[Southtown]

Originally Posted by damocles

http://touregypt.net/featurestories/hittites.htm

Wealth, the stealing of same.

As always, best wishes;

Thanks for that, D. I do love ancient history. Good to see you again, by the way. How have ya been?

I'm specifically trying to dissect B's point of view, though. His passive-aggresive arrogance has piqued my curiosity, and I'm inviting him to discuss his position. Pin-pointing exactly where he stands, however, seems a lot like pulling teeth. But, I'm sure he does have a position. He probably just doesn't feel like defending it.

[damocles]

Originally Posted by Southtown

Thanks for that, D. I do love ancient history. Good to see you again, by the way. How have ya been?

I'm specifically trying to dissect B's point of view, though. His passive-aggresive arrogance has piqued my curiosity, and I'm inviting him to discuss his position. Pin-pointing exactly where he stands, however, seems a lot like pulling teeth. But, I'm sure he does have a position. He probably just doesn't feel like defending it.

I've been very busy, South, and haven't had the opportunity to post that much until recently.

I'm doing fairly well.

Don't be too hard on B. His reading of monotheistic history is accurate, but those polytheistic believers that he didn't mention were just as intolerant.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Akhenaten for example.

As always; the best of wishes;

[Southtown]

Originally Posted by damocles

Don't be too hard on B. His reading of monotheistic history is accurate, but those polytheistic believers that he didn't mention were just as intolerant.

Hehehe... indeed.

But, I'm just wondering if religion is actually a catalyst for animosity among humans as B implies, or is it just misused to that end as a means of gaining the competitive advantage, since natural selection actually predated us.

[Boerseun]

Originally Posted by Southtown

I'm specifically trying to dissect B's point of view, though. His passive-aggresive arrogance has piqued my curiosity, and I'm inviting him to discuss his position. Pin-pointing exactly where he stands, however, seems a lot like pulling teeth. But, I'm sure he does have a position. He probably just doesn't feel like defending it.

Hiya, South. Being aggressive, I'd like to rip your head off. Being passive, I just couldn't care. But being arrogant, I'm not even supposed to acknowledge your presence. So I find myself in a rather difficult position, you see.

My responses above was for this piece you wrote:

Originally Posted by Southtown

Pious indignation, the driving mechanism behind millions and millions of years of merciless natural selection, correct?

Which I was sure was a joke, seeing as our written records only stretch back about three to four thousand years, not enough time for really big evolutionary changes to become widespread. So we don't have data for the evolutionary contribution of things like pious indignation for more than a few thousand years back. If we had data of one million years ago, we could say that yes, pious indignation might have been an evolutionary factor. Our data, however, only stretches back a few thousand years, and that's why I replied

Nah - more like 2,000-odd years' worth, I'd say.

I assumed that would be crystal clear. I you didn't get it, sorry. But it was a pretty obvious point.
Now - you don't have to revert to name-calling or insults here.

[Pyrotex]

Originally Posted by ughaibu

Life on Earth is basically microbial, all the complex stuff like grass, insects, humans, etc, is just dust on the surface, yet I've been unable to locate any groups who consider microbes to be god, or to be intelligent designers.

Fascinating! In a very real sense, we WERE created by microbes.
LOL!!!

[Pyrotex]

Originally Posted by Southtown

Could you define Life for us, please?...

Lessee... [VaderVoice] LIFE [/VaderVoice] is a transient collection of molecules with a well-defined though permeable boundary, that collectively demonstrates ingestion, excretion, metabolism, and reproduction.

Transient, as used here, means that specific molecules and/or structures are generally temporary, their apparent constancy being a manifestation of metabolic replacement. Metabolic, as used here, means the extraction of chemical energy from ingested matter, heat gradients, and/or photons.

[Southtown]

Originally Posted by Boerseun

Hiya, South. Being aggressive, I'd like to rip your head off. Being passive, I just couldn't care. But being arrogant, I'm not even supposed to acknowledge your presence. So I find myself in a rather difficult position, you see.

I'm sorry you feel that way. However, I was only forthright about your manner and also careful not to be 'name calling'. I said 'passive-aggressive arrogance' because you obviously have a point behind the comment:

Originally Posted by Boerseun

I'm now going to have to declare holy war on you and your infidel so-called 'country', Nor... whatsit... er, between us, 'till the seventh generation!

...which you convey with sarcasm, but on which you refuse to elborate. I assume you are implying that war among humans wasn't a normal occurance until religion came along. Am I correct, or not? Thus I extrapolated:

Originally Posted by Southtown

Pious indignation, the driving mechanism behind millions and millions of years of merciless natural selection, correct?

Boiled down, I just can't swallow the concept that religion caused war, especially coming from an evolutionist. Do you still claim it does, or no?

[Boerseun]

Jeez, South, lighten up, dude...

It was a joke. Jokes are either understood, or not. But never explained. If you have to explain a joke, you're in front of the wrong audience.

As far as religion causing wars, er, well, yes. It does. Ever heard of the Crusades? Or religious fundamentalism? September the 11th? And the subsequent 'War on Terrorism'? Caused by fundamentalism? Which, in turn, is 100% attributable to the Tooth Fairy?

It's a scary world we're living in...

[Southtown]

Originally Posted by Boerseun

Jeez, South, lighten up, dude...

It was a joke. Jokes are either understood, or not. But never explained. If you have to explain a joke, you're in front of the wrong audience.

'Nuff said. So you weren't serious.

Originally Posted by Boerseun

As far as religion causing wars, er, well, yes. It does. Ever heard of the Crusades? Or religious fundamentalism? September the 11th? And the subsequent 'War on Terrorism'? Caused by fundamentalism? Which, in turn, is 100% attributable to the Tooth Fairy?

It's a scary world we're living in...

...or were you?

And I don't mind playing the butt, mind you, I'm just saying I disagree, humor aside.

Let's say I write 'Don't kill Fred' on a piece of paper and hand it to Joe. Then Joe crams the paper down Fred's throat so he asphyxiates. Who's to blame for Fred's death? Me, Joe, or the paper?

[damocles]

Originally Posted by Southtown

'Nuff said. So you weren't serious.
<snip>
Let's say I write 'Don't kill Fred' on a piece of paper and hand it to Joe. Then Joe crams the paper down Fred's throat so he asphyxiates. Who's to blame for Fred's death? Me, Joe, or the paper?

Joe.

As always; the best of wishes.