The Average American?

[Espectro (DayZ) 0]

Very good writing Denoir, and I agree 106%

[Albert Schweitzer 10]

Our professor is back! Good read indeed, and thanks for taking the time to research the subject.

[CsonkaPityu 0]

Whoa! A thread about a comedy skit provoked somekind of word lavine of epic proportions.

Anyways...

Quote[/b] ]If you are convinced that you'll be raptured to your sky-god relatively soon, of course you won't bother yourself with such worldly vulgarities as global warming.

That's stupid (i'm not disputing the truth of that claim, just the whole not caring about the world because God'll save me anyway mentality), in the book of revelations it's written that does who destroy/harm the earth will be the ones who will be cast into hell or oblivion (depends on who you ask). Uh, here's the part.

So, from the religious perspective it's just as nonsensical to advocate the destruction of the planet as it is from an atheistic perspective.

[crashdome 3]

...

Certainly an interesting and lengthy article, but I am confused?

Quote[/b] ]Warning: If you are a cultural relativist who thinks that all cultures are equally good and can't be compared - prepare to be offended. If you think that stoning women for adultery is just a cultural peculiarity that has to be judged within its cultural context, you won't agree with me.

Cultural relativity has what to do with the rest of your statements?

Also, your graphs, while dazzling and interesting are based on limited scope and do not provide significant basis for "intelligence" measurement in terms as discussed by the original poster.

If you really want to get into Intercultural Context, think about the static-dynamic dialectic and tell me if you think that these questions/answers you have posted mean anything.

Note: I never said I don't agree with some of your conclusion or oppose your viewpoint. I am just questioning the validity of your 'proofs'.

Quote[/b] ]America however is not just any country - it is the most powerful and richest country in the world so of course it deserves special attention. The America bashing that is so popular world-wide has a solid ground it stands on - it is not just arbitrary hatred or jealousy.

I am very curious about this statement.

According to this, despite the fact of what America's power is founded on, we are risen as a hegemonic power by the very critics that oppose us. You cannot hate or be jealous of someone you think deserves special attention.... if I read that right.

[baddo 0]

Please don't do this

I am sure there a a lot of idiots in U.S.A. but hey I know those exist elsewhere too. Sometimes we all are idiots

and don't even try to deny it, you would be just cheating yourself.

Ah but me thinks, it makes me angry when people come to me and ask me a question THEY ALREADY KNOW THE ANSWER FOR, and then they laugh at me when I didn't know this particular detail they asked. I have been a victim of this, and it is for sure very annoying - those people should get a life and concentrate on something else.

[klavan 0]

Ah but me thinks, it makes me angry when people come to me and ask me a question THEY ALREADY KNOW THE ANSWER FOR, and then they laugh at me when I didn't know this particular detail they asked....

Me too! I hated all my teachers for this!

Seriously, that video is quite funny ideed (apart when that guy says that Italy may be the next country to be invaded.... lol), here in Italy I saw something similar on TV in the past I can assure you that idiots grows very well in my country too....along with idiotic TV shows (and that's why i don't watch Tv anymore).

There are american idiots as long as italians, french, dutch, english......Here in Italy there's a motto: "The mother of morons is always pregnant". Nothing new and nothing to be worried about I think.

Klavan

[Balschoiw 0]

Quote[/b] ]Fifty studies were reviewed that surveyed opinions on teaching origins in public schools. The vast majority found about 90% of the public desired that both creation and evolution or creation only be taught in the public schools. About 90% of Americans consider themselves creationists of some form, and about half believe that God created humans in their present form within the past 10,000 years. In America, about 15% of high school teachers teach both evolution and creation, and close to 20% of high school science teachers and about 10,000 scientists (including more than 4,000 life scientists) reject both macroevolution and theistic evolution. Although the vast majority of Americans desire both creation and evolution taught in school, the evolutionary naturalism worldview dominates, revealing a major disparity between the population and the ruling élite.

Evolution vs Creation

Quite funny, not.

[crashdome 3]

..nevermind...

[baddo 0]

Quote[/b] ]Fifty studies were reviewed that surveyed opinions on teaching origins in public schools. The vast majority found about 90% of the public desired that both creation and evolution or creation only be taught in the public schools. About 90% of Americans consider themselves creationists of some form, and about half believe that God created humans in their present form within the past 10,000 years. In America, about 15% of high school teachers teach both evolution and creation, and close to 20% of high school science teachers and about 10,000 scientists (including more than 4,000 life scientists) reject both macroevolution and theistic evolution. Although the vast majority of Americans desire both creation and evolution taught in school, the evolutionary naturalism worldview dominates, revealing a major disparity between the population and the ruling élite.

Evolution vs Creation

Quite funny, not.

Science vs. Religion!

It's the old fight going on and on.

Could you believe, there was a time when scientists were thrown to jail after they had presented their opinions on how things really are, based on their own observations, experiments and logical thinking.

I once had a chat with a religious person about how things are. I asked a question of what will we find if we go as far into space as possible (possibly no stop in sight). The response I got was that the the Universe must be God's creation as we can't reliably explain how does it look like and how was it formed. My reply to this was: when human beings can't understand something, they say it is God's creation. I think I insulted that person at least slightly. Not by intention, but that's how I think. When human beings can't explain something, it is easy to say it is God who did it.

[Supah 0]

I found a graph that beautifully illustrates the fundamental differences that lie at the heart of the Creationist vs. evolutionist debate:

Science vs. Faith

[baddo 0]

Yes that's how it seems to go

It wouldn't bother me much otherwise but unfortunately some political leaders are using religion to support their policitical decisions and reasoning. So that there doesn't have to be any logical reasoning, just "faith" in something to start a war for example.

[billybob2002 0]

Whats up with bashing people's faith now? Enough, please.

Anyway, the clip was meant to be taken as humor. There is no need for a deep analysis of the american public education system, which is not uniform and varies between the districts, and the retarded argument that religion (faith) makes you dumb or something.

I got my laugh and moved on. However, some people want to be like that reporter who asked the 300 director if President Bush is Leonidas or Xeres and the movie has nothing to do with him.

[baddo 0]

Nobody said religious people are stupid, don't put words into our mouths.

All religions are okay, I don't have a problem. The problem begins only when someone tries to feed their religious beliefs for me. That's what some political leaders are trying to do, among a lot of other people. Religion shouldn't be forced on anyone, if a person wants to believe then he believes by himself. I take it if I want it but don't feed it to me by force, like it seems to be the case in this case of "creationism should be taught in schools because it's the truth" case.

[billybob2002 0]

Nobody said religious people are stupid, don't put words into our mouths.

Re-read Denior's post and come back to me.

Quote[/b] ]Saying that Americans are ignorant and dangerous fundamentalists will be wrong 50% of the time. It is however not to dismiss that 50% of the time you would actually be right to say so.

Quote[/b] ]

Ultimately what America needs is a better public education system and much less religion. Some travel (no, invasion doesn't count) wouldn't hurt too.

If you didn't know, Denior has somewhat a thing against religion.

Also, click the link in Supah's post.

[Balschoiw 0]

Quote[/b] ]Whats up with bashing people's faith now? Enough, please.

If the educational system in the US of A is changed because of religious influence and therefore the level of knowledge of the american people will degrade to some religious faith-stuff , away from fact knowledge modern science can provide, IT IS a troubling developement as it certainly will not make the people of the USA smarter. Quite the contrary would be the case.

Noone´s bashing religion here.

You´re going furore just for the like of going furore ?

[Thunderbird 0]

Quote[/b] ]Whats up with bashing people's faith now? Enough, please.

I would rather put "discussing" instead of "bashing", if you look closely to how religion-based states internally work, you might notice a huge lack of knowledge in the average population, they mainly tend to focuse on their beliefs ignoring any "statement" that goes against their upbringing and moral code that might come from a slightly more rational side.

regards,

TB

[billybob2002 0]

Quote[/b] ]Whats up with bashing people's faith now? Enough, please.

If the educational system in the US of A is changed because of religious influence and therefore the level of knowledge of the american people will degrade to some religious faith-stuff , away from fact knowledge modern science can provide, IT IS a troubling developement as it certainly will not make the people of the USA smarter. Quite the contrary would be the case.

Noone´s bashing religion here.

You´re going furore just for the like of going furore ?

The issue of grade inflation is way more important than religious influence in the decentralized American public school system. More and more students are getting excellent grades but standardized test scores aren't match those grades.

Is there religious influence in the school system(s)? Honestly, I don't know because I didn't see it while I was attending public school. In Biology, I was thought evolution and that was it.

I want to is different from actual doing it.

Check my previous post about the bashing.

Hey, I'm a calm guy for the most part!

I would rather put "discussing" instead of "bashing", if you look closely to how religion-based states internally work, you might notice a huge lack of knowledge in the average population, they mainly tend to focuse on their beliefs ignoring any "statement" that goes against their upbringing and moral code that might come from a slightly more rational side.

regards,

TB

I don't have a problem with discussing religion. However, for example, when Supah's link basically concludes that people with faith are dolts, I have a problem. Or, when Denior calls 50% of the American population "ignorant and dangerous fundamentalists" due to not supporting the theory of evolution of man and there should be much less religion, I have a problem.

Education doesn't just revolve around the issue of evolution and creationism.

Sorry for the bold.

[Wobble 1]

the thing (in my opinion) that is making americans dumb has nothing to do with religion.  the problem is the SCHOOLS.. and not what is taught either, its how jacked up the diciplinary system is..

now. I was no angel in school.. I was goofy and cut up etc etc..  and I got my ass beat for it on a few occasions..  but these days..  due to all the legal issues and the fact that for some reason there is a movment away from tough love and competition in this country, towards "it not if you win its if you have fun"   the bastard evil moron kids (THEY DO EXIST! are not yanked out of glass and stuck in a chage or something like they should... noo because thats not fair to them... however it is somehow fair that the rest of the students suffer the distraction and therefore do not learn as much because captain assmunch over here is trying to molest the class's pet duck..

teachers can no loger dicipline children.. cant whip them, cannot physically touch them at all, the kid can literally be destroying the classroom.. and all the teacher can do is call the cops.. meanwhile the entire class and their education is stopped while the moron is delt with.

then there are these hokey .. hippyish programs, that do not work, that basically slowdown the entire class.. to help the lowest common denomitor..  so a class only learns as much as the most retarded kid can absorb.. . NICE..

"Head start"

and

"No child left behind"

are implemented in many many public schools..

so.. just how can you have a head start, if nobody is left behind?  what are you getting a head start on?

this confuses me.. then again, I are produkt of americand edu... ed-U... Booklearnin:crazy:

[ralphwiggum 6]

ok..i think this is going to go down hill or at least OT from here. intervention is what I'll do.