Where we don’t have proof, we have theories

Based on this sentence, I don’t think you understand how science works, which might be why we’re still talking past each other.

Also it seems like you’re still hung up on what humanity has done historically, but that’s not relevant at all to what I’m talking about. I’m speaking in a pragmatic sense, about what we should do, not what we have done.

we still have museums filled with dinosaurs without feathers

Because we’re still making discoveries and trying to nail down* the details of dino feathers. Feathers rarely fossilize, so it’s a really difficult thing to study.

there are people that preach the big bang theory as fact

Scientists present the big bang theory as fact because of the vast body of evidence that supports it. Just like germ theory, or evolution.

Shit, we still have people thinking the earth is flat.

Contrary to what the evidence shows, so idk what this has to do with anything.

We’re getting off track though. You originally made a claim basically saying that we don’t know enough to say God didn’t create the universe. I’m just trying to point out that that’s not how critical/scientific thinking works. You don’t invent an untestable conclusion and then say “well nothing disproves this yet, so it’s possible”. Not being able to disprove something says nothing about it’s possibility, and not having evidence of something is neither proof, nor disproof, but simply a gap in knowledge. We should be comfortable leaving those gaps empty until we find solid, evidence-based explanations that fill them. We shouldn’t prematurely fill them with untestable claims.

Tell that to the couple dozen propagations I have currently living in various sized vessels of water

Are we even capable of putting the pieces together that we’re getting?

Yes, absolutely, and more progress is made as more new evidence is found. The thing is, until that happens, scientists are perfectly comfortable with the gaps, and saying “I don’t know”, instead of filling those gaps with an evil sky wizard.

Do you think the astronomers/cosmologists/astrophysicists piecing together the origins of the universe are doing so without evidence?

we’re sure as shit nowhere near understanding anything enough to say a god DIDN’T do it.

But we also have zero solid evidence that a God did do it. Making and believing such an enormous claim without evidence is absolutely bananas

The only way you can come to the conclusion that “acceptance is the goal” of the Bible is by cherry picking from it.

The new testament is full of heinous shit too though. Jesus (who, don’t forget, is still the same vengeful, angry old testament God) condones rape, violence, and killing all throughout it, but says “love thy neighbor” once and everyone thinks he’s gentle as a lamb.

“I come not to bring peace, but a sword” - Matthew 10:34

The kind of “AI advancement” that requires stripping away privacy rights is definitely done by technofascists.

Ah yes, correctly highlighting the megalopolises of Yuma and Mexicali, and excluding backwaters such as Los Angeles and Miami

But we do have evidence that a lot of chemicals in the PFAS family stick around for a long time, and we have evidence that they’re harmful. That’s enough for me to be wary of anything in that group, especially when there are easy alternatives.

It’s hard to rewrite the past if someone’s keeping receipts

That’s not true, there’s definitely ways to render the skin to the point where it’s all crisp, no slime, without burning it. It’s hard to do when oven roasting but possible, but it’s pretty easy to do when pan-searing.

I try to plug it in without closely inspecting the port because I can with just about every other type of port. It’s easy to plug in an HDMI, Display Port, or Ethernet cable on the first try because of the asymmetrical shape, and things that use barrel plugs like headphone jacks just don’t care about orientation. USB-A is one of the few port types that combines the worst of both worlds.

You can also get a roll of like 50 reusable microfiber cloths from any home store for less than ten bucks. They work just as well as any overpriced branded duster wipes, and are washable/reusable as an added bonus.

You mean, the couple of seconds it takes trying to plug in a USB-A the wrong way, having to flip it over, discovering you had it the right way the first time because USB-A ports are bastards, and having to flip it over again?

Engaging with the text the way a believer does means having blind faith, which, as a non-believer, is difficult for me to do.

I think it’s silly for a loving, forgiving God to curse anything, whether that’s a single tree, or an entire country, or whatever else. I think it’s totally valid to point out the hypocrisy of this allegory, regardless of what you think the subtext may be. It’s an easy example to pull up that demonstrates a contradiction in the Bible, that’s all.

Also I’m not dunking on anyone. I rarely talk to anyone about religion because it’s such a sticky subject with so many people. Just trying to give some context and maybe a little justification for using this particular allegory to poke some fun at believers.

That’s sort of the while point of pointing out the silliness of the fig tree story though. We poke fun at it for being ridiculous because, well, it is ridiculous, and religious people are in turn ridiculous for following a supposed holy text with such ridiculous parables in it.

Plenty of anti-cheats work on Linux, and the ones that don’t are probably borderline malware anyways, so it’s really a win-win

Is it? I was just in London a couple months ago, the amount of people smoking and vaping there was honestly shocking.