I listened to the Dawkins V. Lennox debate held at UAB not so recently and though I dont remember many details of the debait, I do remember that Dawkins was getting his lunch ate. Partially due to the format, and partially because he is not a philosopher or theologian and doesn't see ideas all the way through. He is an Evolutionary Biologists and that says it all for me.
Because of a handful of debunked experiments and especially due to a lab experiment using a synthesized atmosphere (now know to be inaccurate) representing the primordial earth that produced amino acid like chemicals: he finds it easy to believe that life sprang up by chance. Chance and a long time allowed the formation of complex amino acids that coalesced into protienes (that actally was functional) and phospho-lipids formed too and yada...yada... yada...primative "cell-like" systems became more and more organized until we formed the first single celled organisim. which then lead to us a bit later.
What he yada...yada...yada-ed was a very complex and elegant system of DNA -> RNA -> protein that is almost entirely irreducably complex.
Some Basics first: DNA is like a master instruction book for all cells in the body. it has the code that the body uses when "making" parts for the cell. DNA is culmped into chromosomes and has repeating segments along its length that act as marker points. Certain protiens are always setting ready to go to the instruction book and make copies of the reque3sted section. That copy is then sent to the "fab shop" and made into other protiens.
For each set of three DNA base bairs one base unit of a protien (amino acid) is coded. After a bunch of amino acids are put in a chain they lump and fold and twist into some kind of 3-D mass that has a function. It may be hemoglobin (transports O2 in the blood), or collagen (ligaments, tendons, cartledge and scar tissue) or some other very specific protien that is "fabricated" only when there is an environmental stress, afterwhich it is dismantled or breaks down.
For those of you familiar with the DNA --> RNA --> Protien sorry for the digression. Okay, back to the point.
He (Dawkins) presumes that 1.) DNA found its order/ sequence by chance 2.) that a system of transcribing (copying) only a needed portion of DNA's message into RNA was by chance 3.) transportation of the copy to a remote "fab shop" was spurriously developed 4.) the sequence of the copied code is useful for putting t/g amino acids 5.) the sequence of amino acids produced was useful to the cell and happened by chance (guided by natural selection). there is sooooo much assumption here you could drive a bus through the gaps at each assumption!
Dawkins says that you dont need God to explain how things have gotten to the state we now observe (this is classic Darwinian reductionism) they apply Occam's Razor and say that it is more simple and less assuming to explain speciation and geology using "hard scientific evidence" than to invoke God. But this only gives a means of how the earth came to its form and population of life AFTER THE EARTH AND LIFE WERE IN PLACE. Tthey make a giant leap of faith in banking on the logic of natural selection and long tern statistics. besides which they still have not expliained why "life" came into existance and why "life" wants to live...also where did the truism of natural selection get its truth????
My father in law once said:
if you take all the necessary pieces and parts to make a whole house, put them in a big cargo plane and dump them over your home site, what are the odds that they will fall into place and make a ready to use house? 1/billion, 1/trillion, 1/gazillion??? how bout 1/infinity? we all know it wont happen, but technically there is a "chance".
The reason we know it will never happen is the house must be built in a general order; things put in place in a certain order, it cant happen all at once. Your flooring cannot be installed before the subfloor, the shingles cant go on before the decking, the paint cant just splatter in place with out getting on the trim....it is irreducibly complex! ... it has design....
Irreducable Complexity
This is the statistician's mile high hurdle, when things have to happen in a certain order they get harder and harder to happen by chance.
I have been working on a quote that I want to coin "Scientists are the worlds worst about confusing knowledge about how something works for an explaination about how (or why) it came to be" just because I know almost everything about molecular biology, doesnt mean I can explain why this protiene is capable of performing its action, I only know how it will act.
Thursday, April 3, 2008
Monday, March 10, 2008
Rugby vs. Football American (vs. Football)
Rugby
Fullbacks, Halfbacks, Wings, Centres, Scrums three rows of players and a guy called the fullback that acts much like a linebacker and safety rolled into one. Virtually no pads or equipment other than cleats and an oblong ball much like a "soccer" ball that a fat dad sat on during his son's "soccer " game. full contact. running plays, kicking plays and sortof passing plays
Football American
Offense and Defense squads, linemen, receivers, fullbacks, runningbacks, quarterbacks, safety and linebackers. different structures for Off. and Def. more direct contact, specialized positions and players, lots of pads and equipment and a ball shaped more conducive for throwing. Specialized plays for kicking, no such thing as a tie.
Football (Soccer)
lots of running, lots of kicking, minimal equipment and round ball (unless your dad sat on it during the game) not much set structure except when the ball leaves boudries. Goalies, fullbacks, halfbacks, wings/ fowards. cant use your hands unless the goalie or throw-in. Not full contact, lots of head usage.
so give me your opinions about Rugby vs. Football American. which one is more manly? I think it's obvious, but I want to know what you think. also consider how football american and football have lots of commonalities with rugby but not each other. I think Darwin would say that Rugby was the ancestor of both kinds of Football what do you think?
Fullbacks, Halfbacks, Wings, Centres, Scrums three rows of players and a guy called the fullback that acts much like a linebacker and safety rolled into one. Virtually no pads or equipment other than cleats and an oblong ball much like a "soccer" ball that a fat dad sat on during his son's "soccer " game. full contact. running plays, kicking plays and sortof passing plays
Football American
Offense and Defense squads, linemen, receivers, fullbacks, runningbacks, quarterbacks, safety and linebackers. different structures for Off. and Def. more direct contact, specialized positions and players, lots of pads and equipment and a ball shaped more conducive for throwing. Specialized plays for kicking, no such thing as a tie.
Football (Soccer)
lots of running, lots of kicking, minimal equipment and round ball (unless your dad sat on it during the game) not much set structure except when the ball leaves boudries. Goalies, fullbacks, halfbacks, wings/ fowards. cant use your hands unless the goalie or throw-in. Not full contact, lots of head usage.
so give me your opinions about Rugby vs. Football American. which one is more manly? I think it's obvious, but I want to know what you think. also consider how football american and football have lots of commonalities with rugby but not each other. I think Darwin would say that Rugby was the ancestor of both kinds of Football what do you think?
Saturday, March 1, 2008
kidney punch
Have you ever watched pro boxing and noticed that the little guys don't go for the knock out, they wait for the right opportunity to get in a good body shot. after a few shots to the gut or floating ribs the oponant is really in a dilemma. on one hand he can cover his head and keep taking the body shots (which really hurt, take away your breath and wear down your stamina) OR he can try to block the body punch and leave his head poorly guarded.
Back in High School, I used to defend my 270 pound youth leader in basketball. he was in his late 20s and really a pretty good athlete. Basketball wasn't his strong suite, but he had mastered the Carl Malone high knee drive to the basket. when he was coming down the lane nobody would meet him mono-y-mono, not even the 6'8" 315 pounder that went to play O-line at Auburn for 5 years. but at the block I had a bit of an edge on him with my vertical, not too often would I actually get to pack his stuff, but I made him rely on the spinning fade-away. well when it came to rebounds I took a lesson from the welter weight guys and found his kidney. I started off feeling him out trying to see if I could get a response, not really hitting him hard just well placed. then in the heat of the game I might forget that I loved him like a second father and let a quick jab fly a bit too hard.
He was much better than I would have been in his place, he would laugh it off, comment on how it was an effective strategy and then gently give me back a little of my own. he was not malicious, rather reminding me of what it was like to be on the other side of the fist. honestly he never got my kidney dead on but maybe a few times, and so this just made me feel like we had a rough and tough camaraderie and therefore license to keep on.
I didn't fully realize the jolt of pain a good kidney shot could give until recently. someone fell, they tried to catch themselves and brace for the fall all at once. I was at their rear and to the side. in the process of falling they raked their elbow down the righthand side of my back with initial impact from their flailing elbow just below the ribs and the final jolt when they stopped on my hip bone (only a 3" span). take a quick look at an anatomy book and you will see this was a direct hit on the old kidney and it ached for a while. I was not angry at them but did wish I had been elsewhere.
So as I stooped and wallowed in my temporal misery I flashed back to those nights when we played basketball after bible study and I landed jab upon jab on my youth minister's back just below his ribs and wondered why he didn't just knock me out. amazingly we still have a friendship and he still thinks fondly of me
Back in High School, I used to defend my 270 pound youth leader in basketball. he was in his late 20s and really a pretty good athlete. Basketball wasn't his strong suite, but he had mastered the Carl Malone high knee drive to the basket. when he was coming down the lane nobody would meet him mono-y-mono, not even the 6'8" 315 pounder that went to play O-line at Auburn for 5 years. but at the block I had a bit of an edge on him with my vertical, not too often would I actually get to pack his stuff, but I made him rely on the spinning fade-away. well when it came to rebounds I took a lesson from the welter weight guys and found his kidney. I started off feeling him out trying to see if I could get a response, not really hitting him hard just well placed. then in the heat of the game I might forget that I loved him like a second father and let a quick jab fly a bit too hard.
He was much better than I would have been in his place, he would laugh it off, comment on how it was an effective strategy and then gently give me back a little of my own. he was not malicious, rather reminding me of what it was like to be on the other side of the fist. honestly he never got my kidney dead on but maybe a few times, and so this just made me feel like we had a rough and tough camaraderie and therefore license to keep on.
I didn't fully realize the jolt of pain a good kidney shot could give until recently. someone fell, they tried to catch themselves and brace for the fall all at once. I was at their rear and to the side. in the process of falling they raked their elbow down the righthand side of my back with initial impact from their flailing elbow just below the ribs and the final jolt when they stopped on my hip bone (only a 3" span). take a quick look at an anatomy book and you will see this was a direct hit on the old kidney and it ached for a while. I was not angry at them but did wish I had been elsewhere.
So as I stooped and wallowed in my temporal misery I flashed back to those nights when we played basketball after bible study and I landed jab upon jab on my youth minister's back just below his ribs and wondered why he didn't just knock me out. amazingly we still have a friendship and he still thinks fondly of me
Tuesday, February 26, 2008
Seeing 20/20
In ref. to Burts Blog and the vision for our Church by the year 2020
I see it like this: A church can bicker and squabble about the color of the carpet or the stain-glass in the sanctuary and make a total idiot of itself in front of the world. there is little in the Bible about carpet color and people use these insignificant matters to get their religious kicks all too often. lets face it, its difficult to settle matters like carpet color and chairs vs pews with a direct line of scripture; but this, THIS is in scripture explicitly. the great commission and virtually all of Acts being just a few ex. Maybe not this exact strategy but the principal of ministering to local flocks and splintering out to start new cells. in the new testament persecution was a primary driver for the spread of the gospel. but persecution was also like a fire that purified the church from the lukewarm layabouts that may be analogous to our modern day dissenters. should we wait for persecution to spread this gospel???
I see it like this: A church can bicker and squabble about the color of the carpet or the stain-glass in the sanctuary and make a total idiot of itself in front of the world. there is little in the Bible about carpet color and people use these insignificant matters to get their religious kicks all too often. lets face it, its difficult to settle matters like carpet color and chairs vs pews with a direct line of scripture; but this, THIS is in scripture explicitly. the great commission and virtually all of Acts being just a few ex. Maybe not this exact strategy but the principal of ministering to local flocks and splintering out to start new cells. in the new testament persecution was a primary driver for the spread of the gospel. but persecution was also like a fire that purified the church from the lukewarm layabouts that may be analogous to our modern day dissenters. should we wait for persecution to spread this gospel???
Sunday, February 24, 2008
snake eyes
So, this is my first blog and I'll try to set a few things out there. I made this identity to remain slightly shrouded from public knowledge, you can thank 4theluv for that. I will sometimes be secular, typically sarcastic and sometimes deep and a bit spiritual. When I make future posts they might have real content but dont hold your breath. I wont worry with grammer and spelling too much, and I really wont worry with being PC. I will call it as I see it, and those of you that dont know who I am may think about my words a little more seriously. when something is said from anonymity it seems a little more weighty; and besides he has the best quotes. if you do figure out who I am keep it to yourself.
I wont do many fancy links or picture inserts, I wont use lots of shorthand texting notation. this will be pretty basic so dont expect much.
Matrim Cauthon is a character from the Wheel of Time series by Robert Jordan . he is uncommonly lucky and thoroughly enjoys gambling. (this is kinda how I am, i notice all the "lucky" things that happen to me, attribute them to my uniqueness and think that I win more than I lose.) I like gambling, not at Vegas or on the River necessarily but I like to take chance, especially calculated chance. "Time to toss the dice" (spoken in the Old Tongue) is a phrase that Matt adopts once he realizes that his "luck" is not always directed at winning a game of cards or chance, but tied to his over-arching purpose in life. on one occasion he is discovering his new luck and is playing crowns (like craps). he tosses the highest winning roll over and over and over until everyone thinks he is cheating in an insultingly obvious way no less. then he finally tosses pips (sake eyes) which is a sign of the dark one and everyone starts to murmer and take their coin and leave.
so Snake Eyes is like the moment when you have found something good and indulge till you cant take any more. you get intoxicated with the moment and then realize that there is the possibility this "good thing" is not entirely good and will come at a price. Snake Eyes. Thats me, always realizing one toss too late.
Ever heard the expression "that X is like a sunburn", thats Snake Eyes.
I wont do many fancy links or picture inserts, I wont use lots of shorthand texting notation. this will be pretty basic so dont expect much.
Matrim Cauthon is a character from the Wheel of Time series by Robert Jordan . he is uncommonly lucky and thoroughly enjoys gambling. (this is kinda how I am, i notice all the "lucky" things that happen to me, attribute them to my uniqueness and think that I win more than I lose.) I like gambling, not at Vegas or on the River necessarily but I like to take chance, especially calculated chance. "Time to toss the dice" (spoken in the Old Tongue) is a phrase that Matt adopts once he realizes that his "luck" is not always directed at winning a game of cards or chance, but tied to his over-arching purpose in life. on one occasion he is discovering his new luck and is playing crowns (like craps). he tosses the highest winning roll over and over and over until everyone thinks he is cheating in an insultingly obvious way no less. then he finally tosses pips (sake eyes) which is a sign of the dark one and everyone starts to murmer and take their coin and leave.
so Snake Eyes is like the moment when you have found something good and indulge till you cant take any more. you get intoxicated with the moment and then realize that there is the possibility this "good thing" is not entirely good and will come at a price. Snake Eyes. Thats me, always realizing one toss too late.
Ever heard the expression "that X is like a sunburn", thats Snake Eyes.
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