The simple answer is: “the legally or formally recognized union of two people as partners in a personal relationship.”
Now, if you wish to delve into the different TYPES of marriage, you’re going to need a lot more space than this forum has.
Gay marriage ruins it for the rest of us
- Thread starter Cancel 2018.2
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The simple answer is: “the legally or formally recognized union of two people as partners in a personal relationship.”
Now, if you wish to delve into the different TYPES of marriage, you’re going to need a lot more space than this forum has.
Mason Michaels
Verified User
The last ditch reply from atheists!
In Hindu mythology, texts such as the Satapatha Brahmana and the Puranas contain the story of a great flood, wherein the Matsya Avatar of Vishnu warns the first man, Manu, of the impending flood, and also advises him to build a giant boat.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flood_myth
Cyclic Catastrophes
A number of periodic catastrophes are described in the Hindu scriptures:
At the end of each Kali Yuga, some type of destruction takes place. The most recent instance would be a bit under 4 million years ago. Other instances should be found every 4,320,000 years before that.
At the end of each manvantara, a great flood wipes out most life on earth. The most recent occurrence would be 120,534,000 years ago. Other instances would occur at intervals of 306,720,000 years.
At the end of the kalpa, all life on earth is destroyed. The most recent instance would be 2,267,574,000 years ago.
At the end of a life of Brahma, the entire universe and all its heavens and hells are destroyed. The current universe would have come into existence more than 150 billion years ago.
Interestingly, current scientific research does support the existence of occasional mass extinctions in earth's history. These include the following major extinctions:
At the Ordovician/Silurian transition, about 425 million years ago.
Near the Devonian/Carboniferous transition, about 345 million years ago.
At the Permian/Triassic transition, about 230 million years ago.
At the Triassic/Jurassic transition, about 180 million years ago.
At the Cretaceous/Tertiary transition, about 63 million years ago.
Additionally, some scientists have identified what they believe is a cycle of periodic mass extinctions occurring every 26 million years.
Unfortunately, none of these specified dates corresponds to the catastrophes called for by the Hindu theory.
Current scientific estimates of the age of the universe range from 7 billion to 20 billion years. By contrast, the Hindu theory calls for a universe more than 150 billion years old.
On the other hand, the dates ascribed by scientists to the various geologic periods have been revised a number of times on the basis of new evidence, and could possibly be revised again in the future. Further, cosmology could reasonably be described as an infant science, and the age it ascribes to the universe as a whole might also change on the basis of new theories and evidence.
Downward Trend
By far the greater divergence from modern science is in the overall pattern of the Hindu theory. The Hindu and scientific patterns differ in the following ways:
The main pattern in the Hindu theory is one of cycles.
In the Hindu theory, life follows a downward trend most of the time, from the finest age to the worst. At the end of the worst age, Kali Yuga, divine intervention rapidly destroys the wicked and restores everything to its pristine state.
In the Hindu theory, humanity is always present. The concept of evolution is confined to spiritual evolution; that is, each soul takes life in a series of lower to higher animal forms before finally incarnating as a human being.
By contrast, the fossil record of life on earth indicates that life began with very simple forms and later developed more complex organisms. The advent of humanity appears to be an extremely recent development when compared to the history of life on earth. Humanity itself does not appear to have existed long enough to have participated in the vast cycles of ages posited by Hindu theory.
Conclusion
There is no scientific support for the Hindu theory of world cycles. Further, current scientific theory contradicts Hindu theory in many respects. It is best to begin by acknowledging this truth, as such an acknowledgement can form the basis for interesting discussions of the different ways of knowing that underly the more specific differences. Such, however, must be the substance of another paper.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flood_myth
Cyclic Catastrophes
A number of periodic catastrophes are described in the Hindu scriptures:
At the end of each Kali Yuga, some type of destruction takes place. The most recent instance would be a bit under 4 million years ago. Other instances should be found every 4,320,000 years before that.
At the end of each manvantara, a great flood wipes out most life on earth. The most recent occurrence would be 120,534,000 years ago. Other instances would occur at intervals of 306,720,000 years.
At the end of the kalpa, all life on earth is destroyed. The most recent instance would be 2,267,574,000 years ago.
At the end of a life of Brahma, the entire universe and all its heavens and hells are destroyed. The current universe would have come into existence more than 150 billion years ago.
Interestingly, current scientific research does support the existence of occasional mass extinctions in earth's history. These include the following major extinctions:
At the Ordovician/Silurian transition, about 425 million years ago.
Near the Devonian/Carboniferous transition, about 345 million years ago.
At the Permian/Triassic transition, about 230 million years ago.
At the Triassic/Jurassic transition, about 180 million years ago.
At the Cretaceous/Tertiary transition, about 63 million years ago.
Additionally, some scientists have identified what they believe is a cycle of periodic mass extinctions occurring every 26 million years.
Unfortunately, none of these specified dates corresponds to the catastrophes called for by the Hindu theory.
Current scientific estimates of the age of the universe range from 7 billion to 20 billion years. By contrast, the Hindu theory calls for a universe more than 150 billion years old.
On the other hand, the dates ascribed by scientists to the various geologic periods have been revised a number of times on the basis of new evidence, and could possibly be revised again in the future. Further, cosmology could reasonably be described as an infant science, and the age it ascribes to the universe as a whole might also change on the basis of new theories and evidence.
Downward Trend
By far the greater divergence from modern science is in the overall pattern of the Hindu theory. The Hindu and scientific patterns differ in the following ways:
The main pattern in the Hindu theory is one of cycles.
In the Hindu theory, life follows a downward trend most of the time, from the finest age to the worst. At the end of the worst age, Kali Yuga, divine intervention rapidly destroys the wicked and restores everything to its pristine state.
In the Hindu theory, humanity is always present. The concept of evolution is confined to spiritual evolution; that is, each soul takes life in a series of lower to higher animal forms before finally incarnating as a human being.
By contrast, the fossil record of life on earth indicates that life began with very simple forms and later developed more complex organisms. The advent of humanity appears to be an extremely recent development when compared to the history of life on earth. Humanity itself does not appear to have existed long enough to have participated in the vast cycles of ages posited by Hindu theory.
Conclusion
There is no scientific support for the Hindu theory of world cycles. Further, current scientific theory contradicts Hindu theory in many respects. It is best to begin by acknowledging this truth, as such an acknowledgement can form the basis for interesting discussions of the different ways of knowing that underly the more specific differences. Such, however, must be the substance of another paper.
She can. Some churches recognize that. The state doesn’t recognize the additional marriages.
Robert Ballard knows the Black Sea Breech was slow moving and so does the rest of the world's scientists.
All Ballard has done is explore some of the ruins left behind as people abandoned their villages and moved to higher ground.
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Boris has got a point there.
Scripture does indeed mention Rome and Egypt...and lo and behold...science has proved that both existed.
So there!
Cancel 2018.2
Oh, hi
Theologically you are right. I hope you understand we do no have a theocracy for our government. As such, homosexual marriage is not and should not be illegal.
That said, how does homosexual marriage effect your life?
Yeah, I see that.
Cancel 2018.2
Oh, hi
What about heterosexual sexual couples who cannot conceive?
Cancel 2018.2
Oh, hi
GFY
"Partners in a Personal Relationship". OK. Good. Thanks.
Cancel 2018.2
Oh, hi
Precisely. All of which have nothing to do with religion.
I think that's what we're talking about, a State recognized 'Marriage', or as you defined it "Partners in a Personal Relationship".
Althea
Althea told me...
Why not? Are you saying that gay couples don't have children?
Cancel 2018.2
Oh, hi
I have no problem with the government getting out of marriage. I think the term civil union has been around and I'm fine ith that. It basically is a legal contract that grants you certain rights for certain responsibilities. Which in essence is a marriage without the religious aspect.
Which is exactly what "marriage" is already.
If you are religious, you should back gay marriage. they are acting as god made them. Haters are disparaging gods creations due to their own bigotry and crappy religious training. Do you think people make deliberate choice to be abused by millions of strangers, to lose jobs, to not have equal rights and to risk violence for just being who god made them? A truly religious person would treat gays like they treat anyone else.
Althea
Althea told me...
Nor does marriage
Cancel 2018.2
Oh, hi
Granting a license doesn't mean you're a party to it. What it means is, they control the license, IOW, they are the final arbiter of the license/contract.
Cancel 2018.2
Oh, hi
That isn't true, at all. Just when I thought you could be intelligent.....
