Am I an athiest?

[Chris OConnor]

Katelyn, I've been reading this thread and shaking my head. Because of your age everyone is walking on eggshells when talking to you. I don't know if that's the best approach. Maybe it is.

You're not as intelligent or educated as you think you are. What I see is a young girl that is quite confident. Confidence doesn't necessarily correlate to intelligence or competency. I suggest you humble yourself and perhaps open your mind a bit and try to learn from the people here that are patiently explaining things to you.

In fact you're quite uneducated in basic biological science. You're approaching the age where you'll start taking more serious courses in school. At 12 years old I didn't understand evolutionary theory either, but I also didn't claim to be educated and a "master debater." I knew my limitations and I suggest you accept your own.

[ant]

How long ago was it that Classical Mechanics was considered the pennicle of human understanding, only layer to be replaced by Quantum Mechanics?
Given that, how confident can you be with the current scientific "reason" that espouses evolution by natural selection/ chance as an explanation for the origin of life?

Classical Mechanics hasn't been replaced. It is one of two major sub-fields of mechanics. The other is Quantum Mechanics. You'd have a point if you were to say that the two would be replaced by yet another theory. Which I think they will. But it will be an integration, rather than a replacement. To say theories are either true or false is a false dichotomy. They are abstract and conceptual, and are judged by how well they predict observation. Newtonian Gravity, for example, is true enough that we still use it today for some tasks. Newton's theory didn't hit the bullseye, but it definitely hit one of the inner rings.

The point is that theories are judged by how well they predict observation. Evolution has done exceptional here. It takes the observation of the majority of organisms on Earth, as well as microscropes. Once all the data is collected and sorted, it's obvious that if evolution isn't absolutely correct, it's at least extremely accurate. In the bullseye, but perhaps not in the middle peghole. In fact, I doubt if the theory itself will ever change. It matches that closely to observation. It may be reworded, or concatenated with a supplemental theory, but not falsified.

Evolution doesn't explain the origin of life. But it illuminates everything that happened back to that point. At that point, of a simple single cell organism, theories of abiogenesis are developed to explain how it came to be out of the soup of elements on primordial Earth. There are many theories, but they all share the common theme that life arose from from natural chemical reactions. Amino acids and other building blocks of life have been produced from a soup of materials matching what would be found on early Earth.

The fact that evolution leads all the way back to that point, and that we've even made progress from the other side of that point, the two are bound to connect.

I know CM has not been completley replaced. It is true that science is constantly refining its conclusons about nature. Nevertheless, nothing science espouses can ever be definitive. That's my point. It's foolish to say there is no god (devine spirit, intellegent creator, etc etc) when the method of science is to extract objective truths about nature from entirely subjective experiences.

Scientific knowledge is thus irreducibly subjective to the extent that it is dependent on freely chosen assumptions!

[Avid Reader]

I have heard that the home school movement is sometimes too narrow in what it teaches. If you have been taught to reject evolution that confirms that you are being mistaught. Having faith in Jesus Christ should not mean rejecting science.

"There are two historical strains of homeschooling, a religious-right thread inspired by author Raymond Moore and a countercultural-left thread inspired by John Holt. " From Homeschooling: Back to the Future? By Isabel Lyman, in a CATO Institute Policy Analysis http://www.cato.org/pubs/pas/pa-294.html

Though I understand that the majority of homeschooled kids fall into the first (religious-right) group, there are many who were homeschooled by more progressive or liberal parents. I know, because I am one.

As for your comment: ”Having faith in Jesus Christ should not mean rejecting science,” I totally agree. Many of my homeschooled friends, though not strict fundamentalists, are Christians who also believe in evolution and have “faith” in science. One of them, with whom I have had many interesting conversations, sees the Bible as poetry rather than strict historical fact. His opinion is that, in trying to explain the unexplainable to a primitive and uneducated public, it was necessary to couch things in allegory and simple stories that could be spoken and handed down from generation to generation (later to be written down). This would include things like the Genesis story, which compacts the “evolution” of the universe into seven days; and conveying the “miracles” of Jesus through easily understood and memorable (because of their poetic nature) stories. This, to him, does not mean that these stories are false, only that they attempt to convey momentous things (such as the life of Christ) in ways that were more likely to be remembered and repeated. I find this theory to be comforting and sensible, especially for Christians who may have a problem with the “literal truth” of the Bible.

As for me, I’m still learning and hope to continue to do so for the rest of my life. “Making up my mind” is not nearly as important to me as “the journey,” and I hope to remain open to all types of opinions and interpretations, in order to build a framework of both spiritual and factual information, through which I can view the world and make decisions on how to best conduct my life.

[(author) Katelyn]

Good. I am not reading any of your lies. You think you can sway me with your 'facts and percentages' your wrong. You want to know something? I sometimes wish God never made dumb people. People continuously reject Him and insult Him. How does He put up with it? Yes, I am homeschooled. They do not teach me the stupid junk public schools teach poor kids. I KNOW the truth. God is real, and you people are stupid. "Galatians 6:7
Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap."
In the end, we shall see who was right. I have not been studying the Bible for 'a few years'. I have been a Christian for 9 years. And Chris, if you don't like it remove me. That is what I want. Patient my foot. I'm done with this mess.

[(author) Katelyn]

http://www.biblegateway.com/quicksearch ... ersion=KJV

[Avid Reader]

(author)God is real, and you people are stupid. "Galatians 6:7

I'm afraid Galatians 6:7 mentions nothing about people being stupid. In fact, if you are so convinced of the literal "truth" of the Bible, I wonder if you could tell us which of the following is the literally correct version of this particular passage:

New International Version (©1984):
Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows.

New Living Translation (©2007):
Don't be misled--you cannot mock the justice of God. You will always harvest what you plant.

English Standard Version (©2001):
Do not be deceived: God is not mocked, for whatever one sows, that will he also reap.

New American Standard Bible (©1995):
Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, this he will also reap.

International Standard Version (©2008):
Stop being deceived; God is not to be ridiculed. A person harvests whatever he plants:

GOD'S WORD® Translation (©1995):
Make no mistake about this: You can never make a fool out of God. Whatever you plant is what you'll harvest.

King James Bible:
Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap.

American King James Version:
Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatever a man sows, that shall he also reap.

American Standard Version:
Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap.

Douay-Rheims Bible:
Be not deceived, God is not mocked.

Darby Bible Translation:
Be not deceived: God is not mocked; for whatever a man shall sow, that also shall he reap.

English Revised Version:
Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap.

Weymouth New Testament
Do not deceive yourselves. God is not to be scoffed at. For whatever a man sows, that he will also reap.

World English Bible:
Don't be deceived. God is not mocked, for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap.

Young's Literal Translation:
Be not led astray; God is not mocked; for what a man may sow -- that also he shall reap.

[James Vaught]

"...What did I expect of adults? They don't listen to what 'kids' say worth anything. The sad thing is, most the time, what the kids have to say is smarter than the adults'..."

Ah, the certainty of youth!! Who wouldn't want to be young and so certain again? I'm not judging you because of your youth, but because some of your ideas simply don't hold up from a logical viewpoint. There are many adults with the same ideas, so you're not unique on that score.

Many people, at 12, are certain they know everything and that "old farts" have nothing to contribute. Thankfully, MOST outgrow that trait. Whether you do or not is up to you.

[James Vaught]

"...Oh, and if we evolved over a period of millions and billions of years, how come we haven't evolved into something else? Hmm? Answer that one..."

We are in the process of evolving. Examples:

1. The appendix. It serves no useful purpose in the modern human, but apparently did in an earlier version of mankind.

2. Some babies are actually born with a tail!! Believe it or not. True, it's rare, but it does happen. This is another example of a vestigial organ, such as the appendix.

3. The tonsils. Another set of vestigial organs that appear to serve no purpose in the modern human.

4. Body hair. Some men, and a few women, are born with excessive chest and back hair that have no real purpose in modern man.

I'm sure there are others, but those are the ones that come immediately to mind.

[(author) Katelyn]

Excuse me? I may be 12, but I don't consider people 'old farts'. That is stereotyping. I am tired of all this. And yes, I am certain of a few things. I am certain there is a God. I'm certain God is real. I'm certain I am going to Heaven when I die. Yes, I'm certain. One other thing I'm certain about is that I am done with y'all. For the final time. Goodbye. God bless. I pray y'all will understand oneday how much God is real and how much He loves you. Prayers.

[(author) Katelyn]

Creative writing Student? Hmm, funny I just finished my CW class. I passed with 100%. Wow.