Inventions To Thank Pagans For

[Rusty Hills Farm]

Einstein's, E=mc² equation works very well to describe the relationship between matter and energy, you are correct in that matter can't be destroyed once is has been created. The fundamental question is how it got here in the first place, the "beginning" part. A need to analyze a situation has in a large part led me to faith. The point is either we attribute the matter in the "beginning" to an intelligent creator, the universe as some type of anonymous creative mechanism behind door number 3, or that all matter has managed through some type of mystery to organize itself in an amazingly orderly manner.

How exactly does the universe endlessly recycle anything at all? In other words, how does the universe know what to do and in what order...ut oh gotta go the soup is boiling over.

Except I don't see anywhere in this thread that we are debating the existence of a supreme being/intelligent creator. We were talking about things invented by us mere mortals. And I still think that no one group has ever "cornered the market" on creativity and inventiveness. Genius pops up all around the globe and throughout the ages.

Rusty​

 

[tdgill]

hey HappyMtn
Off topic sorta quick

I told my bf that the susquehanna river is the second oldest if not THE oldest river on the planet, and that it was around when pangea was in formation and he said pangea? that was just a theory. not proven.

hahah anyway. I think its awesome. live close to the susquehanna got to see the indian petroglyphs some day on the rocks...

 

[GrayDragon]

Quote:
http://www.richardcarrier.info/ancientscience.html

Richard Carrier does a pretty good job of countering all Stark's falsehoods and historical revisionism, if you are interested in learning the actual history of the time periods in question.

Of course, the reviews of the book you recommended on Amazon.com also do a pretty good job of countering Stark's falsehoods and historical revisionism - http://www.amazon.com/Victory-Reaso...?ie=UTF8&showViewpoints=0&filterBy=addOneStar

 

[Goose and Fig]

Quote:
Oh- you are so lucky!

There are so many beautiful geologic sites along the east coast. My "dream vactaion" is to camp near the Bay of Fundy.

Did you bf not know what pangea was?

Make him watch discovery channel for a day

 

[mom'sfolly]

glass-Egytians

 

[boaz]

Quote:
Except I don't see anywhere in this thread that we are debating the existence of a supreme being/intelligent creator. We were talking about things invented by us mere mortals. And I still think that no one group has ever "cornered the market" on creativity and inventiveness. Genius pops up all around the globe and throughout the ages.

Rusty

Rusty wrote, "After all "matter can neither be created nor destroyed." What was here in the beginning is here now and will still be here eons from now. The universe just endlessly recycles everything--including us. Which means in the abstract we all share the same makeup, so of course we share the same inventiveness and creativity."


The debate is 'inventions to thank pagans for'. If during the course of a debate; others ideas or concepts are introduced, it is natural and orderly to comment on that concept rather than to not comment as it might be slightly off course. I found your statement interesting and wished to follow up on it in this discourse.

 

[I have WHAT in my yard?]

I have read the Stark book. At one point the local school district was arguing evolution and it was cited as a reference. I have read the bible the Q'ran (but not the Hadith), the book of Mormon, the Scientology book - it just was called scientology - I will read any book that is important to another group of people's way of perceiving the universe around them. That does not mean that I believe them to be correct.

The truest sign of intelligence is the ability to hold contradictory ideas in your head. So I read Stark and think his history is deeply flawed and his science is total gibberish. But, that is my opinion. Some of his scientific points have one grain of truth in an entire loaf of nonsense. He reminds me of Glenn Beck.



I did not know the Susquehanna was the 2nd oldest river.... on what is this based? Geologic evidence? I live relatively close and would love to pass this on to my kids.


BTW, once when explaining the concept of transmogrification to some one from another religion I explained that to many christians it is symbolic, but catholic dogma says that the bread and wine actually become the flesh and blood of christ. He was appalled. He said, "But then if you eat it that's cannibalism!" I was taken aback having been raised catholic and never really seeing it that way, but I had trouble refuting his perspective.

 

[deb1]

I have WHAT in my yard? :

I have read the Stark book. At one point the local school district was arguing evolution and it was cited as a reference. I have read the bible the Q'ran (but not the Hadith), the book of Mormon, the Scientology book - it just was called scientology - I will read any book that is important to another group of people's way of perceiving the universe around them. That does not mean that I believe them to be correct.

The truest sign of intelligence is the ability to hold contradictory ideas in your head. So I read Stark and think his history is deeply flawed and his science is total gibberish. But, that is my opinion. Some of his scientific points have one grain of truth in an entire loaf of nonsense. He reminds me of Glenn Beck.



I did not know the Susquehanna was the 2nd oldest river.... on what is this based? Geologic evidence? I live relatively close and would love to pass this on to my kids.


BTW, once when explaining the concept of transmogrification to some one from another religion I explained that to many christians it is symbolic, but catholic dogma says that the bread and wine actually become the flesh and blood of christ. He was appalled. He said, "But then if you eat it that's cannibalism!" I was taken aback having been raised catholic and never really seeing it that way, but I had trouble refuting his perspective.

I don't know if this would have helped him understand or not.

The bread and wine remain bread and wine but is the actual body of Christ. It is a mystery. The Jewish people had a strong aversion to eating blood. In John six,(Before the last supper) Jesus tells his disciples that in order to be saved they need to eat his body. Some of his followers were so disgusted that they left. In an unusual move for him, Jesus did not call those people back and explain the meaning of his statement. It is a shocking thing to say. But God exists outside time and space. So Catholics are eating Christ's living body(which might seem more gross to some LOL) Taking communion is supposed to be a deeply reverent and beautiful act.

You want to drive someone nuts, try explaining the Catholic concept of Invincible Ignorance to an extreme fundamentalist. I live in the southeastern part of the US so I know a lot of people who are of the more extreme fundamentalist types. I've accidentally horrified my friends talking about Invincible Ignorance.

 

[GrayDragon]

One would think extreme fundies of various ilks would be the most familiar with invincible ignorance.

To continue the theme of 'pagan' inventions

Cosmetics
Chemistry
Cheese
Coffee
Guns (actually invented by the Egyptians and called 'hand cannons' long before Europe took hold of the idea, and the matchlock was invented by the Ottoman empire)
wind and water wheels
'asphalt' roads
central heating
paper



I'm currently preparing my favorite pagan invention.

mmm....tea....

 

[tdgill]

we should probably define "pagan"