chefs]

Belief in good is proven you can find any believer and document his belief.

God's existence is non provable.

Where did the universe come from? Did it create itself? Did the atoms create themselves?

Maybe it was always fucking there mate or maybe none of it is, who even knows. Not sure it matters.

Also if this whole affair is coming from a country which has ~Bible History~ as an apparently legitimate and extant thing to learn about, why not devote an equal amount of time to the notion that there is in fact no God. Just as like a philosophical exercise if nothing else.

[Soldati Senza Confini]

Belief in good is proven you can find any believer and document his belief.

God's existence is non provable.

Where did the universe come from? Did it create itself? Did the atoms create themselves?

The atoms we know now probably, maybe did create themselves, assuming "creating themselves" means "shit happened at random that let atoms gain constituent particles and become heavier elements, maybe fusion reactions" and not presuppose any kind of sentience to the universe.

The universe, as much as you think it might need a deity to exist, it really does not need the presupposition of a deity for it to exist.

[Hurdegaryp]

Where did the universe come from? Did it create itself? Did the atoms create themselves?

The atoms we know now probably, maybe did create themselves, assuming "creating themselves" means "shit happened at random that let atoms gain constituent particles and become heavier elements, maybe fusion reactions" and not presuppose any kind of sentience to the universe.

The universe, as much as you think it might need a deity to exist, it really does not need the presupposition of a deity for it to exist.

Everything used to be hydrogen, and nothing but hydrogen. At the very beginning of space/time, there was just so much hydrogen. There was even so much hydrogen, that it got concentrated into spheres thanks to this thing called gravity. After a while those spheres of hydrogen got so extremely concentrated, they spontaneously generated fusion. And then there was light.

[Mavorpen]

Where did the universe come from? Did it create itself? Did the atoms create themselves?

The atoms we know now probably, maybe did create themselves, assuming "creating themselves" means "shit happened at random that let atoms gain constituent particles and become heavier elements, maybe fusion reactions" and not presuppose any kind of sentience to the universe.

The universe, as much as you think it might need a deity to exist, it really does not need the presupposition of a deity for it to exist.

I mean, the thing is, going on about how low the chances are for the universe to form makes no sense given that it's inevitable. If you have nothingness, you have nothing preventing the universe from forming and you have infinite "time." If you have dice with, say, a million sides, the chances of rolling a single number in one roll are small. However, given an infinite amount of rolls, the chances of you rolling that number at least once is 1. It's going to happen. It's inevitable.

[Ifreann]

The atoms we know now probably, maybe did create themselves, assuming "creating themselves" means "shit happened at random that let atoms gain constituent particles and become heavier elements, maybe fusion reactions" and not presuppose any kind of sentience to the universe.

The universe, as much as you think it might need a deity to exist, it really does not need the presupposition of a deity for it to exist.

I mean, the thing is, going on about how low the chances are for the universe to form makes no sense given that it's inevitable. If you have nothingness, you have nothing preventing the universe from forming and you have infinite "time." If you have dice with, say, a million sides, the chances of rolling a single number in one roll are small. However, given an infinite amount of rolls, the chances of you rolling that number at least once is 1. It's going to happen. It's inevitable.

But who made the dice?!

Christians 1 - 0 Atheists

[Soldati Senza Confini]

The atoms we know now probably, maybe did create themselves, assuming "creating themselves" means "shit happened at random that let atoms gain constituent particles and become heavier elements, maybe fusion reactions" and not presuppose any kind of sentience to the universe.

The universe, as much as you think it might need a deity to exist, it really does not need the presupposition of a deity for it to exist.

Everything used to be hydrogen, and nothing but hydrogen. At the very beginning of space/time, there was just so much hydrogen. There was even so much hydrogen, that it got concentrated into spheres thanks to this thing called gravity. After a while those spheres of hydrogen got so extremely concentrated, they spontaneously generated fusion. And then there was light.

Indeed. I think that's more interesting than "welp, God created everything we see".

The atoms we know now probably, maybe did create themselves, assuming "creating themselves" means "shit happened at random that let atoms gain constituent particles and become heavier elements, maybe fusion reactions" and not presuppose any kind of sentience to the universe.

The universe, as much as you think it might need a deity to exist, it really does not need the presupposition of a deity for it to exist.

I mean, the thing is, going on about how low the chances are for the universe to form makes no sense given that it's inevitable. If you have nothingness, you have nothing preventing the universe from forming and you have infinite "time." If you have dice with, say, a million sides, the chances of rolling a single number in one roll are small. However, given an infinite amount of rolls, the chances of you rolling that number at least once is 1. It's going to happen. It's inevitable.

It's why I am comfortable with the idea of a random, probabilistic universe. Because the universe doesn't have to play by human rules. It has enough time to "do" things via random chance.

[Soldati Senza Confini]

I mean, the thing is, going on about how low the chances are for the universe to form makes no sense given that it's inevitable. If you have nothingness, you have nothing preventing the universe from forming and you have infinite "time." If you have dice with, say, a million sides, the chances of rolling a single number in one roll are small. However, given an infinite amount of rolls, the chances of you rolling that number at least once is 1. It's going to happen. It's inevitable.

But who made the dice?!

Christians 1 - 0 Atheists

There are no dice, only the perception of what we think is a set of dice.

[Imperializt Russia]

Everything used to be hydrogen, and nothing but hydrogen. At the very beginning of space/time, there was just so much hydrogen. There was even so much hydrogen, that it got concentrated into spheres thanks to this thing called gravity. After a while those spheres of hydrogen got so extremely concentrated, they spontaneously generated fusion. And then there was light.

Indeed. I think that's more interesting than "welp, God created everything we see".

Strictly speaking, not hydrogen but protons. I don't know at what point we went from "protons" to "hydrogen" but it's an important initial step. First there was something that we don't know, then there were quarks, then there were protons, then hydrogen then at some point neutrons happens. Not sure about that either. Not my area.

There's also the long-lived question of antimatter. Presumably, the universe was initially about 50.50 matter-antimatter, yet our universe is (obviously) dominated by matter.

But this is why we have the cold spots and hot spots on the famous CBMR image of the universe. The matter-antimatter annihilations generated great empty spaces and formed clustered spaces, which coalesced under gravity, then they generated gas bodies, then heated, then fusion happens and we have a star. Dying stars produce the heavier elements, form planets and eventually life happens.