I seriously doubt if there are even 4 people here who have read Darwin's Origin Of Species which in advertedly started the entire so called 'evolution of man' theories, let alone Lewis Spence's refutation of this theory just after it was published. Logic and the emotions engendered by 'spiritual' beliefs have co mingled to the point of mutual hysteria for most people who have continuous knee-jerk reactions to usually totally misinformed information regarding both sides of the basic questions of creation and evolution.
At the beginning of the 20th century, Albert Einstein revealed that time could play tricks if one travelled at the speed approaching the speed of light. This theory was tested in the laboratory solely for mesons, but the masters of science fiction boldly lead their heroes into adventures quite as outlandish as those experienced by the prophets of the Old Testament.
"The prehistoric idea as to the probable immortality of the soul does not only express the unconscious wish to believe in the existence of God, but also the sense that time does not have the same value everywhere in the universe and that it can flow at a greater or lesser speed."
The German historian, Herbert Kuhn, also refutes the Darwinian thesis, being himself a partisan of the off-world theory of man's origin.
In a work which is splendidly documented, but unfortunately not widely translated extensively, "Discoveries and Art of the Glacial Epoch", Herbert Kuhn relies upon the astonishing artistic accomplishments of so-called primitive man to demonstrate the absurd character of Darwin's postulates which he characterizes as the "philosophy of an irreducible sectarianism."
He is quite outspoken against the scientists who accuse the Church and priests of having retarded progress and placed obstacles in the way of archeological diggings.
He writes: If we read the documents we have attentively, we find that such affirmation is absolutely gratuitous. We cannot find that the ecclesiastics have said a single word against the diggings or exhumation of skeletons of primitive man, especially from the Catholic Church.
"Many priests and men of religious orders are often members of, or leaders of teams which carry on research in many archeological sites, not to mention many are also in all fields of Astronomy, especially Jesuits.
"The reason for the lack of comprehension or indifference of certain specialists must be sought rather in their fear of seeing the upset of the theory of evolution, so dear to them. It is still a mere theory. There are other theories . Some are more cable than others. It was with the greatest difficulty that they had finally succeeded in imposing their narrow concept that humans, animals and vegetals of our world today are the end result of progressive transformation of living species.
"The theory of evolution is based on the certitude that everything in creation which is simple is necessarily much older than which is more highly complex.
"If art only afforded us mediocre works dating from the highest antiquity, we would be quite willing to adopt this theory. But how could we accept it sincerely when we find that the paintings of Altamira are so beautiful, so wonderfully composed, that they can only be compared with the very greatest painters of our culture?
Some call our ancestors who lived in caves "savages" and "brutes", but how could savages and brutes have produced these works of art, so filled with vitality and freedom?
Darwin's ideas were warmly received throughout Europe and America. It reached the point where those who have refused to fall in line have been condemned, academic careers ruined, and in 1880, these theories became an absolute pseudo-religion, a philosophy of an irreducible sectarianism."
The other day I noticed a comment by a poster that she was re-reading the fascinating book The Web Of Life by Fritjof Capra; I love that book and the other 'main' one , The Turning Point. Both are just mesmerizing, and should be taught to science classes starting in high school.
Thinking about these books, led me to think of Dean Hamer, the famous, or to some, the infamous Harvard trained geneticist rom the National Cancer Institute and his 'God gene' that we allegedly all have.
Monica Lewwinsky was once asked by a journalist, if her 'liaison' with Bill Clinton was sinful. ()
Monica, deftly replied: "I'm not very religious. I'm more spiritual." It has become a tired old cliche' to claim that you pursue spiritual depth free from the dogma and moralisms of organized religions. (Free thinking and amoralism of disorganized religions seem to be the menu of choice for many.) Still, most people assume that religious faith and spiritual enlightenment are both dependent on the existence of a divine being or higher reality...(presumably higher that Jupiter). Not necessarily so, argued Dean Hamer. In The God Gene: How Faith is Hardwired into Our Genes, Hamer claimed that religious faith is a social habit we pick up from people around us. By contrast, the experience of self-transcendence(his stand-in for spirituality) is substantially determined by our genetic endowment. In fact, he contends that our ability to enter a spiritual state is a partially inherited trait, similar to musical abilities or athleticism.
If this were true, the advocates of materialism gained another foothold into religion's traditional territory.
There are reasons to distrust Hamer, as he classifies his subjects' self transcendence using a quiz with 20 true and false questions, such as "I love the blooming of flowers in the spring as much as seeing old friends again." (Huh?)
This is still very dubious approximation of 'spirituality'.
This 'God gene' itself is even more suspicious now than in 2005. At a point, Hamer admitted that the gene- which affects the transport of neurotransmitters such as serotonin and dopamine, has a 'marginally significant' linkage to test scores on his spirituality pop quiz...As many as 50 other genes, he wrote, may have a greater impact. By the next page he is back to trumpeting his alleged discovery of this 'God gene'. (Let's not forget that in 1993, Hamer claimed to have found a part of chromosome X that contained 'the gay-gene'...Of course he did. Several research groups have tried and failed repeatedly to reproduce his results.
Hamer's book still reads as an attempt to get a spot on the Tonite Show, or the Helen De Generes/ Oprah shows, rather than any serious scientific or even philosophical inquiry. Certainly he would be turned down by any Geneticist who would also happen to be a Roman Catholic Jesuit, or Franciscan , or other Orders if he thought that Religious reasons would work. Perhaps they would for any Fundamental-Evangelical member who would also be a geneticist, but there isn't such a thing..
This got lost in postings and had to be found.
I re-wrote the entire thing. It had gotten lost when posted and never appeared on blog posting
Reading some o the postings today, I came across one of the most pernicious catch phrases that still infects many people. To me, it has always been a form of politically correct intimidation; another form of intellectual terrorism.
"Zero Tolerance" is as a form of coercion, used to enforce laws and regulations in cities across the world, especially in North America. Prompt, letter-of-the law prosecution/ persecution of minor offences like subway-fare cheating, petty acts of vandalism, and even jaywalking(so goes the theory), pays of in creating respect for the law in larger matters. Zero tolerance, thus, for minor crimes supposedly reduces the incidence of major crimes and a respect for those who uphold the laws. This is sheer insanity, both in logic and in everyday real life. It is, simply, another product of unbalanced thinking that has lead to a totally unbalanced system of judicial impartiality.
This concept should work both ways, in that where is zero tolerance for the injustices and illegalities perpetrated by spouses or a mate that abuses the other, either physically or mentally??? How about the so called and much lauded, "thin-Blue-Line" that are our guardians in the teeming urban jungles we call cities, who commit tolerated injustices and daily illegalities? For the shooting 41 bullets by 4 NYPD officers into an unarmed black man named Amadou Diallo? For all the others shot to death by a dozen or more bullets by multiple officers of many police departments? For all others killed or brutalized in recent years by out-of-control police officers? How about zero tolerance for the 59 kicks and punches administered by 10 Philadelphia police officers to a mere suspect in a car-jacking, who also was black, all videotaped by a helicopter news crew? This is NOT Central America.
Police violence is an especially corrosive form of lawlessness, and it's made far more venal when linked with what is outright racism in the worst possible way. It engenders and fosters fear, rage, total disrespect for the law; for any law, and a conviction that all government agencies are not only untrustworthy but an active threat to all basic Human Rights. Think of all the haunting photographs of Women IN Mourning and Outrage, that promted a poll in New York in which 90% stated that police brutality is a very dangerous problem and is spreading.
Yet, in episode after episode, racist misconduct and brutalities by police still meets with tolerance rom top officials in most cities across North America. An unruly teenager on a streetcar...15 bullets by 9 police officers in Toronto.(In Canada, colour isn't the single focal point, unless you happen to be Jamaican, it seems).
In cities, one after another, the usual police officials and the local mayors all stand before the cameras and plead "for understanding", to deny any racism and to otherwise spin an event so plainly visible in TV screens everywhere...A violent suspect resisting arrest was not simply subdued and detained but given a savage beating by an unrestrained, angry, armed mob of (white) men who were themselves sworn to uphold the law, as in Philadelphia in the summer of 2000...Where is, was this magical Zero Tolerance for this form of utter lawlessness ? The infamous statue of Justice is blindfolded...we know why, but it also denotes that it is allegedly...Colour Blind.
As for the poor spouse that lies in their blood splattered apartments or houses...perhaps the medics can explain to them that Zero Tolerance doesn't apply to them either.
It's time to be intolerant of this "Zero Tolerance" intolerance for Justice and discard an unbalanced idea or one more balanced. Those unbalanced enough to promote zero tolerance need to be 're-educated' into the realities of Life.
Looking at profiles posted in general, most are vague or border on the arrogant with the person clearly full of themselves. Never mind the structure, or the writing skill, or lack thereof; any effort to actually entice a possibly interested inquiry falls rather short when 'read' between the lines and one may be left with the fairly clear impression that their reality is not something that you'd wish to experience in any form. Many lack imagination and that ability to set off your own imagination into the realms of possibly wanting to experience that person in any positive way. Then again, perhaps I haven't read enough to form a more positive impression or to make an introduction and inquiry.
For now, I'm rather missing the old 'singles ads' that, for the most part, are basically gone from the pages and sections that were euphemistically known as 'the lovelorn columns' in most papers around the country. What remains seem to be only graphically written descriptions of what their s*xual appetites are and how you can satisfy them. If your own s*xual inclinations are not the same or even more pronounced, it is certainly no way to ever meet someone with whom it may be possible to actually 'fall in love with' and go skipping through the tulips together, hand in hand.
On the other hand, I miss the sheer hilarious bravado and 'chutzpah' of many of the old style ads, such as:
"Amateur gentleman, who is a closet barbarian, is seeking a nice slim lady, 18-65, likes her hair purple, for wild dining, kinky dancing and Walt Disney cartoon festivals. Must be High school graduate. Please reply with full length photo to P.O. box 507, Batwing, Ontario B6T 3W9"
The above raises many questions and I'm sure, for many, all sorts of 'red flags' Sort of reminds me of someone from The Rocky Horror Show...
"I'm into whipped cream, chocolate syrup and garlic spread.
This wild lady needs a professional executive or fast and savage recreational relationship. Reply in person for interview at Mabel's Strip 'N' Eat Steak House. (corner of Sleazy and S&M Lane, Ratwhiskers, Ark."
Modern profiles aren't nearly so ...well, interesting...
Kattte Blog (29)