1. I have been watching Sir David Attenborough since I was I child. After coming to the US in '77 I haven't seen him for a long time. I still find him brilliant. I also now realize what an influence he has had on my life. Thankyou Sir.

Dirk at 9:41PM on Nov 1st 2007

2. I am certain I could spend hours each day in discussion and never hear anything the same twice from Sir David Attenborough.
He is undoubtedly one of the world's most interesting people.

rhodalee at 10:22PM on Nov 1st 2007

3. What a brilliant man.

David at 10:52PM on Nov 1st 2007

4. This is a nice bit of relief from the D'sousa theist campaign. Thanks Jeff.

zararthustra at 11:12PM on Nov 5th 2007

5. He's Very Interesting.
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http://www.television-on-internet.com/

JC at 11:29PM on Nov 1st 2007

6. Yes, fascinating man.
Plus, why are we not hearing more about how Darwin believed in a Creator?
It is interesting to note that in the first chapter of Genesis, on the very first day, there after GD spoke Light into existence and separated it from the darkness, a new day -- and evening (the day begins with evening always, biblically) began. Well, speaking fundamentally that would be impossible since a day is defined as the passing of the earth around on its axis in relation to the sun (or before Galileo, the passing of the sun around the earth).
Anyway, by definition -- no sun, no day. Except from the very first the Bible contradicts that.
So, from a biblical perspective, a "day" must signify a major event, a beginning and ending of something, in this case the creation of light and its separation from darkness.
Genesis continues on with these events of creation and then separation referring to them as “days.”
I paint with the words (the letters from the original texts) of Genesis 1-2:7 for most of the strokes in my series, Genesis: Sunset-Sunrise. I do not believe that we can limit the Creator to our narrow understanding, even with our on-going expanding scientific knowledge. I think that if the first day is called a “day” and in the Hebrew, that is what the word used means, then I need to expand my understanding of what a day is.
What is valuable in any theology or path is that it helps us become closer to our Creator and who we are each meant to be – so we can live better, more fulfilling lives.
What is valuable in science is those discoveries that help us live better, fuller lives, which has to include our planet and the other species we share it with for practical reasons at the very least.
It seems to me that despite the bickering of those on the far right of both religion and science, especially in the USA, many scientists and Christians and Jews are finding a common ground in our desire to care for the earth. It is about how we live now far more that what happened when the earth began, at the end of the day and the beginning of a new one.

Judy Rey at 12:40AM on Nov 2nd 2007

7. God has proclaimed His revelation of Himself is more than adequate for us to make the right choices and to be held responsible if we don't. There is no excuse for not believing in God and in believing that we don't have to obey Him.

Ronald B. Zeh at 2:47AM on Nov 2nd 2007

8. JUDY REY
She is a fascinating woman, or person! I just read Judy Rey's comment and I think it is something to be considering of a significant human, intellectual and also spiritual importance, for any objective person beginning their opening up for ABSOLUTE Truths in life. In other words, if you consider yourself a little smart, then she said something really wise.

I respect Sir David Attenborough, but I have devoted the last 30 years of my life as a self educated thinker (and modern philosopher), concentrating in theological subjects, and Sir David Attenborough comments does not reflect at all the most updated knowledge about this subject matter, from the scientific point of view of what is consider just a mere theory, nor the basic knowledge of the theology in contrast, at least from the religious point of view.

(Please forgive Gram. mistakes; English is not my first language)

Andres at 5:31AM on Nov 3rd 2007

9. Christianity has too many holes, not only in logic, but God's judgement and behavior. For God to have banished Satan to Hell, where he got out, and tempted humans into doing the ONE THING God told them they shouldn't do, and then punish humankind for the act of revenge, one would have to assume God is a sadist - And if the eternal reward consists of singing praises to His greatness for eternity, that's an ego that is unbelievably self centered - And that's just the tip of the iceberg...

Ken at 5:08AM on Nov 2nd 2007

10. ah,
the most wonderful of all debates.
evolution vs biblical creation.
such fun!
so let me throw my own spices into the pot.
for judy rey and her wonderful understanding of genesis,
let me suggest that genesis is actually a metaphorical representation of the kabbalistic
"tree of life",
i think you will find its similarity to your view of "days" quite interesting.

for my friend ken,
read the apocryphal "book of enoch" to garner a more rich understanding of lucifer and his rebellion and ultimate shame.
you will also find in the sepiroth in the tree of life,references to the garden of eden and the "tree of knowledge" also known as da'ath.
lets remember that there are 267 books of the bible,all by biblical authors,yet only 66 IN the bible(73 if your catholic).

religion and theology can be a fun discussion,but in regards to evolution vs creation,i find evolution so much more grander and poetic in its beauty than biblical creation.
evolution,to me,is a far stronger argument for a creator than genesis.
till next time..peace.
Enoch D.D.S

enoch at 10:53AM on Nov 2nd 2007

11. Michael Behe's argument for Irreducible Complexity raises the point that there is no known mechanism by which certain complex microbiological systems could have come into being via a Darwinian process of random mutation.

Strict Darwinists like Richard Dawkins claim this inexplicable complexity is merely a result of our current lack of knowledge, and not the result of any supernatural intention. (This, in my opinion, is an Argument from Ignorance.)

I think a solution to this problem of "Irreducible Complexity" in biology can be found in what Cosmologists call The Anthropic Principle.

Physicists and Cosmologists have long known that the very existence of our universe is so improbable as to be practically impossible. And yet the universe -- and the laws that govern it -- exist nonetheless. Scientists call this phenomenon "Anthropic Bias".

In my view, it is not necessary to dismiss Irreducible Complexity as violating Parsimony, because the evolution of life on Earth is itself governed by the Anthropic Principle.

Mike LaSalle

Links:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anthropic_principle

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Irreducible_complexity

Mike LaSalle at 4:00PM on Nov 2nd 2007

12. Why is that it has to be either Evolution OR Creation. Cannot something evolve that was initially created? Can something new be created from something that has evolved to a certain point and then "created" an offshoot while continuing on its normal evolutionary path? I think there are possibly some things that have a certain "functionality" that causes one to wonder how it could have just happened by fluke of nature. Some things have seem to have a certain "engineering" about them that does not seem accidental, random but has some purpose as to why they are that way. I am not saying this in a religious sort of way but looking at it from an engineering standpoint.

M2D5 at 4:15PM on Nov 2nd 2007

13. Chapter 17 in Walter Isaacson's brilliant biography of Albert Einstein tells us exactly what the master physicist thought about God. He had no hesitation whatever in proclaiming to many different audiences over a considerable span of years his total, unshakeable belief in the existence of the Creator, with whom his researches into the functioning of the universe had brought him face to face. The unending, perfect symetry of creation convinced him that the Creator had a master plan, extending from atoms to humans, that was utteerly predetermined. Like St. Paul in his letter to the Ephesians, Einstein believed that man's worship and glorification of the Creator had been predestined since the foundation of the world.

Stephen Unwin at 9:28PM on Nov 4th 2007