keyser_soze

I call their 9 scientists, and raise the other 2 million that aren't theists...

Radorth

Sorry, I thought you were looking for Nobel prize material, not recent graduates from Uganda U. And of cours one has to wonder how many great scientists believe but don't make a big deal out of it, or fear reprisals from sometimes snooty, politicized, and mostly atheist community.

Anyway, I'm afraid Biff's assertion has been proven incorrect. In the 17th-19th centuries, Christians like Kepler, Boyle, Pascal, Newton, Faraday, etc invariably either founded branches of science and mathematics or put them leap years ahead of other countries where Jesus wasn't popular. I have two questions:

Why was it Christians who put science and mathematics so far ahead of other non-Christian countries?

If being a Christian then was no hindrance to genius, why would it be now?

Rad

Biff the unclean

So can't help but notice the attraction Christianity holds for the mentally ill. San Francisco has more than it's fair share of "the mad" wandering it's streets. Some with large signs telling you how God hates sex. Even sex between a married couple. They have been there for years at the cable car turn around on Market. There's an ex-Marine who haunts Union Square who shouts every lunch hour on his bull horn about how damned everyone is who doesn't love Jesus. You really can't throw a rock in the down town area without hitting a religion obsessed nut case.
Yet I've never even heard of a crazy person who was attracted to Skepticism or Atheism. I would think that one doesn't get to choose their manias. There would be no controlling themselves. That a crazy would be just as likely to be raving Atheist sentiments as Theistic ones. I would think…but I've never seen a single one.

lpetrich

It's hard to get much worse than the Gospels in incoherence, it must be said.

Radorth

Er, just answer the discussion-related questions fellas.

Rad

Biff the unclean

Anyway, I'm afraid Biff assertion has been proven incorrect. In the 1600's, Christians like Kepler, Boyle, Pascal, Newton, etc
Probably it's because Biff is talking about the twenty first century and not the seventeenth. I don't believe any of these gentlemen responded to the AAAS poll
invariably either founded branches of science
More precisely what they did was revive branches of science from the old Hellenic days that the Christian church had squashed for over a thousand years.
and mathematics or put them leap years ahead of other countries where Jesus wasn't popular. I have two questions:

Why was it Christians who put science and mathematics so far ahead of other non-Christian countries?
Actually it wasn't Christians who preserved science and mathematics. When the Turks conquered Constantinople in 1453 the west found out that although the Christians had destroyed all the Pagan Hellenic manuscripts the Moslems had not. The Christians had thought that classical knowledge was lost forever. The Moslems saved us.
I might also point out that the numbers we use are Arabic numerals, not Roman numerals, not Christian Numerals…Arabic.

If being a Christian then was no hindrance to genius, why would it be now?
Because Christians are no longer allowed to torture and execute scientists if they don't like what they find…though God knows they fight every advancement in the fields of science tooth and nail.
These more liberal days it isn't so much that Christianity is a hindrance to genius as it is that intelligence is a hindrance to religiosity.

wade-w

Science vs christianity may be a worthy topic. But its not the main topic for this thread. If you want to discuss it, start a new thread.

Dargo

Back to the original topic, I would say that a discussion of the Messianic prophecies as quoted by New Testament authors would be an excellent choice. It should be narrow enough for a good debate, and it's certainly crucial to the Christian faith. I would really like to see a topic on this nature in the formal debate forum. It would help if both debators knew Greek and Hebrew fairly well.

Radorth

I'm mystified as to why a closely topical and lively debate with considerable readership should be moved, but fine.

Rad

Goliath

danielius

Well, that narrows it down, now doesn't it?

Sincerely,

Goliath