Religions

[KillerGremlin]

Originally Posted by Combine 017

I thought there were some theories now that the universe is contracting?

And I didnt watch your hour long videos because I cant sit still that long, but ive been watching a newish series called "Into the universe with Stephen Hawking" and it goes over stuff like the expanding universe and dark energy and neutrinos and being able to time travel using a black hole.

Recent experimental evidence (namely the observation of distant supernova as standard candles, and the well-resolved mapping of the cosmic microwave background) has led to speculation that the expansion of the universe is not being slowed down by gravity but rather accelerating. However, since the nature of the dark energy that is postulated to drive the acceleration is unknown, it is still possible (though not observationally supported as of today) that it might eventually reverse sign and cause a collapse.

buuuuutttt....

But the experts also took a stab at what a contracting universe could look like to an observer billions of years into the future.

“As the present-day observable universe started to get really small, the observer would most likely see some of the things that happened in the early universe happen in reverse. Most notably, the temperature of the universe would eventually get so high that you could no longer have stable atoms, in which case the hypothetical observer wouldn't be able to hold himself together.”

Yikes. But fear not. It turns the expansion of the universe has been accelerating rather than slowing.

Astronomers believe that’s caused by a mysterious dark energy pulling galaxies apart, according to NASA.

“Dark energy is this idea that not only is the universe expanding, dark energy is actually making that expansion happen even faster,” said Marla Geha, as assistant professor of astronomy at Yale University. “The dark energy will actually continue the expansion of the universe forever, so there probably will not be a Big Crunch if we have the numbers right.”

But the continuous expansion would have other consequences. Over tens of billions of years, the galaxies that we see around us would get farther and farther away, making the universe more of a lonely place, Geha said.

http://scitech.blogs.cnn.com/2009/08...-the-big-bang/


I think the Big Crunch is still a serious theory, so you are right that scientists think at some point in billions of years the Universe may collapse. For now, the Universe is expanding and will continue to do so for a while.

[Bond]

The nobel prize in physics was awarded this year to a bro that figured out the universe is not only expanding, but that it is expanding at an increased rate (I think KG already said this). The universe may eventually contract, but it currently is not (at least this is current thinking).

[TheSlyMoogle]

Originally Posted by Angrist

Maybe it's interesting to note that the Bible doesn't speak of faith as something you merely hope... It's more than that, it's based on good arguments, on a good study of the Bible etc.

So if you wonder if there's something out there, just give it a more thorough look.

Lol...

Have you even fully read and understood the bible?

I mean really?

BECAUSE THE BIBLE IS FUCKED UP!!!

Which actually makes it a pretty interesting read. I really wish more people had read it, and realized that for the most part any modern day preacher/pastor/priest/whateverscientologybuttfuckleader/bullshitdude is saying is mostly out of context to avoid a lot of the fucked up shit the bible says.

[Angrist]

I've read the Bible once, I'm on my 2nd read-through at the moment (with 4 pages per day it should take a bit more than a year to finish it).

[TheSlyMoogle]

Originally Posted by Angrist

(with 4 pages per day it should take a bit more than a year to finish it).

How can you expect to read and fully comprehend something at the pace of 4 pages a day?

...

[Combine 017]

According to the bible we are all inbred. So if everyone came from the same 2 people, how did different races form, and different diseases through humans? The bible is stupid and has so many flaws. And hasnt it been changed several times in the past?

[Angrist]

Originally Posted by TheSlyMoogle

How can you expect to read and fully comprehend something at the pace of 4 pages a day?

...

Eh are you being ironic?

Anyway, the time has come for me to jump out of this thread again. People start throwing unconstructive statements into the discussion and I'm not going to spend any time and energy into dealing with them. I don't see it make much difference anyway; if you want to dislike the bible (or anything really), you'll always find a rock to throw.

[Typhoid]

Originally Posted by Dylflon

I'd know I was being a phony because I'd be being religious when I'm not sure in my heart if I believe in god or not.

How would you ever know if spirituality of any kind would help out your piece of mind if you're not even willing to attempt the possibility of expanding your beliefs.

Closed minds can never grow.
Obviously I'm not saying "Hey buddy, believe in God." I don't even believe in 'God' - we both know that.


But how do you know you'd be a phony if you're not even sure if you believe in a God or not in the first place. Sounds to me you're more afraid of what people would say about you if you truly did start believing in a 'God'.

By looking into various religions, you don't immediately forgo logic and everything you've learned about history and science.

[Vampyr]

Religion of any sort boggles my mind.

I feel like I live in a world where everyone believes in Santa Claus and I'm one of the few people who realizes that he isn't real.

[Combine 017]

Originally Posted by Vampyr

Religion of any sort boggles my mind.

I feel like I live in a world where everyone believes in Santa Claus and I'm one of the few people who realizes that he isn't real.

I think Buddhism is pretty cool, mainly because Buddhist monks and temples look cool.

[KillerGremlin]

Originally Posted by Vampyr

Religion of any sort boggles my mind.

I feel like I live in a world where everyone believes in Santa Claus and I'm one of the few people who realizes that he isn't real.

The North Pole is real...Midgets are real....reindeer are real....there are plenty of fatass people who are old and have huge white beards. And who doesn't like milk and cookies.

I think Santa is pretty probable, all things considered.

[Typhoid]

Originally Posted by KillerGremlin

The North Pole is real...Midgets are real....reindeer are real....there are plenty of fatass people who are old and have huge white beards. And who doesn't like milk and cookies.

I think Santa is pretty probable, all things considered.

Santa Claus: The world's favourite Canadian... Or Russian. I'm not sure. Both countries colours are primarily red, and the gift-giving can be seen as general Canadian niceness, or horrible Soviet Communism.

[Combine 017]

[Bond]

Originally Posted by Vampyr

Religion of any sort boggles my mind.

I feel like I live in a world where everyone believes in Santa Claus and I'm one of the few people who realizes that he isn't real.

What's your primary exposure to religion? The southern evangelicals? I think that may be skewing your view of religious people a bit (understandably so I might add).

[Vampyr]

Originally Posted by Bond

What's your primary exposure to religion? The southern evangelicals? I think that may be skewing your view of religious people a bit (understandably so I might add).

My family is religious, but not overly so. I've never even been to church a day in my life.

They just believe in a god - for me that's enough to cross the line into strangeness. That someone could believe that, with not a shred of evidence. It's just so obviously a fairy tale to me - written by people for other people.

That's what I mean when I make the Santa Clause analogy. I feel like we, as a people, should have grown out of this by now. I know that's probably very offense to people who believe - I'm basically calling them stupid - but I just cannot grasp how someone can believe this stuff.