I’m astonished that so many Christian posters in this thread assert that the OP has some sort of off-kilter sample. The evidence has been in for some time now and consistently reveals that WE AMERICANS ARE RETARDED. Suck it up, people.
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2004/11/22/opinion/polls/main657083.shtml
Keep telling yourself that.
The reality is that the big bang theory only became accepted because it made predictions (such as the existence of a cosmic microwave background, subsequently discovered) and to a lesser extent that it explained well observations such as starlight redshift.
Contrast with creationists who never make testable predictions, or explain anything other than to say god dunnit.
I don’t even know what you’re arguing here. I’m saying that creationists must reject many well-accepted (because they make accurate predictions) findings of science.
You’ve already admitted that you don’t believe in evolution and the big bang.
Also, to put into context, I only gave that list because earlier you’d said that the problem is not with science but with Darwin. But whatever you mean by “science” that statement can’t be right. Because you must also have a problem with all the people associated with the big bang theory for a start.
I don’t see the significance of this. The Darwin awards have nothing to do with the Origin of Species or current models of natural selection. They’re sometimes amusing (in a dark way) but aren’t intended to be viewed in any scientific sense.
So if some one refuses to believe a theory, that makes them retarded. tsk. tsk. Funny.
Do you know the difference between a scientific theory and an idea not supported by evidence?
I do.
From QED’s wikipedia link on Confucianism:
“It might be considered a state religion of some East Asian countries, because of governmental promotion of Confucian values.”
Under, “The neutrality of this article is disputed.”:
“It is therefore debatable whether Confucianism should be called a religion.”
Then again:
"Generally speaking, Confucianism is not considered a religion by Chinese or other East Asian people. "
Britannica, via answers.com:
"Though not organized as a religion, it has deeply influenced East Asian spiritual and political life in a comparable manner. "
Evidence is mixed, bul I’ll call that one for QED.
Taoism, from answers.com
The dictionary entry calls it “A principal philosophy and system of religion of China…”
The Buddhism dictionary calls it, "One of the indigenous religions of China… "
Colombia Encyclopedia: “Taoism (däu’ĭzəm) , refers both to a Chinese system of thought and to one of the four major religions of China (with Confucianism, Buddhism, and Chinese popular religion).”
Ok, we’re 1-1 now.
The remainder of your points were offered without substantiation. Justice Black’s commentary in Torcaso v. Watkins seems to imbue these groups under a relgious umbrella:“Among religions in this country which do not teach what would generally be considered a belief in the existence of God are Buddhism, Taoism, Ethical Culture, Secular Humanism, and others.”. Within tax law, humanistic groups have received religious deductions: see eg Fellowship of Humanity v. County of Alameda and Washington Ethical Society v. District of Columbia. Then again, there’s Peloza v. Capistrano School District, stating that such groups may not be religions for all first amendment purposes. Of course, I’m talking out of my posterior here: all of this is from wikipedia.
To my list I’ll add the religions, The First Church of Atheism, and The Universal Life Church. I figure any operation that calls itself a church is probably a religion, absent explicit statement to the contrary. See religious humanism for further discussion.
More seriously though, we might just want to use the word Theism to depict religions that maintain a belief in one or more gods.
Oops, I muffed that one. QED was claiming that Taoism is irrational. I’ll stay agnostic, but note longer quote from wikipedia: "Reverence for ancestor spirits and immortals are also common in popular Taoism. Organized Taoism distinguishes its ritual activity from that of the folk religion, which some professional Taoists (Daoshi) view as debased. "
So QED’s allegations of irrationality were tied to the popular wing of Taoism.