Posted on 01/01/2013 11:38:20 AM PST by neverdem
“Living in the deserts of the U.S. Southwest and parts of northern Mexico, the New Mexico whiptail is an all-female species of lizard. The creatures first arose as hybrids between two closely related species... Male hybrids aren’t viable, making this one of the few all-female species.”
It never ceases to amaze me how much scientists will contort their taxonomy in order to make it seem like “new species” are appearing. A hybrid, even if it can reproduce, is never a “new species”, just a mixture of existing breeds.
In fact, the existence of a hybrid is itself evidence that the progenitor species have been misclassified and shouldn’t be classed as separate species to begin with, but rather as different breeds or subspecies of a more inclusive species. For example, the fact that cats can nearly universally hybridize is common sense proof that the entire diversity, from lions and tigers down to housecats, simply the result of breeding, and not any other type of “speciation” event.
“From those with a theological bent, you are confounded by your own doctrines; Why couldn’t there be evolution? ALL things are within God’s purview.”
Ha! I’ve never heard that argument before, so I give you points for originality. It does kind of make sense, since it would basically take a miracle for Darwin’s just-so story to happen in reality, according to what we know of biology, physics, and genetics.
So, yes, all things are possible with God, and He could have miraculously caused evolution to happen. However, if we are examining it scientifically, we must exclude the possibility of miracles from our assessment, and conclude that it’s not a very plausible explanation, scientifically. The only reason it is accepted is that, as implausible as it is, science hasn’t come up with a more plausible theory, because anything more plausible would seem to have to posit a supernatural cause of some form, which science does not do. They’ve trapped themselves into defending an unsatisfactory theory because that theory is the natural consequence of their a prior assumptions.
You took the words out of my mouth.
A Happy New Year to you, sir.
You mean the hymen remained intact after Mary gave birth?
That would take a leap of faith wouldn’t it?
I think you're the one confused about what virginity means.
It means a woman who has not had intercourse with a man.
A woman born without a hymen or who has had lost it by other means is every bit as much a virgin.
Do you think the "revirgination" surgeries popular for Muslim women actually turns them back into virgins?
BTW, I am a Christian, and I see no reason whatsoever to believe there was anything unusual at all about Mary's delivery or its effect on her body.
If Mary never had physical relations with a man after Jesus was born (which I don't believe, BTW) then she remained ever-virgin regardless of the physical condition of her lady parts.
We have the technology to do virgin births today. In fact, this may have already been done.
Just do a surrogate pregnancy in a woman who has not had intercourse with a man.
But nothing can diminish Christianity. This actually strengthens Christianity. :)
Well, your definition of the Virgin Birth differs significantly from mine.
To my mind the only really relevant point is that Jesus had no human father. Once the pregnancy initiated there was no particular reason for the effects on Mary’s body to be any different from those for any other pregnant woman. Though one can assume she had the best prenatal care in history.
I realize your mileage varies.
Parthenogenesis always produces FEMALE offspring.
As for the virgin birth of Jesus, we are not given the details, but I do not think that there can have been an actual birth of a human being without a human father. It is genetically impossible. The story is meant allegorically.
The New Testament twice makes it clear that Jesus was ”of the house and lineage of David,” the former king, and that this connection was on the side of Joseph, his father. It is a straight male line, which is the way heredity was recorded in preexilic times. Without an earthly, biological father, there could be no linear connection to David.
So, prepare the faggots and start up the fire, if you think that this makes me a heretic. But I think that the connection of Jesus to God is a spiritual one. The concept of a Son of God was already afloat in Hebrew religious circles at the time. It looks as if people outside the tradition tried to reify the concept excessively. That is my guess: but all things are possible to God.
Anyway, nice try; but parthenogenesis it is not.
Mary DID have sexual relations after the birth of Jesus. Matthew 1:24-25 Then Joseph being raised from sleep did as the angel of the Lord had bidden him, and took unto him his wife: 25And knew her not till she had brought forth her firstborn son: and he called his name JESUS.
Well, I agree, which is why I said IF.
As I’m sure you know, a lot of Christians disagree and believe Mary was ever-virgin.
The usual explanation is that Jesus was descended biologically from David on both sides. His biological connection was from his mother, his “legal” connection to the royal house was through his (step)father Joseph.
Since DNA testing wasn’t available at the time, there was no way for anyone to prove Joseph wasn’t his real biological father.
I understand and respect Catholic doctrine on the issue, I just disagree that it represents actual truth.
And the subtext here is the miracle of the birth of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ by The Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of God, is something akin to an animal? F you, who ever wrote this.
Stumbled upon a book over 30 years I believe entitled “Sex and the Brain”. I vaguely recollect a section in the book that discussed a XXY mutation in human females along with a reference to Immaculate Conception. I look for the book from time to time with the intention of setting my dusty memory straight.
Didn’t mean to sound like I was refuting you....I was agreeing with you. Sometimes things don’t type out the way the conversation goes in your mind.
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