No, that is not true. Life would be impossible if any of those values were different and none of us would be here to even debate it. You cannot, for example, have advanced life without complex molecules. One example: Advanced life requires information storage and that is only possible with carbon. Contrary to popular sci fi stuff, silicon cannot be used for information as it can only be linked minimally (about a 100 molecules I believe). Not that it matter, because if there's no carbon, there's no silicon either.
you (or myself) are not one to comment on what would not be possible if the laws of the universe were different. don't even try to tell me you know this or that would not be possible. maybe WE would not be here, but it doesn't mean a different type of universe with different elements and different beings couldn't exist. can't argue with that, can you?
Okay, sorry, I wasn't trying to say that in a different universe with a different set of physics, life would not be possible. But what I am saying is that in our universe, with our current laws of physics, life is impossible with these parameters tweaked slightly.
it's pointless to even argue that, though. our universe is what it is and things are the way they are as a result of it. tweaking one thing may totally change other things. maybe helium wouldn't exist and something else would if you tweaked one of those values. that alone would change so many things. as i said previously, no matter what the values are, someone like you could say, "if things were different, this wouldn't be possible." there is no point in even discussing that.
Sorry, but Genesis 1 matches the astronomical record perfectly. You can resort to name calling as you always do when you get backed into a corner, but the Genesis record is something Jews (and Christians by default) can be proud of. If you can show me where my thinking is wrong w/o comparing every Jew and Christian on the globe that believes in Genesis 1 to Heaven's Gate (or Naziis or whatever you'll pick next), then I'd enjoy an intelligent dialogue. Until then, I'm outta here...
name calling as i'm backed into a corner??? please... the following is pie in the sky, that's why i ignored it.
What are the odds someone over 3,000 years ago could nail all 10 of these events in a row w/o any knowledge of modern astronomy or geology? I'm not saying it proves Judaism is true, but I am saying it is an amazing "coincidence" and it is the only creation story that I know about that even comes close to matching the scientific record. And, again, for you to insult every Jew and Christian on the planet for noticing that their religious book matches the scientific record is very shortsighted...
And, as I'm sure you know, all interior planets were covered in gases. The earth was no exception and that is why #5 is exactly true.
Axeman: ""I contend that we are both atheists: I just believe in one god less than you. When you understand why you choose not to believe in all the other available gods, you will understand why I choose not to believe in yours." -Robert Stephens You want me to directly address the quote? Fair enough. If I say Christianity is true and you say Islam is true, it does NOT NECESSARILY MEAN BOTH OF US ARE RIGHT. Christianity could be true, or Islam could be true, or both Christianity and Islam could be false, or Christianity and Islam could both be true but only if Christianity and Islam both say the same thing. All religions are NOT the same, therefore not all religions cannot be true. It would not do justice to describe the differences between major religions in a short paragraph. But I will try to simplify it First of all, I would like to immediately dismiss the Greek and Roman Gods. There is no evidence for them. There were witnesses + archeological evidence that supports Buddha, Allah, and Christ so I will limit this discussion to Buddhism, Islam, and Christianity. The fact that Christ lived on Earth is A FACT. The dispute is whether Christ was really 'the son of God.' Interestingly enough, all 3 religions deal with this concept of 'sin'. Buddhism labled 'sin' as 'delusions.' In other words, there is right and wrong but because we are often deluded, we cannot make the right decision. So how do we solve this problem? WE TURN INWARD TO OURSELVES and meditate and clear our minds. Christianity deals with 'sin' BY TURNING TO GOD instead of turning to ourselves. We cannot deal with the problem of 'sin' on our own, if we could, we wouldn't need Christ. Islam also deals with 'sin' by turning to God. But Islam tries to 'instill a fear of God' to get you to do the right thing. Christianity tries to get you to understand God and understand love. You do the right thing not because you are afraid, but out of love. That's why I find it funny when people talk about 'wanting to get into heaven.' This is not a game where you try to rack up as many points as necessary to get into heaven. When you love God and love others, you will naturally do the right thing. And you aren't thinking about Heaven directly. Going to Heaven is simply a by-product of doing good things. ----------------------- Gordon Gekko: " hey listen..... i am OPEN TO BELIEVING ANYTHING!! i'll praise the lord today if he shows himself and does some tricks for me." I had the same issue when I was an atheist. And I challenged my Christian friends: "If God wants me to believe, just let him reveal himself. After all, he is the 'all mighty' right?" They pointed to the bible: many times people personally saw signs from God but ended up NOT believing. Many personally saw Jesus heal people and they believed for a while. But then they went back to their old ways. And when God led people out of slavery in Egypt he gave them many signs along the way but later they forgot about God again. If God wrote in the sky in such an unmistakenable way "I am God." Sure people would be talking about for perhaps a week, but they would forget about it and go back to their own ways. Don't believe me? Take 9/11. I was on the Berkeley campus when it happened and many students vowed to re-evaluate their lives and focus more on building relationships and not on material things. On 9/12: A frat party was having this huge party the day after. Yup, I'm sure they did some deep introspection, for about 12 hours. Then they went back to drinking and partying. --------------------------------- aphexcoil: "However, the great thing about *MY* belief is that I don't feel the need to convert anyone, and my belief structure works very well for my life." Many people simply cannot understand why Christians go around trying to convert people. Think about what being a Christian means: you have accepted Christ, you have meaning and purpose in your life, you know that death does not have the final say, there is life after death. And that there is hope for this world. It's like in HS when you get a girlfriend and call up your friends excitedly, or when you sing karaoke with friends to celebrate getting into a good college, or spending all the time and money to make the perfect wedding invitation. Christ is good news and like any good news (getting gf, getting in good college, getting married) you want to share it with everyone! =)