[extropy-chat] theobiology

[The Avantguardian]

Hate to break it to you Damien but it's no joke. All the people listed on the site are real faculty members and scientists (although some ARE psychologists *wink*). Some of the people listed are actually fairly distinguished having won awards and such. What I want to know is why the rabid atheism on this list? Some of you go so far as to (as contradictory as it sounds) proselytize your atheism. Why? 
 
In my experience there are generally two types of religious folk. The first are the brainwashed sheep that send off their cash to any huckster with enough charisma to wave a 1000 year old book around in front of them and tell them they are doomed if they don't convert.
 
The second kind are very bright skeptical people that have examined the evidence thoroughly and made an informed decision that the universe is governed by a living rational force or entity. Usually these people are deeply spiritual although they tend to hold no stock in the traditional organized religions as they recognize these to be scams and tools of power on major scale. 
 
Some of the most celebrated geniuses in history have been of the second type: Newton,  Einstein, Bohr, Pascal, etc. This is because when you have a very high IQ you are good at seeing patterns of information. When you see so much pattern in the universe, so little of which can be explained by mere science, it engenders faith that there is SOMETHING out there calling the shots. 
 
The latest generations of cosmologists are trying to save our beloved theories of gravity from damning observations. They explain the inconsistencies in the motions of galaxies by invoking the deus ex machina of dark matter and dark energy which together are supposed to comprise some 95% of the mass of the universe. So if you are willing to BELIEVE that every tangible bit of matter and energy in the the universe that you can see with our best telescopes and detection equipment comprise a mere 5% of what's actually out there, then why can't you admit there might be room in the 95% of the universe you can't see for PROVIDENCE? Or do you prefer the deus ex machina to the DEUS VERITAS?     

Damien Broderick <thespike at earthlink.net> wrote:

----- Original Message -----
From: "Spike" 
Sent: Friday, December 05, 2003 1:56 PM

> At the time, reading
> just this article, I did not recognize the site as a
> parody. I still cannot call it a joke, since it clearly
> shows an intent to slay, as opposed to entertain.

Paley, prof of Theobiology, is pretty obvious. But amazingly, I find this:

http://www.sagepub.com/journalIssue.aspx?pid=171&jiid=116

American Behavioral Scientist

Volume 45 Issue 12 - Publication Date: 08/2002

Theobiology: Interfacing Theology, Biology, and Other Sciences for Deeper
Understanding

Theobiology: Interfacing Theology, Biology, and other Sciences for Deeper
Understanding

The Authors

Introduction
Carole A. Rayburn, PhD, Lee J. Richmond

Theobiology: Interfacing Theology and Science
Carole A. Rayburn, Lee J. Richmond

Nonreductive Physicalism and Soul: Finding Resonance Between Theology and
Neuroscience
Warren S. Brown, PhD

The Pyramids of Sciences and of Humanities: Implications for the Search of
Religious
Richard L. Gorsuch

Is Faith an Emotion? Faith as a Meaning Making Affective Process: An Example
>From Breast Cancer Patients
Johnny Ramirez-Johnson, Carlos Fayard, PhD, Carlos Garberoglio, Clara M.
Jorge Ramirez

Comments on Symposium: Theobiology: Interfacing Theology, Psychology, and
Other Sciences for Deeper Understanding
Ralph W. Hood Jr

Beyond Equality
John S. Nixon

Theobiology and Gendered Spirituality
Sharon Kanis

Shamanism as Neurotheology and Evolutionary Psychology
Michael Winkelman

Cross-Cultural Generalizability of the Spiritual Transcendence Scale in
India: Spirituality as a Universal Aspect of Human Experience
Ralph L. Peidmont, Mark M. Leach, PhD

When Science Meets Religion
Akira Otani

Matter, Divinity, and Number
Gregory N. Derry

==============

How far does this go? It reminds me of a mock university faculty in Biblical
Accountancy, invented by my friend John Bangsund, which probed such ancient
fiscal riddles as: `How Doth It Profit a Man to Gain the Whole World and
Lose his own Soul?'

Damien Broderick



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The Avantguardian 


"He stands like some sort of pagan god or deposed tyrant. Staring out over the city he's sworn to . . .to stare out over and it's evident just by looking at him that he's got some pretty heavy things on his mind."

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