The Paddock

Only humans can be so arrogant as to think they can affect the world. Look at the amount of time the Earth has existed and the amount of time humans have been here its miniscule. Climate change? Yep it changes every day and has been for what 5 billion years.

This is a pretty big generalization don't you think?

Wow!

I've never seen anyone on this board post how long they thought the earth has been around. Please expand on this comment.

As usual you have no clue. If you don't know the group who thinks the world is 6,000 years old, why make such an ignorant generalized statement and make yourself look foolish?

All the ones wanting intelligent design taught in schools. The world being 6000 years old is part of that.

And you're just a baiting idiot.

Because christian conservatives are the ones that believe that nonsense.

Wow, I've never met anyone as ignorant as you who at the same time believes he knows everything. Creationists believe the earth is approximately 6,000 years old. Creationists and religious conservatives are not the same people. There may be creationists who are religious conservatives, but all religious conservatives are not creationists.

He is still painting with a broad brush, no matter what he was trying to convey. And he is wrong. I don't know what your definition of "far right" is so I can't really agree or disagree with what you are saying. I will say this. I'm very conservative, almost libertarian. I'm also a Christian. Science fascinates me. Always has. I have an undergraduate degree and a masters degree. I believe wholeheartedly that people should be curious and try to live up to their intellectual capabilities. I don't know anyone who fits into your perception of the "far right". Creationists aren't anywhere close to the majority of Christians or conservatives.

I'm not sure the Big Bang Theory is even the most widely theorized view of how the universe was created anymore. But I see nothing inconsistent with science and Christianity. The validity of the Big Bang Theory doesn't exclude God as the entity that caused it.

I believe in evolution, but perhaps not what you are defining as evolution. Animals certainly adapt and their physical attributes change over generations to help them survive. However, I think evolution is a very weak theory when related to the beginnings of life. Pretty much everyone I know believes evolution exists.

Again, I don't personally know anyone who doesn't believe in climate change. In fact, I can't remember anyone on this board saying they don't believe in it. However, that is far cry from saying that human activity is driving climate change. No matter what scientists believe, or speculate, I don't think it's a good public policy decision for the USA in enact measures to combat human caused climate change when there is no reasonable assurance that we are the cause. Second, such measures will raise energy prices dramatically on the poor and everyone else, putting us in a situation where we are not competitive for manufacturing with countries who do not enact such measures. I also lived through the 70's when most scientists where predicting the next ice age. They were wrong then, and had we reacted with measures based on their assumptions it would have cost people a lot of money for nothing. Until the general knowledge of weather is a heck of lot better than what it is today, I will view any long term forecast of climate to be nothing more than a guess. We just aren't that knowledgeable about climate change to put a lot of faith in what any model predicts.

I think you are misinterpreting homosexuality is a choice. I don't want to put words in people's mouths, but the people I know who say this do not mean homosexuals aren't born with an attraction to the same sex. They do not deny that it is a biological defect. They are saying that you don't have to act on those impulses. In other words, if you are born attracted to kids (pedophilia), you choose whether or not to act on those feelings. Those people aren't saying it's easy, or that you have to be perfect, they are saying ultimately everyone chooses what they act upon and what they don't. Personally, I think the Bible is clear that it is a sin. However, what the Bible says and what the law of the land should be are 2 different things. We are about individual liberty, so behavior that doesn't interfere with rights of someone else should be legal in my opinion. I don't want to call it marriage because marriage to me is a religious term. But any 2 or more people should be able to form legal unions if they are all consenting adults. I also couldn't care less if someone is gay or not.

I think you both are making very broad assumptions about people. Usually those kinds of biased opinions come from ignorance of the people you are biased against. I also don't think the right generally holds the "far left, idealistic university eggheads" view of liberals, or at least that would not be how most of the people I know view them. But some of my friends are very liberal and several of my friends friends are very liberal, so maybe my view comes from more direct experience around liberals.

I'm not saying all conservatives are creationist dipshits. I AM saying all creationist dipshits are christian conservatives. And if you don't get that then you too are not dealing in reality. And if I read you correctly you said you hadn't read anyone on this board that said they didn't believe in global warming? I must have read that wrong because I have read several that said they didn't.

Dee - There is no question that some of the creationists seem pretty ignorant, and they do vote. I just don't think they make up a very large segment of the population, or of conservatives. I don't agree with Christians who base what they think the law should be on what the Bible says. In a free country people should be able to do things that other people don't agree with. It's the nature of freedom. I can separate what the Bible teaches me from what the law should permit. So I don't have much in common with the religious right, and I don't think they are conservative. A conservative, to me, wants to conserve the principles of the Constitution. Anyone who wants to substitute their judgement for the judgement of free thinking people is not conservative in my opinion. I feel similarly about the liberal left. Both sides want control over freedom.

Make sure you get it right though. I don't believe in "MAN MADE" Global Warming. There's a huge difference.