Wiccans, Pagans, and Druids........Oh My!!!!!!

I would like to know whether or not anyone has any decent questions for me about being Wiccan. Please refrain from questions such as "how many babies have you killed" and "can you fly on a broom?"

 

I will answer questions, and I will argue points of theology, but I will not abide by questions from people with only idiocy and anger in their thoughts.......

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h0w m@ny b@bi35 h@v3 u ki113d?

 

Just kidding. My cousin is Wiccan. Isn't being a Wiccan more of a belief than a faith? Like, from my understanding, you believe in the mother earth, but being a Wican doesn't show you how to live your life? Also, isn't it possible to be Wiccan and something else, like how there are Buddhist Christians? 

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Good question! I'm impressed.

The answer is this, most Wiccans live VERY privately, and with no "clues" as to how they worship. I on the other hand, am very open about what I am, how I worship, and how I live my life. I am a Kitchen Witch, which means that I make potions, spells and the like with natural ingredients that can be found in the kitchen. I make and sell my wares to people who need them. I also give Tarot readings, bless houses as well as children or marriages, and I banish negative energies when needed. I am a Witch in every sense of the word.

Granted, not everyone is like that, and I don't blame them. I have gone through alot of trials to get where I am now. But yes, it is possible to be Wiccan and something else. For instance, one of my friends is Wiccan/Christian, and she's probably the nicest woman you know. She's a reputable business woman, and is the most normal woman you can meet,  but her private life is definately "colorful".

Hopefully I've answered to your satisfaction, but if not let me know.

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Do you know what the outcome was on Wiccan military burials? I followed the story but never heard what the end result was.

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The Federal government approved the Wiccan symbol for miltary burials.

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This is true, they did approve it, but it was only through the efforts of alot of internet petitions.

I'm hoping that this is the first step in the road of getting the message out to everyone that just because people aren't just like them, they are fighting for the same beliefs.

Being in the military myself, a long time ago, I might add. They didn't give us the option of having Wiccan put on our dog tags. We had to put down "other". I thought it was awful, and still do.

Now, the question for the day is this..........How many of you would shop in a store that catered to all religions? I'm talking about specialty stores, not Wal-Mart or Safeway.

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Who or what do you worship and why?

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venus19728 said:

I would like to know whether or not anyone has any decent questions for me about being Wiccan. Please refrain from questions such as "how many babies have you killed" and "can you fly on a broom?"

 

I will answer questions, and I will argue points of theology, but I will not abide by questions from people with only idiocy and anger in their thoughts.......

 

I have a dear friend who was my lab partner all through my Biotechnology course work. She is wiccan and perhaps the most beautiful soul I have ever encountered. I am Christian (but she did not hold that against me!). She too is very private about her beliefs and I did not want to disrespect her by asking too many questions. She is still a dear friend and a very intelligent graduate of a very difficult venue in Science.

I do know she has great respect and love for mother Earth and the environment. She would NEVER be cruel to anyone, so I think many people have false ideas about people who practice the wiccan religion.

Venus, I am very happy you are with "We the People" and hope that you join us in faxing, emailing and phoning Senators and Congressman to DEMAND THAT THEY SECURE OUR BORDER!

 

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Do Wiccans believe in "Evolution", or "Creation?"

How angry do Wiccans get when they are compared to scientologists?

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How about a comparison of Wiccans and Scientologists? I know little or nothing of either.

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Venus, Guess you're busy? You asked for questions and got what you requested. Why no answers? Busy?

She made this topic June 13th. It took a month to get more than 3 replies. I'm sure that she should not be required to answer you the same day as you posted your question.

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Actually, my computer was down. I've been busy with a ton of different projects, and haven't had time to eat, much less anything else. So, for that, I'm sorry I haven't been on in a long time.

For the record, I don't get "angry" when compared to a scientologist. I get sad. I don't believe that we are decended from a bunch of evil aliens from another solar system. I don't believe that all women must be completely quiet during childbirth, and I don't believe in biofeedback to help "cleanse" my soul and make me "one" with the universe.

They say that knowledge is power. Well, too much knowledge in the wrong hands is worse. To put it simply, I am a believer in equality. I don't think it's at all possible that one God could have put us here. To say that one can't exist without the other is true. Creationism and Darwinism is what I believe. Yes, I know that sounds stupid and very unintelligent, but it's the truth. I do believe in Panspermia. (yes that's a real word) I believe that some parts of our world and our existence is due to the Gods helping us along. But then I believe that some things were created just because one of them was in a "mood". Take the platypus. That in and of itself is the big reason why no theory of our world and how it came into existence is true.

As far as anything else, I honestly don't know. I don't know why some things are in existence and others aren't. I don't claim to know all the answers, and I have as many questions as anyone else. But I do know this.  My religion was around before anything else. Before the columns in Rome, before Aristotle, before the cave paintings.

I do know that without man, there would be no woman, and vice versa. I know that without life, there can be no death. I know that without water, there would be no plants or animals. I believe that there has to be a balance in all things, or nothing would be as it is now.

But back to the questions. I know I get a little long winded and I sometimes stray from topic, but that's a fault I'm working on.

As to myself, I've said it before, I'm a kitchen witch. I don't stick with just one God and Goddess, I ask for help from alot of them. If it's a child needing healing, then I will ask or call upon Brigid or Ra. If it's a woman needing closure on a difficult part of their life, then I might call or ask upon Diana or even Hecate. It all depends. Let me tell you one thing. I don't ever demand anything of the Gods. I don't have a death wish. (laughing)

I am sorry if I didn't answer the questions to everyone's satisfaction. You can email me at demonsmom2003@yahoo.com with any more questions or comments. So until then, Merry Meet and Merry Part until we Merry Meet again!!! 

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demonsmom is your e-mail. is that where you get your power when you cast a spell. i'm pretty sure you don't get special powers from God cuz He won't give them to me and believe me i've asked for the power to hurt bad people( bad defined as i see it). and those gods you ask are mythic gods from times long past

 I wrote this paper for my Evolution class for my first degree in Biotech. This is MY opinion and is a summary of Chapter 13 entitled "What About God" from Carl Zimmer's "Evolution- The triumph of an Idea" (also the companion book of the PBS series by the same name).

Keep in mind this is written from a scientist's point of view and I have studied every venue of science mentioned in this paper....please don't jump down my throat for this one. Sorry it is long....I received an A from a very strict professor for this paper. Here it is: 

 

            Before Charles Darwin’s “Origin of Species” was published in 1859, Scientists were referred to as Naturalists, Botanists and Geologists among others, and ran about capturing butterflies and other wildlife while exploring other continents as dutiful service to Queen Victoria. Darwin was well ahead of his time with his theory of “Natural Selection” and Evolution of species, and brave enough to publish his book in spite of the backlash he received from those entrenched in the religious dogma of Victorian era England

            Asa Gray, an American botanist, helped bring Darwin’s “Origin of Species” to America and championed it further by writing a favorable review of the book in the Atlantic monthly. By the end of the 1800’s, most scientists in both Europe and America eagerly accepted Evolution, but still lacked enough evidence to believe in natural selection. The religious public and others have waged a battle against Darwin’s theories and the proposal that man evolved from a monkey for almost 147 years now since the publication of “Origin of Species” in 1859.

 Science can best be defined as the quest for a natural and testable explanation for what we experience and see in the world around us. Modern Scientists have made great strides in genetics over the last 30 years giving rise to new fields of study like Biotechnology, Molecular Biology and Bioinformatics all of who rely heavily on one foundation of Science itself, Evolution.  Scientists have always been a target for the religious sect who choose to ignore valid explanations for the origin of man and the phenomenon of life, visible and microbial that inhabit our planet and the coevolution among species and the planet.

            The main question that scientists, students and opponents of Evolution always ask is “What about God”?  Creationists and supporters of Intelligent design today argue that God is responsible for all life and events on this planet and  that it is not possible that an intelligent creature such as man, could have evolved from a primordial pool of genes and proteins and actually have a common ancestor with a chimpanzee.  Science students like Elizabeth Steubing, from Wheaton College in Illinois believe that people can study Evolution and still keep their faith intact while opening a major door of learning in the field of science. Elizabeth was raised in Zambia before coming to the states and was able to observe first-hand the wonderful diversity of species that are abundant in Africa. She believes that it is presumptuous to leave God out of Evolution, but that the evidence that validates Evolution is too compelling to ignore. Steubing poses a final question that people have been arguing over since “Origin of Species” was published: “Where is God’s place if everything does have a natural cause?”

            By the early 1900’s American public schools had grown from a count of 200,000 students enrolled in 1890 to about 2 million enrolled in 1920. Evolution was taught in public schools and was described as a process of genetic mutations and natural selection.  Several catalystic events caused the question of Evolution and God’s place in the natural world to come to a rolling boil in America with Creationists and the devoutly faithful leading the march.

            World War I had been raging and the Germans tried to justify their heinous war crimes with Evolution. Drawing their theory from German biologist Ernst Haeckel’s belief that humans were the acme of Evolution and could continue to mentally evolve if

some of the “lower intelligent” species of man (he divided man into 12 different species claiming the Germans were the most evolved and called “Homo mediterraneus”) were eliminated or ruled over by the Germans. This new twisting of Darwin’s theories was called Monism. Evolution at this time was also being tweaked in England and the United States as well. Herbert Spencer, a British philosopher tried to promote the idea that a free-market struggle would help humans evolve and achieve greater intelligence and moral perfection. Andrew Carnegie and other wealthy admirers of Spencer called this theory Social Darwinism. In the early 1900’s Social Darwinism attributed wealth and poverty to biology and fitting in the idea “only the strong survive”. The sterilization of retarded people and other degenerates was quite popular both here and in Europe. People that believed in social Darwinism were actually promoting genetic genocide in the belief that it would help man achieve moral and intellectual perfection. In 1914 a new text book was written for schools called “A Civic Biology”. It included this social Darwinism belief and encouraged the idea that if people were of a “lower class” and prone to criminal activity that they should be “eliminated” so as not to infect society’s gene pool and pass on their crime prone, low life genes. Since this activity would be illegal, the text author went on to say then it is preferable to keep men and women in asylums apart so there would be no possibility of them spreading their defective genes to a new generation.

            A new threat to Evolution and the hearts and minds of students across America was now entering into its first major battle in 1925 in a bizarre case in Tennessee called the “Scopes Case” or better known as the “Scopes Monkey Trial”.  A Protestant Fundamentalist named William Jennings Bryan who had served as secretary of state under Woodrow Wilson went up against atheist Clarence Darrow in the courtroom with Darrow representing the accused teacher John Scopes. It was the creationists against the ACLU for control of what was being taught in Tennessee classrooms. Darrow got Bryan to admit on the stand in court that he as a creationist did not even believe the literal interpretation in Genesis that God created the heavens and earth in six days. Darrow and Bryan had made the trial into a spectacle. John Scopes, the teacher on trial for teaching evolution from “A Civic Biology” was fined $100, but due to a quirky Tennessee law that allowed only juries to set fines over $50, the entire case was dismissed. Tennessee’s anti-evolution law would remain in effect until the mid 1960’s.

            The 1940’s and 50’s ushered in a very productive era of Science in America in many of the scientific fields: American Paleontology, zoology and especially genetics.  Ernst Mayr, an evolutionary biologist and other scientists were becoming the envy of the rest of the world for their achievements in their respective fields, but here in America because of the anti-evolutionary movement and extreme pressure and intimidation by Creationists, most Americans were totally unaware of the headway being made in the name of science. After the Soviets launched Sputnik in 1957, America got it’s wake up call and the 60’s brought with it the necessary turn back to the basics of science to include the teaching of Evolution to American students. In 1967, Tennessee legislature repealed their anti-evolution law. Other cases followed in other states, like Arkansas when a biology teacher named Susan Epperson questioned their anti-evolution law. The ACLU helped Epperson take it all the way to the U.S. Supreme court in 1968 where the anti-evolution law was again struck down citing that it blocked out a particular scientific theory from public education and that was considered unconstitutional.

            Creationists have continued their fight against Evolution into the 21^st century. They claim to have science behind their argument and believe that the Cambrian explosion was proof of God’s work but still ignore the 3 Billion year record of fossils that preceded that event. In the scientist’s corner, genetic evidence of species evolving from common ancestors is continuing to mount. In Biotechnology and other fields, discoveries like the anti-freeze gene made by a fish called a nothothenioid that lives in the Antarctic Ocean or the 30 years spent researching how blood clots are formed by Russell Doolittle are just a few of the small steps taken by scientists in spite of the noise and lawsuits created by the Creationists who support Intelligent design theory.

            There are many scientists today who not only have faith in God, but also believe in Evolution and the science behind it.  Kevin Miller, a catholic and a biochemist, offered an interesting perspective that “God fashioned a fruitful world in which the process of continuing creation is woven into the fabric of matter itself.” Edward Wilson, a Southern Baptist and a champion of Sociobiology believes that “God set in motion the universe and did not need to tinker with it afterward”.

            We will all eventually pay the price if our feet are not placed back on the path of proper teaching of the entire truth about Evolution in the American classrooms.   The theory of Evolution has stood as the greatest accomplishment in that past 200 years and further stands as the foundation of some of our newer science venues like Biotechnology.

Without knowledge of Evolution, how can our researchers find the right vaccines against microbes and viruses like AIDS which in turn can co-evolve and incorporate resistance against drugs we create to eradicate them. The advancements of science cannot be held back because of the ignorance and stubbornness of Creationists who continue to deny testable, scientific evidence of Evolution, geological evolution of this planet and the unstoppable, continuing evolution of disease causing microbes. It is up to all of us, every religious group on the planet and even non-believers to help our scientists figure out the meaning of life on this planet.

            Darwin died on April 19, 1882 and is buried in the floor of Westminster Abbey. He would have been delighted with the genetic evidence we now have, and the large Bioinformatic databases, stocked full of protein sequences that are homologous and present in many different types of species from man to bullfrog, proving once again the rise of man and other organisms from a common ancestor. In his eyes, the staggering genetic evidence we have already amassed thanks to the Human Genome Project is vindication enough for the spiritual agony he went through in his lifetime. He would probably not be surprised that there are still opponents to his theories, still deeply rooted in their religious dogma that interferes with their logic to see the evidence of Evolution for what it is. Evolution is a miracle set in motion by God more than 4 Billion years ago. We live on an ancient planet that had a very violent birth and has already faced 5 major extinctions from natural catastrophic events. Man in terms of time, is merely an infant species in this ancient world co-evolving with other animals and microbes to keep their niche on this planet to ensure the further evolution of the human race. “What about God”? Just take a look around you, He started us on this journey through evolution 4 billion years ago, and He is the only one who knows how and when it will end.

Before Charles Darwin’s “Origin of Species” was published in 1859, Scientists were referred to as Naturalists, Botanists and Geologists among others, and ran about capturing butterflies and other wildlife while exploring other continents as dutiful service to Queen Victoria. Darwin was well ahead of his time with his theory of “Natural Selection” and Evolution of species, and brave enough to publish his book in spite of the backlash he received from those entrenched in the religious dogma of Victorian era England

            Asa Gray, an American botanist, helped bring Darwin’s “Origin of Species” to America and championed it further by writing a favorable review of the book in the Atlantic monthly. By the end of the 1800’s, most scientists in both Europe and America eagerly accepted Evolution, but still lacked enough evidence to believe in natural selection. The religious public and others have waged a battle against Darwin’s theories and the proposal that man evolved from a monkey for almost 147 years now since the publication of “Origin of Species” in 1859.

 Science can best be defined as the quest for a natural and testable explanation for what we experience and see in the world around us. Modern Scientists have made great strides in genetics over the last 30 years giving rise to new fields of study like Biotechnology, Molecular Biology and Bioinformatics all of who rely heavily on one foundation of Science itself, Evolution.  Scientists have always been a target for the religious sect who choose to ignore valid explanations for the origin of man and the phenomenon of life, visible and microbial that inhabit our planet and the coevolution among species and the planet.

            The main question that scientists, students and opponents of Evolution always ask is “What about God”?  Creationists and supporters of Intelligent design today argue that God is responsible for all life and events on this planet and  that it is not possible that an intelligent creature such as man, could have evolved from a primordial pool of genes and proteins and actually have a common ancestor with a chimpanzee.  Science students like Elizabeth Steubing, from Wheaton College in Illinois believe that people can study Evolution and still keep their faith intact while opening a major door of learning in the field of science. Elizabeth was raised in Zambia before coming to the states and was able to observe first-hand the wonderful diversity of species that are abundant in Africa. She believes that it is presumptuous to leave God out of Evolution, but that the evidence that validates Evolution is too compelling to ignore. Steubing poses a final question that people have been arguing over since “Origin of Species” was published: “Where is God’s place if everything does have a natural cause?”

            By the early 1900’s American public schools had grown from a count of 200,000 students enrolled in 1890 to about 2 million enrolled in 1920. Evolution was taught in public schools and was described as a process of genetic mutations and natural selection.  Several catalystic events caused the question of Evolution and God’s place in the natural world to come to a rolling boil in America with Creationists and the devoutly faithful leading the march.

            World War I had been raging and the Germans tried to justify their heinous war crimes with Evolution. Drawing their theory from German biologist Ernst Haeckel’s belief that humans were the acme of Evolution and could continue to mentally evolve if

some of the “lower intelligent” species of man (he divided man into 12 different species claiming the Germans were the most evolved and called “Homo mediterraneus”) were eliminated or ruled over by the Germans. This new twisting of Darwin’s theories was called Monism. Evolution at this time was also being tweaked in England and the United States as well. Herbert Spencer, a British philosopher tried to promote the idea that a free-market struggle would help humans evolve and achieve greater intelligence and moral perfection. Andrew Carnegie and other wealthy admirers of Spencer called this theory Social Darwinism. In the early 1900’s Social Darwinism attributed wealth and poverty to biology and fitting in the idea “only the strong survive”. The sterilization of retarded people and other degenerates was quite popular both here and in Europe. People that believed in social Darwinism were actually promoting genetic genocide in the belief that it would help man achieve moral and intellectual perfection. In 1914 a new text book was written for schools called “A Civic Biology”. It included this social Darwinism belief and encouraged the idea that if people were of a “lower class” and prone to criminal activity that they should be “eliminated” so as not to infect society’s gene pool and pass on their crime prone, low life genes. Since this activity would be illegal, the text author went on to say then it is preferable to keep men and women in asylums apart so there would be no possibility of them spreading their defective genes to a new generation.

            A new threat to Evolution and the hearts and minds of students across America was now entering into its first major battle in 1925 in a bizarre case in Tennessee called the “Scopes Case” or better known as the “Scopes Monkey Trial”.  A Protestant Fundamentalist named William Jennings Bryan who had served as secretary of state under Woodrow Wilson went up against atheist Clarence Darrow in the courtroom with Darrow representing the accused teacher John Scopes. It was the creationists against the ACLU for control of what was being taught in Tennessee classrooms. Darrow got Bryan to admit on the stand in court that he as a creationist did not even believe the literal interpretation in Genesis that God created the heavens and earth in six days. Darrow and Bryan had made the trial into a spectacle. John Scopes, the teacher on trial for teaching evolution from “A Civic Biology” was fined $100, but due to a quirky Tennessee law that allowed only juries to set fines over $50, the entire case was dismissed. Tennessee’s anti-evolution law would remain in effect until the mid 1960’s.

            The 1940’s and 50’s ushered in a very productive era of Science in America in many of the scientific fields: American Paleontology, zoology and especially genetics.  Ernst Mayr, an evolutionary biologist and other scientists were becoming the envy of the rest of the world for their achievements in their respective fields, but here in America because of the anti-evolutionary movement and extreme pressure and intimidation by Creationists, most Americans were totally unaware of the headway being made in the name of science. After the Soviets launched Sputnik in 1957, America got it’s wake up call and the 60’s brought with it the necessary turn back to the basics of science to include the teaching of Evolution to American students. In 1967, Tennessee legislature repealed their anti-evolution law. Other cases followed in other states, like Arkansas when a biology teacher named Susan Epperson questioned their anti-evolution law. The ACLU helped Epperson take it all the way to the U.S. Supreme court in 1968 where the anti-evolution law was again struck down citing that it blocked out a particular scientific theory from public education and that was considered unconstitutional.

            Creationists have continued their fight against Evolution into the 21^st century. They claim to have science behind their argument and believe that the Cambrian explosion was proof of God’s work but still ignore the 3 Billion year record of fossils that preceded that event. In the scientist’s corner, genetic evidence of species evolving from common ancestors is continuing to mount. In Biotechnology and other fields, discoveries like the anti-freeze gene made by a fish called a nothothenioid that lives in the Antarctic Ocean or the 30 years spent researching how blood clots are formed by Russell Doolittle are just a few of the small steps taken by scientists in spite of the noise and lawsuits created by the Creationists who support Intelligent design theory.

            There are many scientists today who not only have faith in God, but also believe in Evolution and the science behind it.  Kevin Miller, a catholic and a biochemist, offered an interesting perspective that “God fashioned a fruitful world in which the process of continuing creation is woven into the fabric of matter itself.” Edward Wilson, a Southern Baptist and a champion of Sociobiology believes that “God set in motion the universe and did not need to tinker with it afterward”.

            We will all eventually pay the price if our feet are not placed back on the path of proper teaching of the entire truth about Evolution in the American classrooms.   The theory of Evolution has stood as the greatest accomplishment in that past 200 years and further stands as the foundation of some of our newer science venues like Biotechnology.

Without knowledge of Evolution, how can our researchers find the right vaccines against microbes and viruses like AIDS which in turn can co-evolve and incorporate resistance against drugs we create to eradicate them. The advancements of science cannot be held back because of the ignorance and stubbornness of Creationists who continue to deny testable, scientific evidence of Evolution, geological evolution of this planet and the unstoppable, continuing evolution of disease causing microbes. It is up to all of us, every religious group on the planet and even non-believers to help our scientists figure out the meaning of life on this planet.

            Darwin died on April 19, 1882 and is buried in the floor of Westminster Abbey. He would have been delighted with the genetic evidence we now have, and the large Bioinformatic databases, stocked full of protein sequences that are homologous and present in many different types of species from man to bullfrog, proving once again the rise of man and other organisms from a common ancestor. In his eyes, the staggering genetic evidence we have already amassed thanks to the Human Genome Project is vindication enough for the spiritual agony he went through in his lifetime. He would probably not be surprised that there are still opponents to his theories, still deeply rooted in their religious dogma that interferes with their logic to see the evidence of Evolution for what it is. Evolution is a miracle set in motion by God more than 4 Billion years ago. We live on an ancient planet that had a very violent birth and has already faced 5 major extinctions from natural catastrophic events. Man in terms of time, is merely an infant species in this ancient world co-evolving with other animals and microbes to keep their niche on this planet to ensure the further evolution of the human race. “What about God”? Just take a look around you, He started us on this journey through evolution 4 billion years ago, and He is the only one who knows how and when it will end.

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venus19728

I respect the right of everyone to believe as they see fit. Thank you for the answer and I hope you respond to other issues on the forums as I see a good degree of wisdom coming from you.

BioTechBabe

You write well and I very much enjoyed the paper. I saved it for reference and I want to go back and read it again.

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darwinism is the greatest accomplishment of the last 200 years. you got to be kidding. what about the computer or football for that matter. and the fossil record has gaps you can drive a truck thru. i don't think evolution can design an eyeball, never mind the human brain. you may have come from apes but i came from adam. i do think the world had a history while adam was in the garden of eden, for say four billion years while he was naming things. i think that God made new species and killed off others, then kicked man out to fend for himself with overall guidance from God above. of course its only a theory. not like that federal judge last year that said evolution is a proven fact and creationism is just a pack of crap from "the noisy ones" as you call us. i guess when we die we'll find out who was right. ...btw your post was a bit wordy for this forum, don't you think

Marc t...I did not post this to offend anyone. I am a christian. As I said prior the paper....this was a paper I wrote to summarize a chapter in a textbook for an Evolution course REQUIRED for graduation and it is MY view as a student of science. Read  the book. It is probably available online. It is an excellent read...this was merely ONE chapter...the final chapter.

Thanks Hogg2, you should read the book, very interesting and informative. And the Acasta Shale record is ACCURATE and has been extensively studied and analyzed. 

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Biotechbabe,  May I refer you to this cite.  Specifically go to Hovins video's.  I  suggest you watch just some of each or even all of some of them, I think you will be amazed at what is presented and how intelligibly it is presented.">www.freehovind.com.webloc">

file:///Users/jerry/Desktop/http-::www.freehovind.com.webloc">www.freehovind.com.webloc">file:///Us...