On Jun 30, 2004, at 7:26 pm, Jim Swayze wrote:
> And the really cool thing about this world is that you can't prove or
> disprove God's existence.

I will keep this as brief as possible because it is off-topic, but one
of the most frustrating thing I've come across is the fact that the
existance of God (any god) is not a valid scientific theory, because it
cannot be disproved.  This means that religious types are free to
convince themselves of God's existance by whatever means they choose.
I am entitled to believe that my room is full of invisible walking
turnips than can move through solid matter and spend all day talking
about Beethoven; anyone would think me mad for it, but it is as
impossible to disprove as the existance of God.  And that is what
really gets to me- nobody dares call a Christian mad for his beliefs
because the idea has become sacred over the years, and so many people
have died in that name that is it considered bad taste to do so.

As for *playing* god, well, I agree with anyone that we should not
breed "superior" versions of animals and plants because we are
selecting thing on limited criteria.  Supermarket fruit is flavourless
and over-sweet, and usually selected on appearance not taste.  I would
rather buy misshapen fruit and veg with real taste and some nutritional
value than a perfect spherical apple with two shiny leaves at the top.
(Or actually, I would rather pick the wild berries and apples that I'm
fortunate to have growing very near my house.)

The same goes for animals.  We've bred hideous lumps of walking fat,
and we are now so used to it we wonder what is wrong when a steak
*isn't* marbled.  Even our pets are a mess- pedigree dogs are an
abomination: most of them are mentally ill from birth or develop
serious complaints later on.  In fact, the only thing worse than the
state of the plants and animals we eat is the state of us ourselves.

Ashley