"Dr." Zakir Naik, Sanal Edamaruku
This is a video of Dr.Zakir Naik (an Islamic apologist) talking about the Theory of Evolution.
He claims that evolution is 'only a theory' and does not have any basis in fact. He then goes on to talk about the 'missing links' in the evolutionary chain and throws in the names of some scientists who hold anti-evolution views.
Clearly, the man does not know the difference between the colloquial use of the word theory (which in everyday language is a word used as a synonym for hypothesis) and a scientific theory. A scientific theory is a set of ideas that best explains observable data. It is a set of ideas that best accounts for all the known facts. The 'Theory of Gravitation' or 'The Germ Theory of Disease' would be examples of scientific theories.
Now, coming to missing links. There are no true 'missing links' but of course you can't have fossils for every intermediate stage in the evolution of an animal. When scientists find two intermediates that fit fairly well with each other, these people ask for yet another intermediary link between the two links found.
As Richard Dawkins says, "We're lucky to have any fossils at all". Even if we had no fossils, the evidence from genetics alone would be compelling enough to support evolution. That is, the number of genes we share with other animals (and plants) and the comparison of what these genes do in humans vs animals (and plants).
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Sanal Edamaruku, president of the Indian Rationalist Association, has been debunking myths for decades.
Here is a video of him opposing the move to use horoscopes as a way to judge the potential of students at a certain school in Noida.
Currently, Sanal Edamaruku has gone into exile in Europe. He's been forced to flee India as he has had FIRs lodged against him for defaming a certain catholic church/Christianity.
The whole thing started when Mr.Edamaruku tried to give a rational explanation for the dripping of water from a certain statue of Jesus in Bombay. (The story can be found with a simple google search.)
Now the problem the Church has with the remarks of Mr.Edamaruku are (according to them) as follows (taken from here):
– The Christian clergy under the pretext of religion, regularly manufacture miracles, on the basis of which they collect money.
– The clergy uses money thus collected to build newer and bigger churches. This is one such tamasha of many that are existing.
– There is a distinct possibility that the Christians made a hole in the head of the Jesus statue, with an outlet at the feet for the water.
– We are told that Christians are not idol worshippers, but incidents and crucifixes like this expose at least the Catholics as idol worshippers.
– Christians are leaving established churches, and to halt the exodus or to prevent churches from becoming empty, priests resort to such gimmicks.
Also, the church states that :
"It is clarified that the Catholic Church has at no time claimed that what happened in Irla was a miracle. In such cases the Church is always cautious. Any extraordinary event is carefully studied, the advise of experts sought and established norms are strictly observed before pronouncing a judgment on any such event."
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Even if the water dripping incident was not purported to be a miracle by the church, how are the remarks or whatever the man has done a greater crime than what Zakir Naik regularly does? He promotes hate, scientific misunderstanding and takes so many gullible people for a ride. Why isn't there an FIR against him ? Such double standards.
**I haven't used any racial/religious slurs and this is not a thread intended for religion bashing. As such, as per my understanding, it falls well within the General Talk guidelines.
This is a video of Dr.Zakir Naik (an Islamic apologist) talking about the Theory of Evolution.
He claims that evolution is 'only a theory' and does not have any basis in fact. He then goes on to talk about the 'missing links' in the evolutionary chain and throws in the names of some scientists who hold anti-evolution views.
Clearly, the man does not know the difference between the colloquial use of the word theory (which in everyday language is a word used as a synonym for hypothesis) and a scientific theory. A scientific theory is a set of ideas that best explains observable data. It is a set of ideas that best accounts for all the known facts. The 'Theory of Gravitation' or 'The Germ Theory of Disease' would be examples of scientific theories.
Now, coming to missing links. There are no true 'missing links' but of course you can't have fossils for every intermediate stage in the evolution of an animal. When scientists find two intermediates that fit fairly well with each other, these people ask for yet another intermediary link between the two links found.
As Richard Dawkins says, "We're lucky to have any fossils at all". Even if we had no fossils, the evidence from genetics alone would be compelling enough to support evolution. That is, the number of genes we share with other animals (and plants) and the comparison of what these genes do in humans vs animals (and plants).
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Sanal Edamaruku, president of the Indian Rationalist Association, has been debunking myths for decades.
Here is a video of him opposing the move to use horoscopes as a way to judge the potential of students at a certain school in Noida.
Currently, Sanal Edamaruku has gone into exile in Europe. He's been forced to flee India as he has had FIRs lodged against him for defaming a certain catholic church/Christianity.
The whole thing started when Mr.Edamaruku tried to give a rational explanation for the dripping of water from a certain statue of Jesus in Bombay. (The story can be found with a simple google search.)
Now the problem the Church has with the remarks of Mr.Edamaruku are (according to them) as follows (taken from here):
– The Christian clergy under the pretext of religion, regularly manufacture miracles, on the basis of which they collect money.
– The clergy uses money thus collected to build newer and bigger churches. This is one such tamasha of many that are existing.
– There is a distinct possibility that the Christians made a hole in the head of the Jesus statue, with an outlet at the feet for the water.
– We are told that Christians are not idol worshippers, but incidents and crucifixes like this expose at least the Catholics as idol worshippers.
– Christians are leaving established churches, and to halt the exodus or to prevent churches from becoming empty, priests resort to such gimmicks.
Also, the church states that :
"It is clarified that the Catholic Church has at no time claimed that what happened in Irla was a miracle. In such cases the Church is always cautious. Any extraordinary event is carefully studied, the advise of experts sought and established norms are strictly observed before pronouncing a judgment on any such event."
- - - Updated - - -
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Even if the water dripping incident was not purported to be a miracle by the church, how are the remarks or whatever the man has done a greater crime than what Zakir Naik regularly does? He promotes hate, scientific misunderstanding and takes so many gullible people for a ride. Why isn't there an FIR against him ? Such double standards.
**I haven't used any racial/religious slurs and this is not a thread intended for religion bashing. As such, as per my understanding, it falls well within the General Talk guidelines.
such is his reasoning. and in my opinion sanal is just another atheist fundamentalist. though he has done remarkable job is countering superstitions etc he is also equally nauseating in his arguments.
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