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1. We humans did not do it, it was nature that nearly eliminated us!!

   A journey into where we’re from and where we’re going…

   I like what Carl Sagan said, “I don’t want to believe, I want to know.”

   Nature has its own path to create balance and ensure survival of the fittest. Some 99.9 percent of all species that ever lived on earth are now extinct. The charges that we humans are causing the next mass extinction - the sixth in the history of life on Earth - are nothing but fiction. A latest study by researchers at Stanford University estimated that the number of early humans may have shrunk as low as 2,000, before numbers began to expand again in early Stone Age. Nature has its own cruel ways to ensure evolution - we were reduced to a mere 2000 individuals as recently as 70,000 years BC as a result of climatic changes; the same picky and cruel nature has now ensured 6.6 billion people to live on this earth without droughts and major famines.

   http://iqballatif.newsvine.com/_news/2008/04/26/1454133-we-humans-did-not-do-it-it-was-nature-that-nearly-eliminated-us

   Comment by Iqbal Latif — April 26, 2008 #

2. Once black blood is in a human, it stays, so ALL people did NOT come from Africa, as so many heathen scientists want us to believe. God created man and woman, when Cain slew Abel, Cain was marked and banished, hence the black blood. I am white, and all my ancestors were white. I do NOT believe in evolution, because evolution is not still going on, and monkeys are still remaining monkeys, except for the small number of scientists it turns out each year from monkey run colleges. Although there are some humans that are monkey sympathisors and will buy any crap fed from the monkey mills. But that’s what make the human race unique, we each have a choice of what we believe. Some believe in scientists/monkeys, others believe in God, I choose God, who controls everything, including letting scientists who have been trying to eliminate God, since that fool Darwin smoked something and got a theory. AND Darwin only had a theory, which means an idea, not a FACT.

   Comment by John Richard — April 26, 2008 #

3. Mr Richard, let me start off by saying you have one of the most bigoted opinions of the world i have ever heard. There is nothing in the Bible that says specifically that Cain’s skin was made black, just that he was marked by the Lord. Racial pride is one thing, bigotry and racism are different. Secondly, evolution is accepted by the rational community because not only is it backed by millions of years of fossils, but by the fact that it IS still happening today. Lastly, about your Darwin comment: What is the Bible but a compiling of many theories? Say all you will about the power of God, but the fact remains that Religion is, in itself, a THEORY, not a FACT.

   It is clear to me that you haven’t been very well educated, because your arguments are full of holes and your spelling is atrocious. Please get some facts that you stress in your argument before saying such extreme things.

   Comment by Shame, Sir. Shame. — April 26, 2008 #

4. well mr. shame, your name fits you well. As far as education, I won’t even discuss that with you. Am I a bigot, not really, but I am damn proud to be white, and I am also proud to say I could not care less what you think. As far as what millions of people agree with, I don’t agree with Darwin, nor did I ever. and man is Not still evolving from monkeys, if so show me one living specimen of it. I also don’t care if you are the spell checker for CNN, but I will say this, I said in my first post humans are entitled to their opinion, because you don’t agree with mine, is your choice. I do not agree with evolution in humans, because there have been no evidence of part monkey, part human except for the aforementioned scientists. So until someone shows me a live specimen of a monkey going thru transformation to human, I remain unconvinced. Now, in your post, go back and read it again, you failed to capitalize the I. I did go to college, I have a degree in engineering, and have made a great living for over 40 years in the same industry. So enough of this banter with still another hero of evolution.

   Comment by John Richard — April 26, 2008 #

5. Dear Mr Richard

   I can tell straight out that you are very proud of your race and that you hold some fairly strong perceptions as to your genetic background. What I think you should do as a well educated and open minded individual, is to go and do a genetic backround profile on yourself. You may be unpleasantly surprised.

   Unless of course you believe that the whole science of genetics is a sham. If so, I recomend that you do a little research into Dolly the sheep.

   Myself, I am proud that nature took its course over millions of years as God intended and I have ended up as I am today. Without any testing I can tell that somewhere long back in my family tree I have a little Cain in me.

   Comment by Fredy — April 27, 2008 #

6. Mr. Richard-
   Though I normally wouldn’t dignify comments such as yours with a response, I couldn’t resist pointing out that, while you eschew evolution, you have absolutely no understanding of it. You say, “[s]o until someone shows me a live specimen of a monkey going through transformation to human, I remain unconvinced.” Humans did not evolve from monkeys. The theory of evolution posits that humans and other primates have common ancestry, and from that common ancestry, various types of primates evolved. This is an important distinction that is essential to the understanding of evolution. I would suggest that you actually become acquainted with this “heathen” theory before making such ignorant and ridiculous criticisms of it.
   I make these comments not in the hope of convincing you (because I doubt you could be convinced of anything but your own rationalizations for your prejudice), but rather to encourage others to understand exactly what evolution hypothesizes.

   Comment by Brian — April 27, 2008 #

7. Dear Mr Richard, your statement “So until someone shows me a live specimen of a monkey going thru transformation to human, I remain unconvinced”can easily be validated. All you need to do is to stand in front of a mirror.

   Comment by Dr Gopi — April 27, 2008 #

8. “Without any testing I can tell that somewhere long back in my family tree I have a little Cain in me.” ( — Fredy)

   You also have a little tree shrew in you. Does that mean if the Jews want to turn everybody not Jewish into tree shrews we should acquiese? How about blue-green algae? If you go further back in your family tree you’ll find those too. What of it? Does that mean the instant the Jews tell you you have to change back into blue-green algae you’re going to obey? I like being a person. I don’t want to change back into a tree shrew or a blue-green alga. I also like being a white person. I don’t want to change into a Negro. If the Jews are so obessessed with changing people into Negroes let them start by changing themselves into Negroes and let others have a look at the result then decide if they want to follow suit. I just hope one thing: the Jews will have no way of changing back.

   Comment by Fred Scrooby — April 27, 2008 #

9. To all,

   Mr. Richard’s comments do not reflect the views of everyone who believes in God. His views on evolution aside, I am appalled at his racism. He obviously has no understanding of God to make such statements. If one believes that God created everything, one should not disparage those things. Didn’t God say that everything he created was good? I believe he did.

   God is not ethnically or racially white. God is above all of that. It is we, with our limited understanding of God, who attribute to him our own idolatrous prejudices. Through our pride and arrogance, we create God in our blasphemous images. These images are no better than the golden calf or the ashera of old.

   I would like to point out also that blood is not black. You have erythrocytes, which are red blood cells, and leucocytes, which are white blood cells. I forgot to mention plasma and blood platelets. The point is that we all of us bleed the same color.

   Whatever one believes about God and evolution, I don’t think racism or bigotry is appropriate for either world view. Those who claim to believe in God should remember that he looks into the heart, not the outward appearance. Those who claim to be Christian should remember that in Christ, there is no East or West, not Jew or Greek, no male or female, but all are one in Christ Jesus. For those who claim to be enlightened invididualists, differences are to be celebrated, not feared or hated.

   The truth is that we all have ancestors in common no matter what you believe. If you think that evolution is the only truth, then you know that we all have a common lineage from Africa and that we share an ancestor with other homonids. You might also believe that there was some cross breeding between species until fairly recent times.

   If you believe in a strictly literal interpretation of the bible, you must acknowledge the possibility that you may have Cain’s blood running around in your body. By the way, no one truly believes in a strictly literal interpretation of the bible. I defy you to prove that. By the way, the mark that Cain received was for his protection. People who say that the mark turned Cain to a black man are not only racist but completely ignorant. For one thing, there is nothing negative about being black. It’s not a punishment. For another thing, God did not change Cain’s fundamental genetic makeup by giving him a mark.

   All kinds of things are wrong with this thinking, and I’m sure that others can explain the problems with this kind of thinking much better. The point is that a person who thinks this way is sick no matter what degree of education he holds or how successful his career.

   I hope you’ll forgive my verbose reply, but this kind of bigotry evokes many thoughts. We must eschew this kind of thinking and give the appropriate opprobrium wherever it occurs. This goes double for organized religion.

   Comment by bgraham — April 27, 2008 #

10. I’d like to add one more point of clarification. Cain’s mark has nothing to do with black people. For those who care about theology, the mark was an act of God’s mercy that prevented anyone from harming Cain. This mark, whatever it was, applied only to him. The actual curse was that he would no longer be successful in raising crops, and that he would wander the earth, driven from the face of God. As with the mark, the curse only applied to one person: Cain.

    It is time to put this terrible misconception to rest. It has been used to justify many evil acts in the name of God. Furthermore, those who use this gross misinterpretation of scripture as a justification for their sins are willfully ignorant. They have no excuse. Finally, I realize that this whole argument has been a terrible diversion from the intent of the original article. I apologize for that, but this kind of hatred deserves a thorough rebuke. Thank you.

    bgraham

    Comment by bgraham — April 27, 2008 #

11. I am so surprised that a highly educated person like “Richard” harbors such racist views. I don’t know what to say, such a good qualification like engineering down the drain. Keep it up Richard, I am sure hell is eagerly waiting for you.

    Comment by Vik — April 27, 2008 #

12. I dont much like people like Richard.

    Comment by Andrew — April 27, 2008 #

13. I really don’t like people like Richard…but i will pray for him… we are all one “race” the human race..we just have many shades.. I wish i knew what you think Africans and people of color did that where so bad to you to be so hateful of them..

    peace be with you all.

    Comment by Pharaoh — April 27, 2008 #

14. Looks like this topic has drawn all the weirdos and retards to the site.

    Comment by Fred Scrooby — April 27, 2008 #

15. Evolution needs more improvement after-all!

    Comment by Dhurim Ahmetaj — April 28, 2008 #

16. The problem with evolution is that it intends to select species for elimination. So, we’re all on our way out at some point or another.

    Comment by bgraham — April 28, 2008 #

17. Excuse me. I meant to say tends, not intends.

    Comment by bgraham — April 28, 2008 #

18. Like I said in the beginning, we as humans, have our own opinions, and while all you people do not agree with me, I respect your right to your own opinion. But today it is a sad thing that the majority of the world does NOT believe in God, that you think all you have achieved was by the work of lowly humans, and God plays no part in your success or failure, you my friends will be the ones unpleasantly surprised at some point in your future. If I am a racist, it was people like you who made me one, by supporting the likes of the atheist O’hare who led the fight ot remove prayer from schools, and wanted it removed from our money. Lastly, it was Darwin who had the theory that human evolved from apes,(Scopes trial).
    One responder stated the Bible was nothing but a book of theories, I pity you and others that believe that, for it is you who will eventually discover your error.

    Comment by John Richard — April 29, 2008 #

19. What is really disturbing about people like Richard is that they claim a total white ancestry, yet worship a Jewish god. Those of us with true convictions of that type believe in the older religions of our ancestors.

    Comment by Steven Neal — April 29, 2008 #

20. Wonderful, another Holy War, which R. Jeni defines as, ‘A fight to the death to see who has the best imaginary friend in the sky’. Anyway, the article that attracted the knuckle-draggers was interesting.

    Comment by Bill Daniels — April 29, 2008 #

21. I don’t understand how anyone can take comfort in God and the bible when his actions and thoughts are so clearly at odds with both. I dare say that those who do not believe will be no less surprised on the other side of life than those who profess to believe while harboring racial hate. If you believe in God, you must realize that we are ALL made in God’s image. That means that you have NO right to put anyone down. Furthermore, racism, bigotry, and prejudice are personal choices. Therefore, if you believe in God, you must certainly understand that at sometime you will have to account for your own actions and attitudes. Blaming others will not suffice. This is so obvious, it is surprising it even has to be said. So, make up your mind. Do you really believe in God or is your religion just a pretty veneer for something rotten to the core?

    Comment by bgraham — April 29, 2008 #

22. People like Richard make me proud to be an atheist. That being said, I understand that his views do not reflect the views of most religious people.

    Back to the article, does anyone know why the caption on this site is that the human race nearly split in two? I couldn’t find that explicitly in the article. Forget splitting in two, it seemed like we were about to go extinct.

    Comment by BM — April 29, 2008 #

23. I suppose it is safe to say that Richard will not be voting for Obama.

    As a side note it is very interesting where you land on the web when you are just clicking links. I was reading an article on CNN and ended up here.

    Comment by Matt — April 29, 2008 #

24. The argument for the existence of God is FAR more ludicrous and much more “theory” than evolution. “Theory” doesn’t mean “guess”; the Earth revolving around the sun is “theory” too, do you want to argue against that?

    Comment by Mike — April 29, 2008 #

25. BM,

    I was looking for the same article, about the human race splitting in two and ended up here. Like others, I started with the article about human beings nearly going extinct.

    On another note, the trouble with the word theory is that it as several connotations. Unfortunately, a trip to the dictionary does not resolve the matter. If one is speaking in the scientific sense, however, a specific denotation applies. With regard to evolution, the word theory can only apply in the sense of how it happens, not that it happens. Evolution is a fact, and it’s at work every moment of our lives. The fact that our species came so close to extinction is no surprise. Most of the species that have ever existed are extinct. Nevertheless, extinction is not the only operative principle in evolution. All species adapt to their environments. Sometimes, the adaptation results in an advance to handle an environmental challenge. Other times, the result is a retreat because of more favorable conditions. In other words, it became easier to survive; therefore, the adaptation was no longer necessary. The question is not if this happens, but how it happens. Consequently, there is little unanimity in the scientific community on the exact nature of evolution, and this is where the word theory takes on the broader meaning again.

    One thing I might point out is that Darwin’s works do not disprove God. In fact, that was never Darwin’s intent. They only make the case for evolution. I might also add that science and faith are not mutually exclusive. One does not have to abandon faith to be a scientist or shun objective research to pursue God. In fact, it isn’t even necessary to dichotomize the two. The truth, if we care to know about it, probably exists between the extremes. Perhaps all of us are so limited in our thinking that we haven’t even begun to imagine where the truth really is. I’m not saying that it hasn’t been revealed, but we are prone to miss the obvious.

    Comment by bgraham — April 29, 2008 #

26. The similitude of Jesus before Allah is as that of Adam; He created him from dust, then said to him: “Be”. And he was. (3:59

    Comment by Isaac — May 1, 2008 #

27. Jesus and Allah are part of the same Semitic freak show and no modern Aryan should entertain these tribal myths at any price.

    Comment by Al Ross — May 2, 2008 #

28. @bgraham

    This is getting almost philosophical.

    Certainly one cannot rule out with absolute certainty, that there is some higher being somewhere. In a sense one could call the sum of all natural laws (physics, chemistry etc.) “God”. After all, these natural laws must have some sort of origin or cause.

    But to assume a benevolant (?) God, who cares for my particular (and everybody eleses) well being (as proposed by christianity) is extremely unlikely, as we have plenty of evidence to the contrary, e.g. innocent people (children) sometimes suffer and die in the most horrible manner. If there was the alleged christian god (who is all-powerfull, remember) he should and would most certainly prevent it. Granted, we do not know everything, but we do know that much.

    So Al Ross has got it right.

    Comment by 123 — May 2, 2008 #

29. To be honest, it is difficult or nearly impossible to reconcile the existence of injustice and evil with the existence of a benevolent God. I admit, that I find it troubling myself. The fact of unfettered evil in this world also makes me question the sovereignty of God. How can evil doers persist if God is control of everything? I confess I do not know the answer to these questions.

    Yet, the same limitations that prevent me from understanding the universe and God enable me to see my understanding is but a speck of the truth. In other words, what seems difficult to absorb or accept today may be veiled by the current limitations of my knowledge. If I were to my context from a greater perspective, perhaps some of those things that were hard to accept would make sense in a larger scheme of things.

    That is not to say, however, that evil is good or excusable. I do not advocate that. If anything, I say that faith in God is reasonable because you acknowledge your own weaknesses and limitations in this life, and are looking for a purpose that transcends your own existence. You can call that a crutch if you like, but I’ll gladly take that criticism. I’ll also be happy to bear the criticism that I believe in a fairy tale. I also have faith that the truth will be my reward in the end, whatever it may be.

    We are not the first generation to deal with these questions. Job went through similar questions on the question of God’s sovereignty and the problem of evil. I have also heard discussions on whether that which performs evil is really evil. For example, is a hand that kills good or evil? It is neither. It is only a hand that can perform either good or evil deeds. The real problem is not the hand, but the deed and the violation of a principle. I might also add that everyone has a sense of right and wrong. Therefore, that can be argued as an outrage based on some higher understanding of the way things should be. I doubt that anyone can satisfactorily explain every notion of right and wrong he or she harbors. One can say it’s a matter of nurture, but it also seems a matter of nature. Of course, I expect vigorous disagreement on that front.

    I don’t think we clearly understand what evil is. Everyone dies. Nature takes its course as evidenced by the mass extinctions of the past. Things we label as bad happen as a matter of course. Earthquakes, hurricanes, tornadoes, and fires are part of nature. These events are not tragic if you view them as part of natural order of things. On the other hand, our propensity to ignore the laws of nature and build expensive homes at sea level and on the sides of erogenous mountains might be considered tragic failures of judgment. The real tragedy is that have allowed our technological accomplishments to replace our ability to adapt and survive with a false sense of balance. By the way, I’m enough of a hypocrite that I am not going to abandon my technology. I hope you get my point though. We haven’t really even arrived at a good definition of good or evil.

    I believe that God is infinitely better than I am, and I am a man who strives to do the right thing. Ocassionally, I slip and do things that would be considered an outrage. I have crossed ethical boundaries many times. Yet, I want to be good. I want to help those around me and show my concern for their needs. As bad as I can be, I have a desire to do good. If I can be benevolent, then I can believe in a being who is the ultimate template for that good. I cannot see God, but I have a sense of that person.

    I understand that everything I’ve said can easily be dismissed. I expect it anyway. I have discussed these views with atheists for years. Some of them have been pretty smart. Others just like to rub their skepticism in your face. My world view accepts nonmaterial realities that cannot be explained by science. On the other hand, I see the value of science and I can accept that it may disprove many of my cherished notions. It hasn’t done that yet. Remember also that science allows for a measure of uncertainty. In other words, you might have to make a few educated guesses to arrive at a conclusion. Have a great weekend.

    bgraham

    Comment by bgraham — May 2, 2008 #

30. It looks like 70 000 years ago Homo Sapiens almost went extinct…at least according to scientists…if that had happened there would’ve been nobody to obsequiously worship the jewish tribal war-god Yahweh.

    Comment by Friedrich Braun — May 2, 2008 #

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