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ORIGINAL: Lazarus munkey

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ORIGINAL: superdan

Though if it is expanding (as it appears to be), presumably there must be something it is expanding into

No, because there's nothing there. No space to move into, no time to exist in. All of reality is within the universe. Into has no meaning.

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ORIGINAL: Lazarus munkey

The universe is finite but boundless, which is to say it is not infinite but there's no edge to reach.
Imagine travelling the surface of the Earth. Assuming you can cross oceans and mountains, you would travel forever, theoretically as the surface of the Earth is finite but boundless. The key is trying to imagine the same idea with an extra dimension. It can be demonstrated mathematically but can't be drawn.

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ORIGINAL: Rinc

quote:

ORIGINAL: Lazarus munkey

The universe is finite but boundless, which is to say it is not infinite but there's no edge to reach.
Imagine travelling the surface of the Earth. Assuming you can cross oceans and mountains, you would travel forever, theoretically as the surface of the Earth is finite but boundless. The key is trying to imagine the same idea with an extra dimension. It can be demonstrated mathematically but can't be drawn.

But earth has the sky above it so whilst you can travel around it in two dimensions, there's a third dimension above and below it. I don't understand how space can have an extra dimension which means it's finite.

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ORIGINAL: Lazarus munkey

quote:

ORIGINAL: Rinc

quote:

ORIGINAL: Lazarus munkey

The universe is finite but boundless, which is to say it is not infinite but there's no edge to reach.
Imagine travelling the surface of the Earth. Assuming you can cross oceans and mountains, you would travel forever, theoretically as the surface of the Earth is finite but boundless. The key is trying to imagine the same idea with an extra dimension. It can be demonstrated mathematically but can't be drawn.

But earth has the sky above it so whilst you can travel around it in two dimensions, there's a third dimension above and below it. I don't understand how space can have an extra dimension which means it's finite.

As I said, it can be demonstrated relatively easily mathematically, just not drawn.

I posted this book on the previous page. Explains it all much better than I can.
Click

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ORIGINAL: adambatman82

quote:

ORIGINAL: Woger

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ORIGINAL: adambatman82

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ORIGINAL: Rebenectomy

You don't think it's a problem that fundamentalist christian groups (many based in the US) have put pressure on the National Trust to include this as part of the exhibit? We've already had to put up with campaigns over here to get the Ulster Museum to run creationist exhibitions along side evolution and other natural history and science features. I have serious issues with this, especially as the Causeway centre will be used for educational school trips.

No I don't think it is. As it says in the NT's press release, "We reflect, in a small part of the exhibition, that the Causeway played a role in the historic debate about the formation of the earth, and that for some people this debate continues today", which I think is a healthy thing to be discussing myself. As they go on to say, "The National Trust fully supports the scientific explanation for the creation of the stones 60 million years ago", so I don't think there is any confusion as to which of the two theories is the one being encouraged by the visitors centre.

The article that you linked doesn't seem to mention US christian groups in direct reference to this issue.

Aka the insane.

It's interesting that a whole bunch of dissenters align religion with mental illness, which I actually find to be a little harsh. I can't help but feel such bland tarring is probably putting off those of us that don't feel that way from contributing to this thread too, lest thee be declared bonkers!

It's a shame too, because there are a bunch of posters on here that do hold those beliefs, and it'd be interesting to read their thoughts on the subject.

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ORIGINAL: shool

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ORIGINAL: adambatman82

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ORIGINAL: Woger

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ORIGINAL: adambatman82

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ORIGINAL: Rebenectomy

You don't think it's a problem that fundamentalist christian groups (many based in the US) have put pressure on the National Trust to include this as part of the exhibit? We've already had to put up with campaigns over here to get the Ulster Museum to run creationist exhibitions along side evolution and other natural history and science features. I have serious issues with this, especially as the Causeway centre will be used for educational school trips.

No I don't think it is. As it says in the NT's press release, "We reflect, in a small part of the exhibition, that the Causeway played a role in the historic debate about the formation of the earth, and that for some people this debate continues today", which I think is a healthy thing to be discussing myself. As they go on to say, "The National Trust fully supports the scientific explanation for the creation of the stones 60 million years ago", so I don't think there is any confusion as to which of the two theories is the one being encouraged by the visitors centre.

The article that you linked doesn't seem to mention US christian groups in direct reference to this issue.

Aka the insane.

It's interesting that a whole bunch of dissenters align religion with mental illness, which I actually find to be a little harsh. I can't help but feel such bland tarring is probably putting off those of us that don't feel that way from contributing to this thread too, lest thee be declared bonkers!

It's a shame too, because there are a bunch of posters on here that do hold those beliefs, and it'd be interesting to read their thoughts on the subject.

I find these boards to be so against religion and ready to tear it down that I dont see the point in engaging on it anymore.
I'm not a YEC just for the record.

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ORIGINAL: blackduck

Hey Shool, I generally don't post much around here , more of a reader than a writer.
But I've always enjoyed you posts, I don't agree with much of what you say, but I've always found your views informative .
And in discussions like this it's important to have someone who can articulate the ortherside of the debete.
Like you siad most of us here are more or less on the same opnions on religion if there isn't someone to challange the ideas the discussion looses a lot of it's merit. Hopefully someone else will back me up and phrase this better! Anyway I for one hope you keep posting.

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ORIGINAL: sanchia
At the end of the day religion is about belief and that is a personal thing. As long as it hurts no one, is not enforced upon others and makes that person happy then good for them to have something which gives them comfort.

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ORIGINAL: great_badir

...has reminded me of a Patton Oswalt (also famous for being an atheist) skit which goes something along the lines of:
"What if I believed, and I mean REALLY believed, in a giant invisible anus floating in the sky, and in that giant invisible anus there were shit piranhas which would come down and eat me if I was a bad person? The correct response to that would of course be 'well, I think that's fucking insane, but I acknowledge your belief in the giant invisible anus and its shit piranhas and if it keeps you being a kind, humble and helpful person, then PLEASE don't stop believing in the giant invisible anus in the sky and its shit piranhas' ".

So I, and others, need to apply that to real life and remember it sometimes.

On the other hand, I don't think ANYONE can defend any religions which either promote, permit or overlook bad happenings.

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ORIGINAL: sanchia

At the end of the day religion is about belief and that is a personal thing.

That deep-browed Homer ruled as his demesne.


TREK WARS

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ORIGINAL: Dpp1978
There are certainly times where calling a person a cunt is not only reasonable, it is a gross understatement.

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ORIGINAL: elab49
I really wish I could go down to see Privates

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ORIGINAL: homersimpson_esq

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ORIGINAL: sanchia

At the end of the day religion is about belief and that is a personal thing.

That's spirituality. Religion is specifically not a personal thing, but something that is shared.

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ORIGINAL: sanchia

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ORIGINAL: homersimpson_esq

quote:

ORIGINAL: sanchia

At the end of the day religion is about belief and that is a personal thing.

That's spirituality. Religion is specifically not a personal thing, but something that is shared.

Shared with those of similar belief, however the range of different interpretations of a given religion (see internal strife in the Anglican Church, Catholicism, Islam etc.) shows that belief is indeed a personal experience and that just because someone believes something which is similar to themselves does not mean their belief is completely the same and a shared experience. Hence belief is personal.

That deep-browed Homer ruled as his demesne.


TREK WARS

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ORIGINAL: Spaldron

Just had a gander at that blood transfusion thread. Fuck me some of the posts on there are utterly bat-shit, I got to page 7 before realising it was 50 damn pages long and gave up although I'd frankly seen enough by that point anyway.

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ORIGINAL: Dpp1978
There are certainly times where calling a person a cunt is not only reasonable, it is a gross understatement.

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ORIGINAL: elab49
I really wish I could go down to see Privates

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ORIGINAL: Spaldron

Just had a gander at that blood transfusion thread. Fuck me some of the posts on there are utterly bat-shit, I got to page 7 before realising it was 50 damn pages long and gave up although I'd frankly seen enough by that point anyway.

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ORIGINAL: Deviation

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ORIGINAL: Spaldron

Just had a gander at that blood transfusion thread. Fuck me some of the posts on there are utterly bat-shit, I got to page 7 before realising it was 50 damn pages long and gave up although I'd frankly seen enough by that point anyway.

You;ve angered shool, known enemy of film, preapre to face his wrath.

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ORIGINAL: Harry Tuttle

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ORIGINAL: Spaldron

Just had a gander at that blood transfusion thread. Fuck me some of the posts on there are utterly bat-shit, I got to page 7 before realising it was 50 damn pages long and gave up although I'd frankly seen enough by that point anyway.

It's no crazier than the UFO thread

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ORIGINAL: Hood_Man

Is there anything left for him to say? The poor guy would just be repeating himself.

Anyone who's ever argued about anything on the internet knows it's got fuck all to do with filling people in or sharing insight, it's about beating your opponent into a broken, binary pulp

It's probably why religious threads always grow to such huge proportions, it's the ultimate online battle of attrition where no one wins, one side just gets more bored than the other.

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ORIGINAL: Lazarus munkey

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ORIGINAL: Hood_Man

Is there anything left for him to say? The poor guy would just be repeating himself.

Anyone who's ever argued about anything on the internet knows it's got fuck all to do with filling people in or sharing insight, it's about beating your opponent into a broken, binary pulp

It's probably why religious threads always grow to such huge proportions, it's the ultimate online battle of attrition where no one wins, one side just gets more bored than the other.

Atheists Vs. Protestants
Whoever wins, we lose.