Happy Late Thanksgiving & Merry Christmas

I Guess it's Time to do Another Post.

First for Thanksgiving;
I Must say that as I was Reading all the Thanksgiving Posts, I was Feeling Convicted and Realized that I Need to be More Grateful.  Perhaps I'll use what I Wrote on Dave Miller's Blog as an Initial Inspiration to Get me Going.

I Started Out By Complaining that we are going to be a little Tight this Year, yet as I was Thinking of Dave and his Ministry in Mexico, I Remembered that there are Lots of Other Countries that are Way worse Off than we are here in America, even when the Times are Rough, so we do Need to be Grateful.

Thanksgiving has Actually had an Interesting Affect on me this Year.  I am Grateful.  I'm Grateful for my Health for One Thing and for my Friends.

I was Actually Thinking about it this Year in that it is sort of Neat that Thanksgiving is what Starts the Christmas Season because I was Thinking that we Need to have an Attitude of Gratitude as we go about our Holiday Activities and Remember all that we have, as well as when we Remember the True Meaning of the Holiday and all that God did for Us, by Sending His Son to Die on the Cross for Our Sins.

Not Only that, but also one of the Greatest Gifts that we can Give to Our Loved Ones is our Gratitude, for we so Often Take Each Other for Granted and Forget to say Things such as Thank You and I Love you, so to all of you who have been Following my Blog, I do Appreciate you all and I Love you all in the Lord.

And Now for Christmas;
Beth Wrote an Interesting Comment below Dave's Linked Post.  She Wrote about being Thankful Everyday for our Blessing and Giving Back to Those in Need all Year, not just during the Holidays.

I've thought about this Before to and I Think that it is Totally Nuts that we Try to Do all our Giving During a Single Month during the Year.  Think about it.  We do all our Baking, all our Greeting, in the Form of Cards, Buy all our Gifts, all our Donations to Charities, Etc., Etc., Etc.  Wouldn't it Make more Sense to Do Some of this at another Time of Year.  I've Considered Sending Out Easter Cards, Instead of Christmas Cards, Honoring Birthdays more and Sharing Cookies with the Neighbors During another Holiday besides Christmas.  Traditions are Hard to Break, though.  It's just Something that I've been Thinking about.

Anyway, I Hope that you all had a Very Happy Thanksgiving and I Wish you all a Very Merry Christmas.

There's another Holiday too that is Often Forgotten about and I Think I'll Let my Friend Angel do the Honors in Relation to that.  Happy Chanakkah

Old Feelings from a Year Ago

Should I be Posting something Lighter?  Sometimes Doing so is Hard.  I Never do Know what my Commenters Actually Want to Talk about.  For all I Know, there may be some who Come by and when they do, they say.  "Oh no!  Not that Subject!!"  And then they go away and don't ever Come Back.  I have a Tendency to Talk about some of the Most Difficult of the Subjects, such as Intelligent Design vs. Evolution and Abortion.  I must be a Total Fool to be so Stuck on the Subjects that Cause so much Conflict and Emotion.

The Other Subject that Comes Up from Time to Time is Relationships.

Here's One.  God Forgives those who come to Him Asking for Forgiveness, yet so Often we are Expected by those in the Church to Forgive even when no Apology is Given.  Is this a Reasonable Thing to Expect of Ourselves?  Should People get off Scotch Free Like That?  Are our Expectations too High?  Is our Anger Unreasonable because it is Based on an Expectation, or have we been Genuinely Mistreated?  Is it Really so Wrong to Expect to be Treated with basic Decency by those who we Trust?

And here's Another One.  Should we all just Take Responsibility for Our Own Emotions, Including Anger or are there Times in which Anger is Justified and to not Feel that way would be Allowing someone to Take Advantage when they should actually be Confronted?  Is Anger Always Wrong?

Also, what if we are Mourning the Lose of Someone and are therefore more Touchy than Usual?  Should we Still be Required to Take Responsibility for Our Own Feelings?  In such a Situation, is it Really so Unreasonable to Hope for someone to Comfort, rather than Judging us for the Way we Feel, or to Hope for someone to Take us more Seriously, rather than just Stating that what ever Emotions we are Feeling are Our Own Responsibility?  Is it just me, or is that Actually a Rather Unkind Thing to say to someone who is Mourning the Loss of Someone?

It Surprises me a Little that this Last Paragraph came out of me just now.  I guess it's because my Girl Friend Died just before Thanksgiving about a Year Ago and someone was Treating me Exactly as I just Described and Unfortunately, the Anger Never Fully Went Away.

One Last Question.  When it Comes to what ever may have been Wrong with my Own Behavior at the Time, should one's Entire Character be Judged Based on their Behavior During a Time in which they are Mourning the Lose of Someone?  Is it Really so much to Ask for a Little Extra Rope During such Times?  Yet at the Same Time, is it Really Realistic to Assume that Everything is all my Fault?  Is it Even Possible that that is this Person's True Opinion of me?  Is it My Fault that my Girl Friend Died and/or that I Feel Sad and even Angry as the Result?  Should I Take Responsibility for that as well?

Even though a Considerable Amount of Time has Gone by, My Opinion has not Changed about the Way I was Treated.  I Don't Know what to say about this anymore, except that Unfortunately, when a Loved One Dies, Sometimes, we End Up Losing more than just the One who Died.

Intelligent Design Theory & the Scientific Method

Well, the Comment Threat of the Previous Post has Become Quite Long Enough, so I Figure it is Time to Start a New Post.  I Thought that this Post was going to be in Response to one of the Links that BB-Idaho Left in the Previous Comment Threat, but it Looks Like it is Going to be about a Link of my Own Instead.

In the Last of my Comments, as of the Time of this New Post, I Left Two Links that Explain why Intelligent Design Research is Indeed a Science and here are the Links again.

Does Intelligent Design Theory Implement the Scientific Method?
Intelligent Design Based upon the Scientific Method, Not Blind Faith.

The First of these Links is Very Short; Just a One Paragraph Answer to the Given Question.

As I was Reading through the Second of the Above Links, I Realized that the IDEA Center (That is Intelligent Design and Evolution Awareness Center) is not Actually Pushing for the Requiring of Intelligent Design being Taught as an "Alternative" at the Present Time, but only that the Students should be Exposed in an Honest Manner to the Scientific Problems with Darwinian Evolution.

The Reason for this is not because Intelligent Design Theory can not be Supported Scientifically, but because "the Political Climate is too hostile at this time."

The IDEA Center does, however, Encourage "extracurricular IDEA Clubs, where they can have free discussions on intelligent design."

The Scientific Method, which they do Use, is Explained Very Well in this Article.

Some Other Interesting Things to Note are that Intelligent Design Scientists Treat any Belief that they may have that can not be Scientifically Tested as Unscientific and Irrelevant and they do not Attempt to Test Questions that are Purely Religious in Nature.

They Only Claim "Intelligent Causation", or that "Life had an Intelligent Source."

You will see in this Article the Distinction made between Intelligent Design and "Creationism", a Distinction that is Continually Ignored because of the Opposition's Desire to Discredit Intelligent Design.

I Like this Statement;  "Modern-Day Galileos, Mr. Trent also writes that 'Not so long ago, it was immoral to claim the Earth went around the sun.', but he doesn't recognize that there are modern-day Galileos who are being persecuted because they question the Darwinian paradigm." and also, "It seems the persecution of scientists hasn't ended, but now it is the Darwinists who are behaving like the intolerant dogmatists of old."

You'll have to Read the Article for more Details.

Natural Selection/Evolutionary Ceiling of Sugar Beets

I didn't Really Want to Spend too much Time Working on this Post and I Hope you guys will not be too Tired of the Subject of Evolution and Intelligent Design, but I did Want to Tell you about the Sugar Beets.  To Save Time, I just Copied a Comment I Left beneath an Earlier Post.  When ever I Edited it Slightly, I put the Edited Part In Parenthesis.  I Mentioned BB-Idaho because the Comment was Written to him. 

Natural Selection is nothing more than the changes that can occur within species, but the actual premise of Evolution is a bit more than that.  The cold hard truth is that there has never been a clearly documented case of Natural Selection occurring from one species to the next.

There are documented cases of birds adapting to their environments in the changes in the size of their beaks and even in the size of their brains when the survival situation is challenging enough, yet this is a within species example.

When it comes to breeding, we can come up with a whole variety of different dog breeds or cat breeds or the like, yet no matter how we try, we can not breed a dog to be a cat, or vise versa.  No matter how much breeding we do, a cat will always be a cat and a dog will always be a dog.

I think one of the most interesting examples of failures in trying to create new species was an example not about animals, but plants.  They did experiments cross pollinating sugar beets to try and get the maximum sugar possible in the beets.  They were able to alter the beets in order to get positive results, yet once they reached a certain number, they hit an "Evolutionary Ceiling".

They simply could not get the sugar percentage number above a certain number, no matter how they tried.  The change in the beets occurred only because of the intelligent interference of man.  When man left the beets alone, the natural, uninterrupted "Natural Selection Process" returned the beets back to the average or norm.  Nature did not bring improvement to the beets, but instead a return to the average.

It just so happens that the "Harder Science" of Biology is the one that has found amazing complexities in the body that are impossible to explain by the Natural Selection Process.  There are tiny mechanisms in the blood stream that are no less complicated than some of the machines that are created by the "Intelligent Design" of Man.  There is one such mechanisms that is just like a motor.  Things this complicated do not simply happen by chance.

Ok, so a Neanderthal is a separate species than man.  So?  Why should we be surprised if we discover an extinct species.  This does not in any way prove a connection between that species and either apes or man.  Phrases such as "We will learn more on that, as the evolutionary progress....is further explored", "IF they possessed..." and "is thought to work with..." show evidence of the uncertainty of (the Evidence that is Presented by the Evolutionists).

(Even though it is True what BB-Idaho said in One of his Comments that) "Evolutionary Theory is not officially called Evolutionary Fact.", (Even so), it is often taught as fact in the schools, or at best the fact that it is Theory is not at all stressed.

I doubt if we are going to be able to get all teaching of Evolution out of grade school.  At the very least, they are going to introduce it and this is the complaint of those who support "Intelligent Design", for if it is even the slightest bit mentioned, than the other Theory should be as well.

This is not about whether or not (BB-Idaho, or anyone else who decides to Comment is going) to "force Evolution on anyone", but about whether of not the schools are going to teach this biased opinion to our kids.

(All that "Intelligent Design Theory" does is) suggest that there is significant evidence in the complexities of our world to suggest that an Intelligent Designer, meaning our creator, was involved in the process.

I Just have one more Thought to Add at This Time besides what was in the Comment that I have Quoted and Slightly Edited Above and that is that the Similarities from one Species to another do not in any Way Prove "Natural Selection" from One Species to Another.  This can just as Easily be Explained by the Theory that All Things were Made by One Creator, just as Automobiles "Evolved" Over Time, as Man added More and more to his already Workable Design.

Why Start From Scratch each Time?  It Makes more Sense to Keep Using the Same Workable Motor, with Slight Alterations with Each New Creation.  Did Automobiles Come about, though, through "Natural Selection"?  Of Course not.  There was Intelligent Design involved and in this case, the Designer was Man.

Communication, Friendship, Risks, Endings, Etc.

I've been on a bit of a Roll in relation to the Evolution vs. Intelligent Design thing and I do have at least one more Post on the Subject that I'd Like to do, yet since the People I Interact with on the Blogs are a Diverse Group of lots of Interests, Perhaps I should Take Breaks and Post about Lighter Things that Require less Though, or at Least less Scientific Though.

I've been Thinking about Friendship and Communication and how Hard such can be at Times.  It's Scary to take the Necessary Risks in Order to get the Best Rewards out of our Friendships.  We get Pets and they Die, we form Friendships and get Rejected by them.  Nothing that is Worth While comes easy.

It's Funny how they say that the Best Things in Life are Free, yet the Truth is that this is Only True in the Context of Money.  In the Context of Work and Effort, nothing is Really Free.  Communication Requires Work, Marriage Requires Work and Friendship Requires Work and sometimes no Matter what we do, we can Still Experience the Rejection that we Fear.

Here is how I View it.  As Long as I can say that You have Learned Something from me and I have Learned Something from you, then the Friendship has been Worth it, regardless of whether or not it is Permanent.  For me Personally, it is the Relationships that End in Anger and in which we can not Come to a Place of Acknowledging that the Friendship was Worth While in some Way; These are the Endings that Hurt, but it doesn't have to be that way.

Some Broken Friendship can also be Reconciled and when this Happens it is Truly a Blessing.

I hope that this Post will Help anyone who Reads it that Feels Lonely in some way.

Evolution/Intelligent Design/Faulty Arguments

When my Friend, Satyavati, said that Sometimes People have a "propensity to take words and have them mean whatever's most convenient.", she was Speaking the Truth.  I guess that she was Talking about Conservatives and yet the same thing is also True in Relation to so many other Things.

While Debating the Subject of Evolution and Intelligent Design, we can not Be Required to Use only the Definitions of Terms that are "Convenient" to One Side and Reject those that are “Convenient" to the Other.  Both People have to Be Tolerant of Definitions Used by the other.

The Word "Evolution", for Example, could be used to Mean "Natural Selection" within Species.  This Subject, however, does not Interest me because it does not Prove "Darwin Evolution", which Includes Speciation.  I'm more Interested in Talking about Speciation, then Evolution within Species.  My Hope is that People will Hear what I am saying and not Get Bogged Down in the Definitions of Words.

You can not Use One Set of Definitions and Rules for the Science that is already Accepted as Science and another Set of Definitions and Rules for a Newer Science that Seeks Recognition.  For Example, the Definition of "Scientific" has to be the Same when Applied to Both the Accepted "Status Quo" Science and the Newer Science that Seeks Acceptance.

On the One Hand, a Person could say, "Science doesn't invoke unprovable causes, period." and Apply that Standard and Definition to the Science of the Opponent, yet on the other Hand, Point Out that Astronomy can not be called a Non-Science because no one can physically visit a black hole to prove it's really there and Geology can not be called Nonscientific because it's impossible to visit the core of the earth and take samples to prove the exact mineralogy of it?  And Apply that Principle to the Science that is Already Accepted as "Status Quo".

To do so would be Contradicting that Original Statement that was Applied to the Opponent, "Science doesn't invoke unprovable causes, period."

We can not Use Two Definitions, and in doing so, Applying Different Standards to "Status Quo" Science, than we do to Intelligent Design.  This is Inconsistent and Biased and therefore, Hurts the Credibility of our Argument when we do this.  It simply must be Recognized that if the Statement "Science doesn't invoke unprovable causes, period." is True, then Astronomy and Geology are also not Science because of the Reasons Given Above.

In my Opinion, it is the Evolutionists that are Ignoring the Facts, or shell I say the Absence of Facts, in Relation to Speciation.

This is so Typical, for Everything that is said in Order to Try and Discredit Intelligent Design is also True of Speciation; You Can't Prove it, It's Biased, Terms are Defined in Ways that are Convenient to the Accepted Position, Etc. Etc. Etc.

 This Post was Inspired by Satyavati and the Comments that were Written below one of her Posts...

Time for me to Read the Origin of Species Again.