Question for everyone, wouldn't it be cool if . . .?

Question

Heh here's an idea, wouldn't it be cool if we were all mature adult human beings with intelligence and we showed respect to one another and was genuinely interested in each others beliefs?

Then, when we wanted to talk to one another, we would all know what we were talking about?

Take the Bible for example, to effictively attack the Bible, I had to read it and learn about it to know what I was talking about. Wow, imagine that, an intelligent criticism!

What if creationists actually went to accredited Universities and took actual biology classes that taught about what The Theory of Evolution really was, and if they disagreed with it they would be able to intelligently talk about it; wow what a concept I know really right?

So wouldn't that be cool . . if people learned about things and then respectfully disagreed based on information and knowledge.

Answer 1

AMEN!

I can't stand to see answers that are based on assumptions. Come at me with something intelligent to say. At least then we can have a real discussion or argument

Answer 2

I asked a couple of days ago if we could do an experiement here; have people ask religious doctrine and criticism questions, and have people answer with an intelligent argument that is opposite of what they believe. We could put OA (Opposite Answer) in front of our responses, and see how well we represent views that differ from our own. Nobody was interetsted. I even had theists saying they believe in god and would not consider another perspective. Can we really expect any critical thought or informed discussion with this attitude? We just end up talking past one another, as if stating our position was more important than it being reasoned and heard.

Answer 3

I think it would be a good first step. The next step would be to think before we choose to 'attack' someone else's beliefs.

What does -that- accomplish after all? It would be cool if we could simply hear and think and decide for ourselves without being bullied and without being preached at, and without being debated. Instead we could simply share our thoughts and beliefs without judging the person who expressed them - because being "right" or "wrong" doesn't matter in the long view. In a thousand years, or in ten years, or even next week, who will care what someone said in a yahoo answers website? Criticism for it's own sake, whether intelligent and educated or not is just so much intellectual masturbation.

If we spend time reading and thinking about the ideas expressed here however, we might begin to understand each other, and maybe we might learn something about being decent human beings.

Answer 4

Sure! I personally know several dozen Creationists with college educations, many of them to doctoral level. Many of them are now active in scientific research. One of them became a Christian and came to believe in Creation at the age of 60ish, after a lifetime as a professor in the one of the natural sciences.

All of the individuals in question either graduated from or teach at Ivy League institutions. Can't get more accredited than that, I guess... And to the best of my knowledge, all of them are able to speak in a reasonable, respectful manner about their and other people's beliefs in this area.

Unfortunately, not all people who travel in such circles are Creationists, and not all of those who aren't are respectful. I recall the look of horror on a certain family member's face when I revealed that I do not believe in evolution. I recall the accusations of being intellectually defective that I had to hear at the dinner table.

So yeah, I share jim darwin's wish...

Answer 5

Glad to be back.
I read the bible as a child, bible stories and even went to sunday school and church. So I have a really good back ground.

That would be very cool. Probably right up there expecting world peace and such. But just a really cool thought to go through your mind while your sitting out in the back yard relaxing in the hammock with a cool lime drink.

Answer 6

This is the way for intelligent discussions. I always enjoy having discussion with learned Christians and Jews because we all have the knowledge and understand each other point of view very clearly.

I started reading Bible just finished first five books and hope to complete reading it whenever time permits.

Answer 7

I think that would be awesome, but it would only work in theory because there is a larger problem than lack of information and knowledge.

Humans have an underlying desire to "rule the forest" and will turn against each other, just like animals, in a heartbeat if they feel threatened... That is the real issue.

Until we can all look in the mirror and address that "primate behavior" in ourselves, we will never have respectful sharing of knowledge and ideas.

Answer 8

That would make this world a better place certainly because that would help build the bridge to tolerance. One doesn't have to agree to have an intelligent discussion but one does have to know what one is talking about. Unfortunately, over the span of many subjects, many people don't.

Answer 9

Wouldn't it also be cool if you didn't read the Bible assuming it was wrong (even if it was) for the sole purpose of attacking it, and creationists didn't read biology texts in college with the assumption that THE THEORY was pseudoscience (even if it proves to be so)?

Answer 10

arguements never solved anything however intelligent discussion brings information from a different approach and may well lead into a better idea than any individual had at the beginning of the exchange.