kickthecan61

If so, WHY are people worth saving?

[In the movie, Man of Steal, the pastor/priest tried to convince Superman that people were worth him risking his life to save. I don't think the priest made the case. Does history show that mankind has any redeeming value? Why would a person outside of the normal choose to save us at the cost of his own life?]

I have been reading often here on R/S the almost unchallenged assertion that Christmas is a steal from the Roman/pagan holiday of Saturnalia. If the holiday is really JUST a steal from Saturnalia, shouldn't the major element of the celebration be "public dissipation"?

The claim that one lives by science and reason is common on this site. Is such a claim scientific or reasonable? Is there scientific evidence or reasonable arguments that people actually do live according to such principles or do they actually live according to their preconceived notions, subconscious desires, feelings, unsupported beliefs? For example, do people cheat on their spouse because they have reasonable and scientific evidence that it produces good results [however one wishes to define it] ?

In modernism/rationalism one is limited to what one can prove. What important things in life can be proven? [Keep it simple. Pick one or two.]

a) If you are married can you prove you love your spouse?

b) Can you prove your spouse loves you?

c) If you can't prove your spouse loves you, should you get a divorce?

d) Is there a proof that murder is wrong? (OR more easily, what is the proof that Hitler's final solution was wrong?)

[Why the questions? We are no longer in the modern/rationalist era. At the turn of the century over 100 years ago, the thinkers had almost entirely given up the search for truth (not mere facts) through exclusively rational means. -- Which is why we are in the POST-modern era. YET, I regularly read in this section about people who claim that they live their lives based purely on logic and reason. If the great thinkers of the modern era couldn't do it, are people who make such a claim nowadays lying or deluded or so brilliant that we should take the effort up again?]

On those Star Trek episodes where the human race is put on trial and asked to justify why it should continue to exist, the answers the show gave to justify the continuation of the human race were never very convincing and were often just plain lame.

Are humans really capable of loving / acting selflessly or are the broken hearts, wars, cruelty, indifference, etc. small time evidence of what could happen at an even larger scale in the future? Are Auschwitz, Stalin, Chairman Mao, Pearl Harbor, WW!, the Cold War, Hiroshima, the current divorce rate, the pain of surviving the gossip and backbiting of the teen years, unusual or typical?

So does anyone have a convincing answer for "Why should the human race continue to exist?"

What is the neo-Darwinian explanation?

What is the Christian explanation?

Please only answer using the one the approach you think offers the best explanation. (For BA I'll first pick "best of breed", then best of show.)

[I'm curious how these various mindsets work themselves out in daily life.]

A theory is an explanation for a natural law. WHICH theory of gravity do you think best explains the law of universal gravitation?

(Also does the theory of gravity you prefer explain whether gravity is instantaneous or whether it is subject to the limit of the speed of light?)

How do we know stealing is wrong?

(Is this an example of "natural law" or are governments forcing their morality on us?)

While most know God to be merciful in general, how can you know that he will show mercy to you in particular?

Allah is merciful. But, how do I know that I will be shown mercy?

Allah is merciful in general. Can I COUNT on him showing me mercy or is there some doubt about whether I will be shown mercy? Is Allah's mercy conditional?

I am hoping to hear what Allah himself says, not peoples' opinions.

One keeps reading on Y|A about the evils of the "fundies". Does anyone know what the fundies believe?

Give sources please.

If a person means a _Christian_ fundamentalist, how one can tell if the person believes the 5 fundamentals of Christianity? (Do you know what the 5 fundamental beliefs of "fundamental" Christianity are?)

If the term is used to mean someone who is judgmental or close-minded, is the person who uses the term judgmentally or in close-mindedly labeling someone a fundamentalist too?

I read of people bragging that they live their lives only by reason - following science and logic.

I'm not sure I can consistently live by such a standard. This is the area that's holding me back... How does one tell of their undying xxxx [scratch that, not logical] love for their spouse, boyfriend, girlfriend without being irrational or illogical or unscientific.

I have a small [and inadequate start], so please help me out and HAVE fun! I'm looking for passion, creativity, and HUMOR.

A start...

I find the famous science writer Isaac Asimov's line most reasonable and humorous... "Testicular hormones are why I love you."

I love you because you're one in roughly 3 billion. [But truthfully, you're less than 10% different from a chimp.]

I love because your the best my genes can get...

Your turn... ;-)