Are our reactions unscientific?

[Argonavis (William)]

Originally Posted by Starkler

Some excellent posts in this thread, but IMO to have a thread on the "reasons folk need belief systems " could be dangerous ground, and potentially offensive to those who follow a religion.

I don't believe that this thread in any way denigrates belief systems, just because it notes that folks need them.

It may well be offensive to some, but research is being undertaken on belief systems as a product of brain chemistry. You can't ignore this. Some of the powerful religious and spiritual experiences that I have had may well just be an illusion of my synapses.

Irrespective of this, belief systems are important in giving us moral values and a sense of community. We need to share an ethos. We have chosen a Calvanistic one that encourages economic and scientific progress within a Judeo-Christian tradition. But having let the genie out of the bottle, and knowing what is known about the way the world works - you simply can't go around saying that all beliefs are equally valid, and you can believe whatever you like. Why not you ask? Isn't it your right to believe whatever you like?

Problem with this is you are closing your mind to the scientific progress that has been made to date. You become a medieval mind in the modern world. And possibly, you styme further progress in understanding our material world, if these irrational beliefs influence public policy. Yes, this includes the ban on stem cell research.

Astrology may be daffy and harmless, but it has been shown to be dross.

[xelasnave]

Argonavis perhaps a discussion on the plethra of tv shows built around witchcraft, demons supernatural etc.. it amazes me how something cant be done here..it is so negative and counter productive.. no doubt the horrorscope set would be into this. But that really was what I was seeking to raise earlier. I would not like to offend anyone with a conventional belief in anything but I simply think this area of entertainment should be expelled from our society. But then it becomes a censorship issue, we cant tell people what should be on their TV, in their books etc but leaving this to the market is not a satisfactory result. Franky these shows offend me greatly and I wont look at them but just the promos indicate their numbers.
Negative thoughts and materials are simply bad for you and that is not a religious view it is the way it is.. How many kids become damaged by this stuff
alex

[xelasnave]

Further one would think that a system of Government, that refers to God in its formal proceedings, and overlooks such a sad condition, could be altered to removal some of the hippocracy. Something should change in the current picture.
alex

[josh (Luke)]

I agree. and we should all feel free to discuss religious matters without tip- toeing around others for fear of there beliefs. If we do ,that means their beliefs are dominating what we discuss or the way we think and that aint cool at all. A question about this topic though.. i guess astronomy can be dated back a long way really, to when the first ape-man looked at the heavens and took notice. I wonder at that moment if he/she wondered if those things up there had any affect on his/her life?...therefore astrology being born very soon after astronomy.
Interesting...

[Adrian-H]

i believe that everything around us has effect towards us, even the smaller things like what you do in your everyday, so tell me the differance between being scientific and unscientific? would you know the question behind that?, science is a learning experiance and so is living, so living is a science too, and so is failure, not to know of failure, you will never gain true sucess.

[CoombellKid]

Originally Posted by josh

...i guess astronomy can be dated back a long way really, to when the first ape-man looked at the heavens and took notice. I wonder at that moment if he/she wondered if those things up there had any affect on his/her life?...therefore astrology being born very soon after astronomy.
Interesting...

And right after that he/she thought, now how can I make some currency
outa this? so in pretty quick sucession we have Astronomy, Astrology, and
the worlds first scam?

I guess it's up to each and every indivivual as to what they want to
believe. Who really cares, someone else is always going to reckon they
have a better way and will try to ram it down ya before someone else tries
their version on you. Religion, Sects, Accults & Avon are all the same to
me, beleive what you want to believe and be happy.

regards,CS

Rob

[Argonavis (William)]

Originally Posted by josh

I agree. and we should all feel free to discuss religious matters without tip- toeing around others for fear of there beliefs. If we do ,that means their beliefs are dominating what we discuss or the way we think and that aint cool at all. A question about this topic though.. i guess astronomy can be dated back a long way really, to when the first ape-man looked at the heavens and took notice. I wonder at that moment if he/she wondered if those things up there had any affect on his/her life?...therefore astrology being born very soon after astronomy.
Interesting...

I think it was the other way around, astronomy arose after astrology.

My belief (unscientifc and unsupported) is that astrology arose from the helical rising of Sirius that came just before the flooding of the Nile for the ancient Egyptians, similarily with the Bablonyans, the seasonal star patterns seemed to come before and predict the seasons, and astrology further developed to try and predict the positions of the "wanderers" (planets) and eclipses. It was probably easy for the ancients to see meaning in these motions.

astronomy arose from Tycho, Kepler and Galielo, Newton and Herschall and the development of astrophysics in the last 100 years.