Death anxiety prompts people to believe in intelligent design, reject evolution: research

Originally posted by romka71
The probability of life originating from accident is comparable to the probability of the unabridged dictionary resulting from an explosion in a printing factory.
~ Professor Edwin Conklin, Princeton University biologist

How about quoting someone not born born in the 19th century ?

Originally posted by solomons path

Originally posted by LikeDuhObviouslyEveryone knows that peahens select mates, not based on sex, but which male was designed the most brilliantly.

.. Yes ... that would be sexual section in a nutshell.

Well beside the "designed" part.

reply to post by LikeDuhObviously


What difference would that make.

The sad thing about atheism and exoteric religions, is that they both promote the defeatist idea that we supposedly cannot known anything about the afterlife before we physically die, "so we might as well not concern ourselves with it".

The great thing about "Eastern" Religions (Buddhism, Taoism, Tantra, etc.) and "Western" Esoterism (Gnosticism, Hermeticism, Kabbalah, Sufism, etc.) is that they differ from atheism and exoteric religions in that they state that we CAN know about the nature of death and the afterlife before we die physically.

What exactly I'm talking about here, is of course referenced and explained in my previous posts in this thread, and here as well:

Beyond Death

Dream-Yoga.org

some links to vids on creation ...these are lectures by PHD in different topics of science ..
Origins _ The Scientific Accuracy of the Bible blip.tv...
Origins - Elements of Our Hair blip.tv...
Origins - Sodom & Gomorrah part1 blip.tv...
Origins - Sodom & Gomorrah - Part 2 blip.tv...
Origins - Mount St. Helens - Explosive Evidence for Creation blip.tv...
Origins - Mud Flow Madness blip.tv...
Origins- Evolution: The Grand Experiment - Part 1 blip.tv...
Origins - Evolution: The Grand Experiment - Part 2 blip.tv...
Origins - Evolution: The Grand Experiment - Part 3 blip.tv...
Origins - The Big Freeze blip.tv...
Origins - Evolution Indoctrination blip.tv...
Origins - Dinosaurs blip.tv...
Origins - Was Darwin Wrong? blip.tv...
Origins - Intro to R.A.T.E. - Age of the Earth - part 1 blip.tv...
Origins - Helium Diffusion Rates - Age of the Earth - part 2 blip.tv...
Origins - Radiohalo Studies - Age of the Earth - part 3 blip.tv...
Origins - Carbon 14 Isotopes - Age of the Earth - part 4 blip.tv...
Origins - Isochron Discordance - Age of the Earth blip.tv...
Origins - What About Comets? blip.tv...
Origins - Lucy, She's No Lady blip.tv...
Origins - Design in Astronomy blip.tv...
Origins - Science: The Whole Story blip.tv...
These are a few that I have watched and found to be quite good ..peace

reply to post by mr10k


First off I never took the time to see if that quote is out of context. So I would love the actual source of the quote.

What difference ?
About 200 years of scientific progress ?

Darwin published The Origin of Species in 1859 ..It was not openly accepted by everybody, Even Biologists.
# today there is still what 86%+ of Americains who "don't believe" it is a fact.
(stat pulled out of my ass. the point is it is a high %)

reply to post by the2ofusr1


Oh my ... you should post these the the Creation & Evoltion forum !
I am sure the guys in there will enjoy them I would even take the time to go over a few (maybe)

reply to post by LikeDuhObviously


But still , even today, scientists as the norm agree that life does seem to be an extremely rare ocurrence, so rare it almost seems that Darwin's theory was "pulled out of his ass" as well.

reply to post by the2ofusr1

Thanks for all the vids.

Originally posted by mr10k
reply to post by LikeDuhObviously

 

But still , even today, scientists as the norm agree that life does seem to be an extremely rare ocurrence, so rare it almost seems that Darwin's theory was "pulled out of his ass" as well.

No it does not seem like Darwin's theory was "pulled out of his ass" because life could be rare ...
Why would it ?

&#$& !!! Seriously ... why would it ? FML and F some country's public school systems FFS.

reply to post by PrimePorkchop


Maybe some "oldsters" will remember this...

www.allmusicals.com...

These ideas are only mutually exclusive to the politically motivated or the very stupid.

Evolution disproves stupid people's ideas about the Universe. Only the politically motivated are so narrow minded that they believe that Evolution disproves that there might be a God, based on their dislike of the religion they have imprinted with.

The believers are blasphemous, and the non-believers are blinded by their own rejection of their imprinting to the point that they don't realize they're still imprinted. The opposite of one side of a quarter - is still a quarter.

Glad I read to the end of the article....

The researchers say these findings indicate a possible means of encouraging students to accept evolution and reject intelligent design.

"Natural science students have been taught to view evolutionary theory as compatible with the desire to find a greater sense of meaning in life," says Tracy. "Presumably, they already attain a sense of existential meaning from evolution."

My, not only have we become so used to staying inside the box, we believe there are only two boxes. What did people do before the theory of evolution and intelligent design? ....They lived and then they died. In between they made the best of what Life dealt to them. They could live with hardships yet choose to not be miserable; they could have all the ease of the world and still be miserable.

Our modern society has helped many to escape death at a young age, and to grow up without the fear that death could come with the next cold or cut. We may have put death off, but that has made us ponder less about death and dying. That lack of pondering has perhaps led to an anxiety about death.

The minute we are born, we are doomed to die someday. It is the in between time which we must focus on, living with courage and love, but acknowledging that death is inevitable. Make peace with death, and every day becomes a gift. Make peace with dying, and every second of Life is eternity now.

Hmmmm, maybe a similar experiment would show death anxiety relieved by Dr. Suess vs Edgar Allan Poe.

unsure how evolution could not be created. If evolution can be understood, it could be created. With that fact in mind I would tend to side on the fact there was a creator rather than chance creating this process.

Originally posted by Tamahu

The sad thing about atheism and exoteric religions, is that they both promote the defeatist idea that we supposedly cannot known anything about the afterlife before we physically die, "so we might as well not concern ourselves with it".

The great thing about "Eastern" Religions (Buddhism, Taoism, Tantra, etc.) and "Western" Esoterism (Gnosticism, Hermeticism, Kabbalah, Sufism, etc.) is that they differ from atheism and exoteric religions in that they state that we CAN know about the nature of death and the afterlife before we die physically.

What exactly I'm talking about here, is of course referenced and explained in my previous posts in this thread, and here as well:

Beyond Death

Dream-Yoga.org

edit on 2-4-2011 by Tamahu because: punctuation

First of all, I have to argue with the classification of religions . . . All religion/mythology has an exoteric and esoteric component. Exoteric components of Buddhism: being a vegatarian, showing compassion, belief in Siddhartha obtaining "enlightenment", daily prayer and offerings. Exoteric in Hinduism: ceremonies, festivals, holy days, bathing in the Ganges, prayer, offerings, reverence for sacred places and objects (cow).

Secondly, if you would have stated that "knowledge that death is just a part of the cycle, new life comes from death, and fixating/worrying about death leads to suffering" for what Eastern Philosophy and Esoterism bring to a conscious understanding of "the afterlife" or death . . . I would be more inclined to agree with you. However, the manner in which you state or idealize eastern and esoteric philosophy is no less speculation and opinion than the understanding gleamed from the exoteric components of each belief system.

Undoubtably, you'll disagree. This is usually, in discussions like this, where a believer in the afterlife will spose philosophic and claim that I cannot "know" the true meaning or I some how don't understand what I'm talking about due to the fact that I read and research . . . but, don't believe. So, if those posts are coming . . . just know that the same holds true for atheism and science. Unless you have spent the appropriate time learning and understanding of the intricacies of evolution, then you should not really be commenting on it. Unless, you've been awash in nature and truly understand the laws that govern the universe and the chemistry of life, then you cannot fully understand the atheistic view. To which, I'm sure all believers in the afterlife will disagree again.

While you see atheists as having a defeatist attitude, I see your belief in the sprituality and the afterlife as clouding and shaping your judgement of this view. To an atheist, at least this atheist, I see a belief in the afterlife as promoting arrogance and disrespect. I'd much rather stick to my view . . . marvelling at the natural world and universe, in awe of the preciousness of life (all life . . . not just the bi-pedal or those that champion the elevation of consciousness), living for the present (not unlike those buddhists you refer to) and for the future of the life on this planet. How that is defeatist . . . I'm not sure.

I guess we'll agree to disagree on your opinion of atheism . . . have a blast in the afterlife . . . hopefully, you don't forget about the magnificence of actual life.

reply to post by desert


Star for you!! Should have read your response before posting mine . . . could have just did the "ditto" thing. Good take . . . like the way you approach the subject.

Death is Death and Not LIFE neither is LIFE Death...

They are "Opposites" and neither one cant become the other, no matter how much the "Species" wants to believe.

The one without LIFE knows Not LIFE and therefore think that any "Biological Structure" is life.

But the one who has discovered LIFE knows what LIFE is and Not what the "Species" thinks life is in ignorance or denial...

Not my Words but I agree with these words having experienced Death in August 1973.

“Whoever has come to understand the World
has found only a corpse,

and whoever has found a corpse
is superior to the World.”

On our last breath we all discover that the notion of LIFE dieing is only a human myth.

I fear not a meaningful death, but a meaningless life.

explain that theory to the muslims, some of whom actually run head first into death strapped with explosives.

reply to post by timewalker


I'd just like to go on record by saying I'm not afraid of death. In fact, I believe most people aren't. What they're afraid of, is what comes after death. Being a Christian my whole life, I've never really been fearful of death or what comes after, I welcome it most days. Not to say I'm a sadist, but this world is pretty #ty. Death is the only adventure left for me.

As for this article, I can't help but notice they seem to really believe that evolution is a fact of life, when they state right in the beginning that it's a theory. It may just be me, but they're coming off as mocking religious people, "These findings suggest that individuals can come to see evolution as a meaningful solution to existential concerns, but may need to be explicitly taught that taking a naturalistic approach to understanding life can be highly meaningful."

Really? A naturalistic approach? I don't know about you guys, but I HATE, HATE, HATE the term "Natural", I mean, our world as we see it, it's natural to us in the sense that it isn't abnormal, but hasn't anyone ever heard of the saying.. or general thought, rather, "no one is normal, everyone is weird, unique".

What is normal? Normal and Natural are the same, we can all agree on that right? So what do "scientists" deem "natural"? If any of these scientists could truly grasp how AMAZING our universe is, they wouldn't be using the term "Natural" anymore, but rather switch to "Supernatural", because really, that's what our universe is, in it's entirety: Supernatural.

Which is why I believe in God.

/rant off, sorry.

Despite scientific consensus that intelligent design theory is inherently unscientific, 25 per cent of high school biology teachers in the U.S. devote at least some class time to the topic of intelligent design.

Bull.