Mo Rocca has appeared on a bunch of shows, including 'The Daily Show,' 'I Love the 80s,'...
Posted Jun 12th 2008 4:35AM by Dinesh D'Souza
Filed under: Science, Christianity, Atheism
When Richard Dawkins published The God Delusion, philosopher Michael Ruse was quoted as saying that the book "makes me embarrassed to be an atheist." What especially galls
I've been reading
But doesn't evolution contradict a literal reading of the first chapter of Genesis? Yes, but
By contrast,
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The Sound of a Smoke-Free Barack...
Mo Rocca appears on a bunch of shows, including CBS News Sunday Morning (with the indescribably wonderful Charles Osgood), The Tonight Show on NBC, and NPR's Wait Wait... Don't Tell Me! He's a sometime judge on Iron Chef and was featured on Telemundo's Amore Descarado. Last year he starred on Broadway in the 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee. His expose "All the President's Pets" was published by Crown in 2004.
Reader Comments ( Page 26 of 115)
376. ATHEISt
Reply to: . those who claim to understand science on this blog, and who insist that no respectable scientists uses the term "Darwinian" today --
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Look, moron, you posted the titles.
However, what do the articles say?
do they make the same distinction between Darwinism and modern evolutionary theory that I did?
Your pathetic little posting of the titles... just shows what a dimwit you are.
Go back and READ those articles. Let's see how many of them use the term correctly.
William Hays at 9:52PM on Jun 13th 2008
377. ATHEIST
Columbia Encyclopedia: Darwinism,
concept of evolution developed in the mid-19th cent. by Charles Robert Darwin. Darwin's meticulously documented observations led him to question the then current belief in special creation of each species. After years of studying and correlating the voluminous notes he had made as naturalist on H.M.S. Beagle, he was prompted by the submission (1858) of an almost identical theory by A. R. Wallace to present his evidence for the descent of all life from a common ancestral origin; his monumental Origin of Species was published in 1859. Darwin observed (as had Malthus) that although all organisms tend to reproduce in a geometrically increasing ratio, the numbers of a given species remain more or less constant. From this he deduced that there is a continuing struggle for existence, for survival. He pointed out the existence of variations—differences among members of the same species—and suggested that the variations that prove helpful to a plant or an animal in its struggle for existence better enable it to survive and reproduce. These favorable variations are thus transmitted to the offspring of the survivors and spread to the entire species over successive generations. This process he called the principle of natural selection (the expression “survival of the fittest” was later coined by Herbert Spencer). In the same way, sexual selection (factors influencing the choice of mates among animals) also plays a part. In developing his theory that the origin and diversification of species results from gradual accumulation of individual modifications, Darwin was greatly influenced by Sir Charles Lyell's treatment of the doctrine of uniformitarianism. Darwin's evidence for evolution rested on the data of comparative anatomy, especially the study of homologous structures in different species and of rudimentary (vestigial) organs; of the recapitulation of past racial history in individual embryonic development; of geographical distribution, extensively documented by Wallace; of the immense variety in forms of plants and animals (to the degree that often one species is not distinct from another); and, to a lesser degree, of paleontology.
*** As originally formulated, Darwinism did not distinguish between acquired characteristics, which are not transmissible by heredity, and genetic variations, which are inheritable. *****
*** Modern knowledge of heredity—especially the concept of mutation, which provides an explanation of how variations may arise— ***
*** has supplemented and modified the theory, ****
but in its basic outline Darwinism is now universally accepted by scientists.
_________________
this article uses the term CORRECTLY.
William Hays at 9:57PM on Jun 13th 2008
378. William, your EXACT WORDS were, "The term "darwinian" is an insult. It means someone who hasn't kept up with the literature for a century and a half."
You're the dimwit who wrote those two sentences, not me. I've just shown that PLENTY of scientists who have kept up with "the literature" use the term "Darwinian," and that they evidently don't find the term insulting.
"do they make the same distinction between Darwinism and modern evolutionary theory that I did?"
What a stupid question. I doubt that an article titled, "Ecological fitness, genomic islands and bacterial pathogenicity. A *Darwinian* view of the evolution of microbes" or "Positive *Darwinian* selection promotes charge profile diversity in the antigen-binding cleft of class I major-histocompatibility-complex molecules" is using an understanding of evolutionary theory that can be dated to 1859 and no later.
If, as you claim, Christianity "dumbs you down," then it's a good thing that you're not a Christian. You can't take any more dumbing down.
Renzo at 10:06PM on Jun 13th 2008
379. tomb, when your body is secreted under your headstone, you'll be all dressed up with no where to go.
JefFlyingV at 10:07PM on Jun 13th 2008
380. no can not be a christain ,,,,,,,,, God has created everything in the whole world even the world,God is master over everything
cindy at 9:01PM on Jun 14th 2008
381.
Peter
You admonish us to mind our own business.
You have become the business...bad business. You have lost your credibility, you cannot distinguish between compliment and insult, how are we supposed to tell if you know anything about religion when you have demonstrated a loss of understanding of life?
It would appear the bitch is you, a silly punk-ass bitch.
mac at 10:13PM on Jun 13th 2008
382. Michael says, "If you don't like Christian prayer on a Christian blog, get off of it."
This is news.aol.com/newsbloggers, Michael, which part of that means 'Christian blog to you?
This blog entry by D'Souza is "Can a Darwinian Be a Christian?"
Since when would a prayer be 'on topic'? You can see that this is question is relevant by this:- "Please keep your comments relevant to this blog entry.", printed above the 'Add your comments' box.
This blog entry is filed under:-
"Filed under: Science, Christianity, Atheism"
Typing out prayers or requests for prayers is completely off topic and childish.
Doody-head!
not-pboyfloyd at 10:12PM on Jun 13th 2008
383. Atheists, you are all losers. Keep destroying each other with your venom, I love it, lol!
Tomb
Tom B at 10:15PM on Jun 13th 2008
384. ATHEIST
Reply to: 375. Peter you are ignorant, faithless, and so, truly lifeless. There is at least one non-Christian historian who lived at the time of Christ, and who commented on the historical Jesus: Josephus.
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Fine.
Let's see if he adds anything to the "Was it a Con Game?" question.
does he ever say that people were telling LIES about a poor guy named Jesus in order to attract victims to an end of the world cult?
don't you GET it?
You're a Christian because you are NOT smart.
Nothing you post is going to change that.
It's a LIE. A silly, ridiculous LIE.
If you don't have this guy Jesus as your Savior, you will be condemned to eternal torment when the world ends and the dead are resurrected
and that was 1,900 years ago.... during which time the world did NOT end.
Duh, pathetic Christians. Start USING your brains instead of throwing out all the Defense Mechanisms.
The story does NOT make sense... unless you know it was a Sales Pitch for a con game.
William Hays at 10:13PM on Jun 13th 2008
385. God is the only master over creation,
cindy at 9:00PM on Jun 14th 2008
386. ATHEIST
reply to: I doubt that an article is using an understanding of evolutionary theory that can be dated to 1859 and no later. (end)
Really?
Well, the evolutionary theory is CORRECT.
so, yes, they're using it.
But like many words, "Darwinist" has several correct definitions.
A "hot dog" may not contain any dog meat.
Used in the way Dinesh used it, it's an insult.
reply to: I've just shown that PLENTY of scientists who have kept up with "the literature" use the term "Darwinian," and that they evidently don't find the term insulting.(end)
if you read the first four paragraphs of each article, you'll see what I mean.
Quite frankly, you're a DimWit, and nothing in your post interests me at all. I answered it. I posted an article with the correct usage of the term.
As Darwin wrote his theory in 1859, it was essentially correct.
However, today "Darwinist" could mean someone who holds to the original theory as it appears in the books by Charles Darwin.
Grow up, ignorant Christian. Go back and find your own faults. Your post is just a Defense Mechanism so you won't have to THINK.
Christianity is a con game.
THINK
William Hays at 10:20PM on Jun 13th 2008
387. tomb, you may hate atheists, but I'm not worried. You Christists will never unite due to your differences in cultic interpretations of the mythic Jesus's words.
JefFlyingV at 10:23PM on Jun 13th 2008
388. Go to answersingenesis.org
Andrea Doherty at 10:45PM on Jun 13th 2008
389.
Peter, I am touched and honored in hearing that your Mother's Father took in and gave refuge to several jews and undesirables. That was surely a courageous thing that a man of high honor would do. I hear your pain and just wanted you to know that I and others are certainly aware of the horrors of the Nazi camps. Back in '95 My wife and I went over to Israel on a pilgrimage and we visited the "y vad yashem" Memorial Grounds (sorry, I can't remember the entire correct name right now)
And with what I saw, I could never forget. The holocaust was indeed real. I have a Polish friend who escaped and now all of these years later, she's found her peace with it. Her husband was a soldier and he was able to come to America, eventually and they've spent their years trying to decompress, so to speak, and assimilate into our country.
Peter, you come from good stock. I know you will always remember those things that you have heard,seen and lived in. No one could ever take that away from you. No one. Even if they tried, those memories of history and truth are engrained in YOU. And, now, you can carry that piece of history quite nobly to the next generation in your family.and ensure its safety and guard it.
I can see how this is such a topic so close to home for you. You have something to contribute in the passing down of history. Indeed, so that such history would never, ever again be repeated.
I would never want to see anyone hurt you by denying that the Holocaust happened!
Yes, it did, as you say!
So, I hope you find yourself in a moment of peace, being able to enjoy the rest of your Friday eve.
God bless you, Peter with His Tender Love and Mercy.
Good night ;)
Michael at 10:30PM on Jun 13th 2008
390. It is false to believe that Christians can mix evolution with believing in god. it is like mixing water and oil, also if you compromise in any of your beliefs whether you be atheist or christian you will what good are you accomplishing? how can two walk together unless they be agreed?
g at 10:36PM on Jun 13th 2008