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I meant that it's the best we have right now.

Democratic socialism doesn't work because any attempt to use parliament to change the fundamental status quo of capitalism that works in our global economy would be highly contested.  Removing capitalism is not something I have any faith in, for people are self-interested individuals.

Also, the lack of a substantial "working class" here in the UK (and the subsequent growth of the middle class who really have no place in democratic socialism) makes this "rule by the workers/ownership of means of production" a bit unwelcoming.

Now social democracy, which seeks to redistribute wealth whilst not challenging the necessity of capitalism, does work much better (until progressive taxation and nationalised industries prove ineffective and inefficient).  This is the slightly more realistic version of "socialism". 

Saying that, the hey-day of socialism has gone here in the UK, and the governments are all centre/centre-right and deeply in love with their liberal laissez-faire economics.  Capitalism has triumphed!  I'm not saying it's a good thing, but it's better than anything else.

I was already awesome before I joined the AGS forums.

But on a related note I have taken up ninjutsu since I have been at university.

Anyways, as far as I know a theory cannot be accepted on it's own, unless it is backed up by experimental proof. anything Einstein came up (for example the fact that light has weight), he has also prooven with experiements, and this is why his theories are accepted.

Yes yes, that's all part of how a scientific hypothesis becomes a theory.  A theory in the scientific sense is a collection of all previous observable eveidence and is predictive, logical and testable. 

If there wasn't any evidence for them, they wouldn't -be- theories

All I meant was that a theory isn't hard and fast. It does the best job with the best available information, but as with any theory it is open to change or abandonment when or if new information becomes available.

But then how can we ever be sure that any of what we know is the truth, if it is constantly changing/being updated/refined?

CaptainBinky, the scientific definition of theory is as close as it gets to being the "truth" as it were.  Theories explain and interpret "facts" or "truths".  Please don't dismiss any scientific theory as "only a theory!!".

Anyway, being a history student - there is no truth!  Just a bunch of stuff people disagree about.

Nacho said he wouldn't care to delay Mittens till September because none of his friends would be there.

Late-June-July-August would be best for me, and probably also for most Brits at university.  Though do feel free to contradict me

No Ghormak, it's much more fun to jump on the rampaging bandwagons!

No.

Adam and I will probably definitely be going   Uni for me finishes June 15th, so anytime later than that is fine!

I can't be bothered to go back and forth and quotemine the Bible because frankly it doesn't interest me.  But my point was that different denominations use different passages to reflect their particular set of doctrines because the Bible -is- so unclear/vague/inconsistent.  You can find Biblical quotes to support pretty much any type of view.  You can sit and argue justification by faith alone vs good works etc till the cows come home, but that wouldn't achieve anything beyond a lot of hot air.

SilverTrumpet:  Here is where the Bible says you can get to heaven by works.

For the Son of Man will come in the glory of His Father with His angels, and then He will reward each according to his works. -- Matthew 16.27

Who will render to each one according to his deeds. ... For not the hearers of the law are just in the sight of God, but the doers of the law will be justified. -- Romans 2:6, 13

And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works. And the sea gave up the dead which were in it; and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them: and they were judged every man according to their works. -- Revelation 20:12-13

So is it just by faith alone?  Or works?  Or a combination of both?  I don't particularly care, but as you can see from the various denominations, no one is united on what exactly you need to do to get into Heaven.

And in case you were wondering, here is a list of contradictions/inconsistencies in the Bible: http://www.skepticsannotatedbible.com/contra/by_name.html

[single]

Nacho, I think you're missing SSH's point.  He said no single person put forward all of the ideas contained in your post.  Whilst I personally agree with you that Christianity (and when I say that, I really mean the text of the Bible) has some inherent inconsistencies, shoving several different individuals own opinions and beliefs together and saying "this is what all Christians believe!!" doesn't support your point...it just proves that different people believe different things, and the answer to that is "well duh".

That's at the beginning of the not-adapted-Elton John version of the Circle of Life (ie: the original version)...and it was on my old Lion King soundtrack CD as the first track.
Edit: Or maybe it wasn't...I don't think it was a separate track from CoL though.
Edit2:  Was definitely somewhere on this 1994 version of the soundtrack though.

It is very sad indeed.

I wonder if these type of shootings are limited mostly to the U.S. I don't really hear about these kind of things in the UK.

We have completely different gun control laws here, so school shootings of the same sort do not happen here.

Just a quick note:

But when you say "i form my own morality", isn't better to search and find what Higher Entity teaches; It's much better to know this and then maybe try to follow this path, doing might some zick-zack during the path At least you won't be trapped by lies or by arts that are evil.

Well, uh, you're assuming I -haven't- looked at what various other religions say that their God/gods say.  You're also still assuming that all/any higher entities MUST be pure 100% good, as you define it, because other things are lies or arts that are evil.

I don't believe in a good/evil dichotomy.  Some things have mostly positive effects, some have mostly negative effects, but I don't believe you can label something as wholly "evil" or wholly "good".  Which is...really where I think this "white magic = NOT CHRISTIAN = BLACK MAGIC EVIL!!!" thing just falls down and appears stupid.

Yes, i believe that this Higher Entity is The Absolute White, because if it is not, then it's something that makes moral mistakes, so it should not be considered as God.

But where do you get your morality from?  Doesn't god/God/gods dictate it to you in the first place?  Isn't it drawn from holy texts or texts "inspired" by the word of the god/God/gods?  How can you, without referring to religious texts, be certain that this higher entity is "absolute white" or perfectly moral?

To me, that requires just too much of a leap of faith to accept that a higher being is "good" because text apparently inspired by the higher being say so.  I'd rather form my own independant morals, fully knowing that I am an imperfect human being, than trust a higher entity that I have no evidence that exists because it says so

If there is a Higher Entity/God, then this Entiry knows better, much better for us what's the true way that leads to the true hapiness. In life sometimes there is not only black and white, but grey too. However, if God exists, then he must be the Absolute White. So, he only shows the Absolutely Riht and Light Way which leads to the True and Real Hapiness.

You must be an incredible optimist to believe that a higher entity must automatically be the "Absolute White"!

Edit: Daz washing powder claims it cleans "whiter-than-white".  Does this mean it's better than a god?

You are aware that Spiritualism includes a whole bucket load of stuff and you cant just lump everything into a "spiritualism" label?  Such as Wicca incoprorates several different avenues of belief too.  You can't claim that everything is incompatible with Christianity...but then there are so many branches of that too that everything could probably fit somewhere.

Eh.

An anger to my text?  No, not really.  I just can't see the difference between one set of "white" supernatural beliefs, another set of "black" or "dark" supernatural beliefs, or the idea that the supernatural beliefs inherent within Christian doctrine are somehow above/different to these.

Don't mind me