Chestnuts (on legs)... explaining them to a creationist???

[DressageGeek_Ribbon]

I have to be honest. Science doesn’t tell you squat. We tend to be not very politically active, for which we have suffered - at the hands of PETA and others.

Scientists do research. They report the findings. But it is rarely (cigarettes, for example, being an obvious exception, as is global warming) all or none as in good or bad. In fact, alcohol, in moderation, may have protective effects.

And scratch the cigarettes. There’s evidence to suggest nicotine may be neuroprotective for Alzheimers. Not taht that means you should smoke, of course, but it may give us a better therapeutic against neurodegenration.

[philosoraptor]

@greysandbays;1946538

Science is forever telling us, “Ohhhh, this or that or the other thing is SO BAD for you…ooops, wait a minute, that’s not quite so”: Butter is so bad for you, eat oleo – scratch that, the transfats in fake butter are worse than the cholesterol in butter; chocolate is bad for you – scratch that, a bit of dark chocolate is good for the heart; booze is bad for you – scratch that, an occasional glass of red wine is good for you; coffee is bad – scratch that, moderate coffee consumption does improve your performance; eggs are bad – scratch that, they aren’t as bad as we thought. Or the other way around, “Ohhhh, this is SO good for you… oops, wait a minute it’ll probably KILL you”: Premarin (here’s the horse thing) is the menopausal miracle – scratch that, not only is it not as good as we thought, it’s actually harmful; Viox is the miracle pill for arthritis – scratch that, it might kill you; thalidomide is great stuff – scratch that, it causes birth defects.

That’s not science. That’s the mass media picking up on whatever press releases the food PR companies are spitting out. That’s the pharmaceutical companies trying to sel their products. That’s the Dairy Advisory Board trying to make money for their members. Real science has nothing to do with the pre-written news releases you see on your evening news.

You also can’t fault real science for putting forth theories, testing them, and finding some of them don’t work. That’s the beauty of science: the theories that aren’t proven to be right are discarded, and science moves on. It’s a learning process that started with the dawn of civilization and it’s going on right as we speak. Science can admit when it’s wrong; creationists do not.

If science can’t do better than that on the little stuff, how is it going to be right on the big stuff? It would be funny if the day came when Science has to admit, “DAMN, those pigheaded, closeminded, sneering creationists were right the whole time”.

Except that logically everyone admits there is just no way for the creationsts to prove their point. Everything the creationists say is goes back to a core belief system that is 100% rooted in FAITH, not science or observation or reality. Even more interesting is that the creationists try to insist the creation story is true because the Bible said so, but we all know the Bible can’t be taken literally word-for-word.

The hypocrisy is that while these creationists say what people really need is faith, at the same time they totally ignore every other religion out there. Why is their creation story the “right one” when other people believe just as strongly in their faith’s creation stories?

[DressageGeek_Ribbon]

Funny thing about science. Every time I give a seminar (not just me, of course) people ask questions. And sometimes you say, “I don’t know.” Or, “That’s a great idea! Thanks!” Or, “WHOOPS! We didn’t think of that!”

The great thing about science is that it must be reproduced to be generally accepted. And to get more than 2 or 3 people to agree on anything (witness this board!) takes a lot. But them’s the facts.

[Calena]

[QUOTE=Ghazzu;1945619]
Can I inquire then, why God thought it necessary to forbid the wearing of fabric made from more than one type of fiber?[/QUOTE]

Hand going up! Can I answer this one?

But before I do I just wanted to say I thought friesiandriver’s post #203 was superb. Thanks for that. I don’t want to re-quote it because it was very long.

Now, referring to what seems like the ridiculous guideline of only wearing clothe of one color, it has two points of relevance. First, at that point in time, they didn’t have dry cleaners and they had no way of washing clothes that consisted of more than one type of natural material, it would destroy them. Second, the passage refers to (remember, the Bible is a spiritual textbook) spiritual purity, a main theme throughout the book and repeated continuosly in a variety of lessons. It’s an Old Testament instruction. The Old Testament says exactly the same thing as the New Testament, but the spirituality is concealed. My course instructor has a PhD in Biblical Theology and I’m glad - I’d never be able to figure this stuff out on my own.

Where’s the relevance of all this to our horses? Today we took a 23 yo gelding to the horspital. We don’t know if we’ll be bringing him home or not. He’s in intensive care with IV’s and all sorts of drugs in him. Both Ohio State and Michigan State have been consulted, looking for a solution to help this horse.

We’ve been praying for his recovery and we thank God for the trained vets, the wonderful people that have freely given their time to help this old horse and the technology that will give him the very best chance to come home and recover. Our faith comforts us and is giving us the strength to do what Halston needs us to do.

The Apostle Luke was a physician. The Apostle Paul had a sophisicated multi-cultural university education. The Bible embraces science and education.

Proverbs 1:22-23

How long will you simple ones love your simple way?
How long will mockers delight in mockery
and fools hate knowledge?
If you had responded to my rebuke,
I would have poured out my heart to you
and made my thoughts known to you.

I have no idea what purpose horse chestnuts serve. Penicillin came from bread mold. Maybe someday someone will find a cure for something from horse chestnuts. Heck, we’re already using pregnant mare pee to help women (no further comment).

Matthew 7:7
Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks, the door will be opened.

On a lighter note, I’m amazed this thread is still going. Then again, I guess it’s one of those never-ending debates.

I’m going to go back to praying for Halston - there’s nothing else I can do for him till morning. All prayers and jingles appreciated.

[Erin]

Sorry folks… no longer horse-related.