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[chaoticag]

The early discoveries of hereditary properties, and how species can be classified into groups instead of being totally separate, were done by monks, for instance. The foundations of the later evolution theory by Darwin.

Err, no. Heredity was done by Gregori Mendel, Taxonomy (Classification by groups) was done by Carolus Linnaeus, Darwin figured out evolution based on the Galapagos Islands, and the fact that each is similar, but seperate, and there were no frogs (frogs die on contact with salt water, and couldn't get on an island as a result, while turtles can float around for a while, and survive the trip).

Lastly, although Darwin knew of Linnaeus, he had no idea about Mendelian genetics, even though Mendel sent a letter to Darwin (alas, in German, which he couldn't read).

[Siquo]

Gregor Mendel was a monk/abbot/priest.
Linnaeus was a physician, although I thought he was a monk, so you're right there.

Just learned that an Arab Scholar named Al-Jahiz already thought of natural selection in the 9th century... Nothing to do with the topic, just found it funny it took us so long...

[piecewise]

Gregor Mendel was a monk/abbot/priest.
Linnaeus was a physician, although I thought he was a monk, so you're right there.

Just learned that an Arab Scholar named Al-Jahiz already thought of natural selection in the 9th century... Nothing to do with the topic, just found it funny it took us so long...

Remember that, up until the early 1900's scientists actually considered the biblical flood a real thing.

[Siquo]

... your point being?

[piecewise]

It was in reply to the " Nothing to do with the topic, just found it funny it took us so long..." part of your post. Its not really surprising it took that long to kick in considering how powerful and long running religious literalism has been.

[chaoticag]

Gregor Mendel was a monk/abbot/priest.
Linnaeus was a physician, although I thought he was a monk, so you're right there.

I concede that point, but he still wrote to Darwin in German, and it's a shame that Darwin hadn't heard of Mendelian Genetics.

Just learned that an Arab Scholar named Al-Jahiz already thought of natural selection in the 9th century... Nothing to do with the topic, just found it funny it took us so long...

Looking at his other books, I sort of wonder why nobody writes that kind of prose anymore in Arabic. Everything is either political or religious, and nothing that's entertaining fiction, or science. But I digress, at this point, I'm not surprised with what seems to come out of the Abbasid Empire, but I am by how much of it was thrown away in the name of religion. Then again, that's not quite evolution, as it only predicts change, not speciation, so all it is is natural selection at this point.

[Jackrabbit]

I managed to totally say the wrong thing in another thread and ended up with people believing I thought that the entire world flooded a while ago. I'd like to clarify my position.

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

I DON'T OH GOD I'M NOT THAT THICK

I do, however, know that the story of the rather large flood (which couldn't possibly have covered the world, no seriously, I do not believe it could) could very well be the same flood that covered the Persian Gulf (and I believe it to be so). Is it really so surprising that a group of very religious people thousands of years ago who didn't really move around all that much thought that a unnaturally large flood meant that the entire world was flooding? I think that's probably what happened.

SO THAT'S CLEARED THAT UP THEN.

not thick

[chaoticag]

Which begs the question, how did that turn into a story about a dude who builds a big ass ship, puts a pair of every animals ever on it, and rides for months, eventually repopulating the earth?

[Jackrabbit]

Because seriously, entertainment in those days consisted of watching grandpa waste away from malnutrition because you're not working hard enough.

EDIT: More seriously, the "world" wasn't exactly a big place for them, since they didn't exactly get out and about much. It's not too much of a stretch to imagine that someone built (or had on hand) a big-ass boat and then things got sorta muddled from there.

[Sordid]

Which begs the question, how did that turn into a story about a dude who builds a big ass ship, puts a pair of every animals ever on it, and rides for months, eventually repopulating the earth?

Well what would you do if you had a big ship and a lot of wealth (= farm animals)? Why, you'd put them on the ship and ride the flood until it goes away!

[Urist McOverlord]

Yeah. Noah's ark (like, imho, rather a lot of the bible) sound like a Paul Bunyan-esque tall tale. He builds a huuuuuuge ship, measured in hundreds of cubits, and then he loads up aalllll the nice furry animals. Andf then it rained and rained and rained, for forty days and forty nights... it doesn't seem like much of a stretch to have ancient egyptian hobos telling these stories huddled in a box-barge down the nile...

Yeah, ignore that . It was mostly because I like the phrase "ancient egyptian hobos."
Joking aside, can we agree that the bible ought not be taken literally in this modern era?

[Jackrabbit]

Well... yeah.

[chaoticag]

Pretty much, there are some scary things in there.

[Siquo]

There's only a (vocal) small amount of people that does take it literally.

Still, it's a grey area, on how literal you can take something. "You shall not murder" is conveniently thrown out the door at death sentences, and in war, since technically according to lawyers that's not murder, or something 

Taking it all literally is impossible anyway, literalists still pick and choose and interpret. The book contradicts itself all the time, but if it has be about everything, it has to be contradicting, as we've learned in the omni-discussion.

[Andir]

"You shall not murder" really isn't as much a "religious" aspect as it is a social construct.  (The supposed "origin" of it was most definitely religious, but the rule itself has been socially acceptable far longer than the Bible.)