tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9956110.post113612860552332717..comments2023-08-18T08:26:02.815-07:00Comments on Treasure State Judaism: A Few Thoughts for the New Year, and What to Expect HereTreasure State Jewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01385095688326371682noreply@blogger.comBlogger3125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9956110.post-1136253325079877672006-01-02T18:55:00.000-07:002006-01-02T18:55:00.000-07:00The entire debate over so-called Intelligent Desig...The entire debate over so-called Intelligent Design and Evolution within the framework of Judaism/Torah and how it is applied in Orthodox circles has been going on in what I like to call the "Great Slifkin Debate." Seems a number of Yeshivot and other, how shall I say, 'strongly Orthodox' institutions have actually banned the reading and selling of books written by Rabbi Slifkin, which seeks to find common ground between all sorts of physicial evidence/proof of evolution and basic Torah teachings.<BR/>Interesting debate. I'm not sure if you have been following it or not.Mikehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16631827417716549614noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9956110.post-1136214345698612242006-01-02T08:05:00.000-07:002006-01-02T08:05:00.000-07:00Mike; Thank you, and a happy New Year to you and y...Mike; Thank you, and a happy New Year to you and yours as well!<BR/><BR/>Thanks also for the link. I would suspect that any rational thinker would come to such a conclusion. Otherwise, one is in the untenable position of arguing that the fossil record is just a trick put in place to test our faith. As in so many things, Occam's Razor alone should be enough to disprove such an idea.<BR/><BR/>One thing that gets me are the recent polls. "X% of Americans do not believe in evolution." Excuse me, but how is a poll relevant to scientific inquiry?<BR/><BR/>If 75% of Americans believed that 2+2=5, then 75% of Americans would be wrong. If 75% of Americans believed that you could treat a cold by jumping off a building, that 75% of Americans would be dead, and they would have done nothing about their cold virus.<BR/><BR/>I don't care if 99.9% of Americans do not believe in the fossil record. It exists and it provides clear evidence that strongly points to the truths behind evolutionary theory.<BR/><BR/>That theory says nothing about the existence of Hashem, but it does reconcile a fossil record that shows that all species, including <I>Homo Sapiens</I>, evolved from earlier forms of life.Treasure State Jewhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01385095688326371682noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9956110.post-1136158529567159522006-01-01T16:35:00.000-07:002006-01-01T16:35:00.000-07:00Indeed I did enjoy the read, Aaron. Happy New Year...Indeed I did enjoy the read, Aaron. Happy New Year to you and yours!<BR/><BR/>As a quick aside, you can read the position of the Orthodox Rabbinical Council of America as it pertains to the debate over Creation, Evolution, and Intelligent Design here: <BR/><BR/>http://www.rabbis.org/news/article.cfm?id=100635<BR/><BR/>Fairly straight forward, and "oddly" in conformity with what I believe the CCAR and JTS are saying on the issue :-)Mikehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16631827417716549614noreply@blogger.com