New Type of Dinosaur Unearthed 160
MileHighScience writes to mention that a new type of sauropod has been discovered by scientists from Utah's Brigham Young University. Dubbed Abydosaurus mcintoshi, the new addition to the long necked dinosaur family was discovered at Dinosaur National Monument. "The circumstances of its discovery were both unusual and dramatic. The researchers stumbled on four skulls in a quarry at the preserve. Two were still intact. Sauropod skulls are rarely found in the fossil record because the soft tissue from which they are constructed is unlikely to be preserved after death. 'Their heads are built lighter than mammal skulls because they sit way out at the end of very long necks,' Brooks Britt, a BYU paleontologist said in a news release. 'Instead of thick bones fused together, sauropod skulls are made of thin bones bound together by soft tissue.' Of more than 120 known species of sauropods, there have been only eight instances in which scientists have been able to recover intact skulls."
Gary Larson inquires: (Score:4, Informative)
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To me it seems like they found only the head with rest of the body bitten off. ...so probably had no thagomizer.
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How rude! That isn't a proper question to be asking. Isaygooddaysir!
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Well, I had to follow that link. And it's fun. I've had dealings with Ken Carpenter before, and like the guy ; picking up on a term like that sounds entirely up his street sense-of-humour-wise, and as vertebrate palaeontology isn't my particular specialism, I'm more than willing to follow his lead.
Boringly : since sauropods typically have strongly ossified tail tendons (and correspondingly low tail flexibility), then it's very unlikely to have a thagomizer.
The teeth were
I'll be damned! (Score:1)
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Artist's conception of Abydosaurus mcintoshi [secretdancemoves.com]
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Mormon scientists have found skolls! How interesting! Maybe this will get a Darwin award.
Don't be silly. They dated them at 4000 years old.
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They're not Christian in the usual sense of the word, either.
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They're not Christian in the usual sense of the word, either.
That depends on your definition of Christian. If you define Christian as strictly adhering to the Nicene Creed, then no, they're not. But neither are many other churches by that standard. There are more non-Trinitarian Christian churches then you'd think out there.
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That depends on your definition of Depends.
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If you define christian as being within a country mile of protestants, catholics or eastern orthodox they still aren't.
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That's one of the nicest things I've heard anyone say about the Mormons for a long time.
The last time I had them at the door, I was decorating and had a friend around to help. So as soon as I opened the door and saw who they were, I called out "Charlie, can you bring the rubbish bucket". Then I took the set of leaflets out of their hands, said 'thank you', threw them straight into the bucke
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Mormons don't specifically believe in either creationism or evolution. The official position of the Church is that this issue is unresolved, because God has not revealed the answer.
An analogy can be made with birtherism. There are people who consider the certificate of live birth and the old contemporaneous newspaper article as sufficient evidence. Aside from them, there are crazy "creationist" birthers who insis
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I'm an expert on Mormonism. I've been one all my life.
If I may, it really depends on whom you ask. You will probably get a whole range of opinions. I would probably phrase the opinion, "Render unto Caesar the things which are Caesar's, and unto God the things that are God's." I graduated from BYU, and we were taught taught evolution in Biology. Any modern study of biology without evolution would be incomplete at best and shoddy and fraudulent at worst.
As a Mormon when we study the different accounts of
This is my theory, which is mine. (Score:4, Funny)
*ahem*
*ahem* *ahem*
This was the type of dinosaur that wore a saddle, so that people from the Bible could ride it around, and with that long neck it could have easily reached up to get the forbidden fruit from the Tree of Life for that bitch Eve. *Ahem*
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No, no... if you are going to paraphrase Cleese, you have to wait for someone to do the original quote first.* Then you can diverge from Python orthodoxy in the subsequent reply.
It is as if you skipped the "Triple Dare" and went straight for the jugular with a "Triple Dog Dare".
*For the uninitiated, and in the world of Slashdot there should be none, the original quote is from Anne Elk (John Cleese)
"This theory which belongs to me is as follows. Ahem. Ahem. This is how it goes. Ahem. The next thing that I am about to say is my theory. Ahem. Ready?
The Theory by A. Elk brackets Miss brackets.
My theory is along the following lines. All brontosauruses are thin at one end, much MUCH thicker in the middle, and then thin again at the far end. That is the theory that I have and which is mine, and what it is too."
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New Type of Dinosaur Unearthed
Knuckle-dragging tea baggers voting for Palin?
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What follows is a modification of my theory. *ahem*
*ahem ahem*
s/Life/Knowledge of Good and Evil/
Nay, I am Moroni! (Score:1, Flamebait)
The last living white skinned follower of Jesus in North America! And you have blasphemed Elohim, and are doomed to come back with darker skin!!
Seriously. Mormons are slightly less dumb than Scientologists. That's not a compliment.
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OTOH perhaps you're setting a low standard. I was watching Valkyrie last night (the one with Scientologist Tom Cruise)... you have to see it. He singlehandedly makes the whole movie hil
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Is it an exaggeration or a misunderstanding that Mormonist beliefs include Christ entering the New World? Because that alone has always struck me as the principal strangeness. I mean, look at all the water in the way. [...Thinks...] OK, I know it's already been set up so that he can walk right across it, which itself is very strange indeed, but it's a given
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Still, that's like a month long walk. He'd have nothing to eat. And he did need to eat, because he was at the Last Supper, and it's not like he was a waiter for his apostles. [...Thinks...] Well, I guess he could do the loaves and fishes trick. There would be plenty of fish for him to catch, and he could make the bread from himself, along with a nice wine to go with it.
No, see, he can only do the loaves-and-fishes trick and the water-into-wine trick if he can get everyone to turn around first.
See, 'cause if they were looking directly at the miracle when it happened, they could go blind...
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See, 'cause if they were looking directly at the miracle when it happened, they could go blind...
So, the miracle of the loaves and fishes involved masturbation? I was looking for a way to make that whole thing even creepier...
in related news (Score:5, Funny)
Another dinosaur, Windowsaurus Mobelius, has also been identified in the fossil remains of early Silicon Valley users. It seems this dinosaur was replaced in its ecosystem by a smarter, faster breed called Googlesaurus Androidius, which went on to compete for resources with the Applesaurus iPhonius, which survived only as a brightly-coloured niche dinosaur, despite competing claims that its extinction was inevitable, and that its dominance was assured. Neither of these outcomes predicted for the iPhonius turned out to be true, and the Androidius eventually evolved into sentient killing machines.
All hail, etc.
Re:in related news (Score:5, Funny)
Recent reports also note that the Nokiasuarus Maemonicus has been evolving in a new strain: Meegoasaurus Rex which prefers open spaces
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Oh, and it eats puny Googlesaurus Androidius and Applesaurus Iphonicus for breakfast, lunch and dinner. ^^
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If we are going to talk about things that are extinct then I would suggest naming it Abydosaurus Lisasaurus [wikipedia.org] instead.
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If we are going to talk about things that are extinct then I would suggest naming it Abydosaurus Lisasaurus instead.
I'm not sure a stillborn mutant qualifies as an extinct species, but I suppose that's a matter of perspective. :)
iPhonius extinction theory (Score:2)
iPhonius developed a distaste for most boobies, with the exception of a few big name boobies like Playboyius Boobius. This contributed greatly to it's decline, despite the abundance of it's primary food source childus Improvishedus.
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iPhonius developed a distaste for most boobies, with the exception of a few big name boobies like Playboyius Boobius. This contributed greatly to it's
parser error
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Actually, it developed a distaste for anything female, except its own growing femininity. And its primary food source was a early biped called Homo Erotica Bubblus Distortensis Realitis. ;)
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Most schools teach that Androidius evolved into Googlesaurus Chromicus, which, throwing the basic concepts of evolution to the wind, took many different shapes and sizes but ultimately couldn't optimize its own form into the perfect killing machine and ended up cannibalizing itself due to an ina
Brontasaurus (Score:2, Funny)
Thesaurus? (Score:5, Funny)
Abydosaurus mcintoshi (Score:2)
Head and neck position? (Score:2, Interesting)
Actually (Score:4, Informative)
More specifically it was a U of M graduate student:
http://www.ns.umich.edu/htdocs/releases/story.php?id=7537 [umich.edu]
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Oh so it wasn't a dinosaur at all then! Still I could see how scientists could get confused by these U of M students with long necks and thin skulls....
Terminology question (Score:2)
Is this a new dinosaur or a new as in you didn't have it before BMWsaur?
New or just previously undiscovered? (Score:1, Flamebait)
Soft head...tiny brain...a Paleoconservative, no doubt.
My favorite dinosaur... (Score:2)
Was this one domesticated? (Score:2)
After visiting the creation science museum, I wonder if the BYU crew found any evidence of saddles along with the dinosaurs?
Re:BYU has a Paleontology department? (Score:5, Informative)
Does that not fit into what your science teacher told you about people who aren't your science teacher?
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'BYU has one of the largest collection of Jurassic dino bones in the world.'
Absolutely! In fact, groundbreaking research from Utah published earlier this month has overturned established theories of dinosaur posture and locomotion:
http://www.theonion.com/content/news_briefs/paleontologists_weve_been [theonion.com]
Unfortunately, certain questions remain unanswered:
http://www.theonion.com/content/news/dinosaurs_sadly_extinct_before [theonion.com]
Re:BYU has a Paleontology department? (Score:4, Insightful)
I like to read, and unlike the rest of my classmates, I have some scientific background concerning the world in general. And thus, when I heard that BYU, founded on principles of racism, moral superiority, and hatred of atheists, I was surprised they had abandoned enough of their core principles to have a paleontology department that accurately dated fossils.
Apparently, you shouldn't believe everything that you read, or is just it a personal bias that makes you lash out so?
Right into the trap... (Score:5, Informative)
"I hope to see an Academy established in Provo that shall do honor to our Territory, and at which the children of the Latter-day Saints can receive a good education unmixed with the pernicious atheistic influences that are found in so many of the higher schools of the country." -Brigham Young
But, you got me on one point. There is a process for "beard exemption":
A student who wishes to obtain a beard exception must visit a BYU Student Health Center doctor by appointment (422.5156). The doctor will fax his recommendation. The student then needs to come to the Honor Code Office to fill out some paperwork and receive the letter allowing the growth of the beard, if approved. If a yearly beard exception is granted, a new Student ID will be issued after the beard has been fully grown, and must be renewed every year by repeating the process.
http://honorcode.byu.edu/content/what-process-obtaining-beard-waiver [byu.edu]
That's literally the funniest thing I have read in the last 24 hours.
But wait! There's more!
Are Mixed Gender Camping Trips allowed?
http://honorcode.byu.edu/content/mixed-gender [byu.edu]
Fear of Gays!
Homosexual behavior and/or advocacy of homosexual behavior are inappropriate and violate the Honor Code. Homosexual behavior includes not only sexual relations between members of the same sex, but all forms of physical intimacy that give expression to homosexual feelings. Advocacy includes seeking to influence others to engage in homosexual behavior or promoting homosexual relations as being morally acceptable.
Fear of the Female Body!
A clean and well-cared-for appearance should be maintained. Clothing is inappropriate when it is sleeveless, strapless, backless, or revealing; has slits above the knee; or is form fitting. Dresses, skirts, and shorts must be knee-length or longer. Hairstyles should be clean and neat, avoiding extremes in styles or colors. Excessive ear piercing (more than one per ear) and all other body piercing are not acceptable. Shoes should be worn in all public campus areas.
Forced religion!
Students are required to be in good Honor Code standing to be admitted to, continue enrollment at, and graduate from BYU. In conjunction with this requirement, all enrolled continuing undergraduate, graduate, intern, and Study Abroad students are required to obtain a Continuing Student Ecclesiastical Endorsement for each new academic year. Students must have their endorsements completed, turned in, and processed by the Honor Code Office before they can register for fall semester or any semester thereafter. To avoid registration delays, endorsement should be submitted to the Honor Code Office by March 15. Those applying to BYU should use the new-student Admissions Application Part 3 endorsement and submit to Admissions, D-155 ASB.
I mean, this shit sounds like something you'd find the Taliban advocating. Read it for yourself:
http://saas.byu.edu/catalog/2009-2010ucat/GeneralInfo/HonorCode.php#HCOfficeInvovement [byu.edu]
Re:Right into the trap... (Score:5, Informative)
You must have some grudge against the LDS church to be trolling so much on this thread. Nevertheless, I'm going to respond to a couple of your points.
First point: the beard thing. I agree, this is pretty lame. The dress and grooming standards have changed over the years, and hopefully one day neatly trimmed beards will be allowed. I've heard that the anti-beard regulations came about in the 60's when the hippies wore beards, and were thought of as some sort of representation of the counter culture, which doesn't really jive with LDS doctrines. Times have changed. I must say, though, that if that's the funniest thing you've read in the last 24 hours, you must be starved for entertainment.
Second point: mixed gender field trips. They are allowed, you just need to make sure the men and women aren't sharing tents. As you probably know, premarital sex is against LDS doctrine. This is a small measure to ensure students aren't breaking the rules while on official business. Dress and grooming standards are along this same line.
Third point: "fear" of gays. BYU is a church school. LDS doctrine states that homosexuality is bad, so the church's school isn't going to allow anybody to encourage behavior that goes against church doctrine.
Fourth point: Ecclesiastical endorsements. BYU is a church school. They strive for a religious, education along side the more secular one. There is no requirement that you be a practicing member of ANY particular religion, just that you get "cleared" from your own ecclesiastical leader. If you don't belong to any particular church (presumably even if you're an atheist) you can meet with LDS leaders to get an endorsemnt. This is mainly to ensure that the students will abide by the school's honor code, which you find so humorous and offensive.
I'm a graduate of the BYU geology department. I got a fantastic education that prepared me well for grad school and a career in science. I am happy to see the department get this press. I'm less happy at douche bags like yourself using this platform to spread half-truths and misinformation about my alma mater. If you don't like the standards, nobody's going to force you to live them, or even go near the BYU campus.
I predict a miraculous revelation.... (Score:2)
No grudges. I just think the LDS is a fascinating study in human credulity. And BYU, being the official college of LDS, represents a sea of irony.
Would you have allowed to write a paper on the total lack of evidence for Nephytes in North America in the 5th and 6th centuries? I highly doubt it. Would you be allowed to state unequivocally that the LDS was institutionally racist in the 50s, and that the "revelation" received by the leaders in 1978 was obviously political and not spiritual?
So there will be anot
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As a single LDS Man,
I would suggest that women are not 2nd class citizens in the LDS Church. It is the older single men who are 2nd class citizens. I won't go into the details, but because I am not married, I am not allowed to serve in any position of authority in the Church.
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As a single LDS Man,
I would suggest that women are not 2nd class citizens in the LDS Church. It is the older single men who are 2nd class citizens. I won't go into the details, but because I am not married, I am not allowed to serve in any position of authority in the Church.
http://scriptures.lds.org/en/titus/1/6 [lds.org]
Apparently there is a reason. People in leadership positions should portray the ideals of the Church, and that includes a wife and faithful kids. Yeah, it's a matter image, probably in hopes that the lay clergy will not be a stumbling block for anyone. As a single person, I'm not bothered by it. I doubt I'd enjoy any calling better than teaching Sunday school anyway.
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Okay, you have a point that there are some academic freedom issues at BYU, especially in the humanities. You likely would get at least a good talking to if you wrote a paper about the archeological evidence against the Book of Mormon. (There is some archeological evidence supporting the Book or Mormon, but it is rather shaky.)
I think that you could probably get away with writing a paper about the political climate surrounding the 1978 revelation granting blacks the priesthood. While the climate surrounding
In the words of Brigham Young (Score:1, Informative)
Does thjis sound like hate to you?
"You see some classes of the human family that are black, uncouth, uncomely, disagreeable and low in their habits, wild, and seemingly deprived of nearly all the blessings of the intelligence that is generally bestowed upon mankind....Cain slew his brother. Can might have been killed, and that would have put a termination to that line of human beings. This was not to be, and the Lord put a mark upon him, which is the flat nose and blac
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BYU is a church school
Those words should never be used in the same sentence.
Re: (Score:2, Interesting)
I know that, as an AC, you're unlikely to read this, but oh well. First, your question about what are half-truths: the part of a previous post where copponex stated the school was founded on principles of "racism, moral superiority, and hatred of atheists". Okay, so he produced a quote that might be interpreted as supporting the school being founded as a response to an atheist education. But the other two?
Citing the dress and grooming standards as being there because church members "fear" the female body?
Re:Where is the half-truth? (Score:4, Informative)
But the other two?
Shall I tell you the law of God in regard to the African Race? If the White man who belongs to the chosen seed mixes his blood with the seed of Cain, the penalty, under the law of God, is death on the spot. This will always be so. -Brigham Young
I am here to answer. I shall be on hand to answer when I am called upon, for all the counsel and for all the instruction that I have given to this people. If there is an Elder here, or any member of this Church, called the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, who can bring up the first idea, the first sentence that I have delivered to the people as counsel that is wrong, I really wish they would do it; but they cannot do it, for the simple reason that I have never given counsel that is wrong; this is the reason. -Brigham Young
Read on! Enlightenment awaits...
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Book_of_Mormon_anachronisms [wikipedia.org]
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Brigham Young didn't found BYU in 1875? (Score:3, Funny)
Brigham Young didn't found BYU in 1875? I guess next you'll argue that Christ didn't found Christianity. You'd be right, but you wouldn't know why.
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That still does nothing to prove that BYU was founded on principles of racism and moral superiority. The University of Utah was founded in 1850, by the church-controlled General Assembly (Brigham Young was the governor). Is this institution also founded on principles of racism, moral superiority and hatred of atheism?
And your last statement "you wouldn't know" why is false. I am familiar with those arguments.
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That still does nothing to prove that BYU was founded on principles of racism and moral superiority. The University of Utah was founded in 1850, by the church-controlled General Assembly (Brigham Young was the governor). Is this institution also founded on principles of racism, moral superiority and hatred of atheism?
And your last statement "you wouldn't know" why is false. I am familiar with those arguments.
Let me get this straight: you think the Mormon church in 1850 wasn't racist and they didn't believe they had moral superiority?
I can rebut this with a single quote from the original source: 2 Nephi 5
Wherefore, the word of the Lord was fulfilled which he spake unto me, saying that: Inasmuch as they will not hearken unto thy words they shall be cut off from the presence of the Lord. And behold, they were cut off from his presence.
And he had caused the cursing to come upon them, yea, even a sore cursing, because of their iniquity. For behold, they had hardened their hearts against him, that they had become like unto a flint; wherefore, as they were white, and exceedingly fair and delightsome, that they might not be enticing unto my people the Lord God did cause a skin of blackness to come upon them.
And thus saith the Lord God: I will cause that they shall be loathsome unto thy people, save they shall repent of their iniquities.
And cursed shall be the seed of him that mixeth with their seed; for they shall be cursed even with the same cursing. And the Lord spake it, and it was done.
And because of their cursing which was upon them they did become an idle people, full of mischief and subtlety, and did seek in the wilderness for beasts of prey.
Religions center around moral superiority. What do you think their purpose is?
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One last reply before I get on with my life. I don't recall ever saying that the church isn't morally superior, or even that the church didn't keep the priesthood from the blacks for nearly 150 years (some blacks in the early church did hold the priesthood).
No, I was just saying that the quotes you provide do nothing to show that the school (or schools, when Univ. Utah is included as an institution formed by organizations controlled by the church) was founded on principles of racism, etc. You could sway m
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You could sway me by showing quotes about BYU (and/or the U) that mention how racism is a fundamental principle that guided the schools' founding and mission.
You already gave up the argument. First, you denied that Young founded the school, because he was a racist, hated atheists, and thought his church was morally superior to all others. Then you state that the church founded the school. Why would a church found a school, if not to produce more good members of the church?
A good mormon follows the dogmas of the mormon Church. The dogma of the mormon church in the 1850s included racism, the inherent argument they have the morally superior set of ideals, and as ev
I call BS (Score:3, Funny)
http://honorcode.byu.edu/content/what-process-obtaining-beard-waiver [byu.edu]
I mean, this shit sounds like something you'd find the Taliban advocating.
I find it hard to believe that the Taliban are anti-beard. In fact:Taliban religious police jail beard-trimmers for 10 days [slashdot.org]
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You misunderstand. He's not saying that mormons are similar to the taliban because they don't allow beards. He's saying they're similar because they agree that women are property and should be covered, gays should be shunned, and nobody should be allowed to make decisions for themselves outside of their strict religious teachings.
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Mormons are "bibical literalists". We believe bible to be true "as far as it was translated correctly".
Most LDS people I know, believe that the universe was created using some unknown process that took an undeterminate amount of time. The 6 "days" could be retranslated in to 6 stages of creation.
From the founding of our church, we have been instructed to learn as much about science as we can.
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depends on when you were a kid, and who your seminary teachers were.
I am 43. Most people in the Church accept evolution as a tool that God might use, but don't accept the evolution of Man.
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Sorry about that. I'm in Idaho, in a town that wasn't settled by Mormons
I know the type of people you are talking about though. Most of them would be nuts about their reliegion if they were Baptist, Moslem, or Budhist though.
Brigham Young's science quotes (Score:1, Informative)
For example, Brigham Young's lunatic ramblings about how he believes that minerals 'grow' like plants or hair on a person's head.
Also crazy stuff about his belief that adobe is vastly superior to stone as a building material because adobe will mature into something strong, but stone has already matured, so now that it's mature, the next step is for it to decay.
He tells us that the Egyptian monuments built of stone are all gone, but the ones built of mud and straw are still here.
Guess he's never been to Egyp
Re:Right into the trap... (Score:4, Interesting)
a term you clearly picked to deprave those you obviously don't understand
No disagreement there. Being terrified of women and certain styles of grooming and atheists and homosexuals is certainly something I don't understand. And I say terrified, since they aren't allowed to be any of those things near the "clean" students at BYU. All, of course, except for the beards. I guess beards aren't so scary.
Never do they force others to be their religion, or to be a member of any other.
You didn't read. It's important:
LDS students may be endorsed only by the bishop of the ward (1) in which they live and (2) that holds their current Church membership record.
Non-LDS students are to be endorsed by (1) the local ecclesiastical leader if the student is an active member of the congregation, (2) the bishop of the LDS ward in which they currently reside, or (3) the nondenominational BYU chaplain.
So, how does an atheist stay within the honor code?
Re: (Score:1, Flamebait)
You may be right. "Hatred" of gays, women, and athiests might be more precise.
Re:Right into the trap... (Score:5, Interesting)
>And they certainly don't advocate killing others to enforce
>what they believe.
Really? They did comparatively recently:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mountain_Meadows_massacre [wikipedia.org]
I for one would never support any religion capable of such an atrocity, much less one which would conspire at all levels to cover it up instead of seeking forgiveness and making reparations. The world would be a much better place if primitive religions were treated as the bunkum they are. Why tax fuels, carbon, tobacco, or alcohol, when the real danger is the superstition and intolerance emanating from the pulpit? We should be taxing churches instead of making them tax-exempt.
>Feel free to compare them to Islam if you like (and there's
>some interesting comparisons there)... but drawing on the
>Taliban? Come on!
Hmm, Mormons and the Taliban... They both hate gays, check. They each treat women as subordinate to men, check. They each have a history of violent intolerance of outsiders, check. They both have a bizarre fixation on facial hair, check. They both use religious schools to indoctrinate the young, check. They both dictate special clothing (burqas, sacred underwear), check.
Yep, Mormons (and other intolerant fundamentalist sects) are the American Taliban.
Re: (Score:2, Informative)
This is about as off-topic as off-topic can be. But nonetheless, that wikipedia article you cited to support your position that Mormons have a "violent history" doesn't support your position very well. When I got down to the section that discusses Brigham Young's involvement (and thus official involvement of "the Church") in the massacre, it appears that the massacre may likely have been merely the unsanctioned actions of several people who were Mormons. Just some angry Mormons. There is no solid eviden
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1. It's interesting how people get so fixated on the Mountain Meadows massacre when that pales in comparison to the number of Mormons killed during the extermination order given by Boggs, the Haun's Mill massacre, the evacuation of Far West, and the subsequent push westward. That doesn't at all make Mountain Meadows massacre right, but it does help keep things in perspective.
2. Young did not order the attack bu
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offtopic...
To me, gay and other sexual behaviors are easily explainable by life itself. There's (almost never) pure 0 and 1 in nature, especially as soon as one start aggregating low level molecules. There's always a wide range of options in between. This yields for both a microscopic physical level as well as macroscopic ones and everything in between. Thus the wide range of sexual _behaviors_.
Note: that's my reasoning and I don't ask anyone to agree with it.
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So .... Taliban Light?
New school motto:
When you want all of the religious extremism, with none of the pesky beheadings, try Taliban Light (tm)!
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Re: (Score:3, Interesting)
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Maybe one day their students will be allowed to grow beards and have private sex lives.
Not to mention a cup of coffee.
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Sounds like you haven't read very much on the subject that was accurate.
Theologically, Mormons are not creationists in the same sense as evangelical Christians. Mormons do not believe in creation ex nihilo. Nor do Mormons hold to a literal 6 24-hour days creation, or that the earth is only 6000 years old. Creation came about over millions of years through natural processes, which science is doing an admiral job discovering. Since Mormons believe that human agency is the most important part of existence,
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You are correct that Mormons and Christians have little in common in regard to theology.
You have to understand (Score:2)
Anyone who has seen this list: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Book_of_Mormon_anachronisms [wikipedia.org]
and anyone who has read about their belief system would be forgiven for believing that Mormons have a very poor grasp of what science is. After decades of searching and finding no "Mormon cities" in Central America, I can't say I have scientific respect for any geologist or paleontologist or linguist or anthropologist who remains in the church. The entire hypothesis of the religion is scientifically falsifiable and falsif
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Here you go (Score:2)
I hope to see an Academy established in Provo that shall do honor to our Territory, and at which the children of the Latter-day Saints can receive a good education unmixed with the pernicious atheistic influences that are found in so many of the higher schools of the country. -Brigham Young
Shall I tell you the law of God in regard to the African Race? If the White man who belongs to the chosen seed mixes his blood with the seed of Cain, the penalty, under the law of God, is death on the spot. This will alwa
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This *should* be offtopic, but... (Score:2, Offtopic)
Headline: Blanket assumption based more on stereotype than actual familiarity turns out to be untrue. Film at 11.
A lot of people seem to think that theology/cosmology is inherently constraining when it comes to serious scientific work, and I suppose the output those like the Intelligent Design crowd does a lot to reinforce that, but my experience suggests that there's no shortage of religious people who excel in scientific and technical fields, who accept the standards of those fields whether or not they se
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There are certainly counterexamples; I've met people with a certain kind of view-rigidity characterized by a general literalism and intolerance for ambiguity who I believe are blinded by their cosmology/theology. But then again, my observation is that this isn't a problem limited to the religious or religion, and based on the shallowly dismissive attitude in the parent poster's post, it seems likely he's amongst the afflicted.
I can state that horses, swine, cattle, chariots, iron swords, silk, and Jews did not exist in America before it's colonization by Europeans in the 16th Century. Can your colleagues at BYU agree with those statements?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Book_of_Mormon_anachronisms [wikipedia.org]
The point is not whether a religious person can perform good science - the scientific method eliminates the importance of the background of the scientist. The question is whether you can have a seriously open academic discussion at BYU. Th
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I can state that horses, swine, cattle, chariots, iron swords, silk, and Jews did not exist in America before it's colonization by Europeans in the 16th Century. Can your colleagues at BYU agree with those statements?
I can't speak specifically to those statements, as most of the acquaintances I have aren't in that field. I haven't really cared enough to dig into related questions or Mormon apologia. Most of the Mormon academics I'm acquainted with seem to either feel there exist justifications/answers for c
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Actually it did live alongside man, but man was a small rodentlike creature at the time.
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65 million years ago, my great-great grandpa scurried under a rock to avoid a dinosaur. Yesterday, I scraped droppings off my car from that dino's great-great grandson.
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The problem is when the legistlature of the state has recently released an opinion that completely goes against commonly accepted scientific principle, it is reasonable to question the likelihood of anything scientific coming from the state.
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Except your comment didn't make any sense. BYU != Utah legislature. Mormons aren't even creationists, so if you were trying to make a joke, it wasn't funny.
Yes! We demand strict factual accuracy in all humor! It is impossible for something to be funny unless it is entirely true! The inclusion of any untrue information in a joke automatically negates any humor which may have been contained within.
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"Sauropod skolls are rarely found in the fossil record because the soft tissue from which they are constructed is unlikely to be preserved after death."
Correction. They are rarely found because nobody quite knows what a "skoll" is.
It's a kind of chewing tobacco, right?
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Nope. They wore proganochelynecks.