A question of Religion

[Lionel Ritchie]

Any scientific proof that we are related to monkeys (Wayne Rooney obvious exception)?


Aside from Wayne Rooney there is Luke Chadwick -and after Luke there is volumes upon volumes of well corroborated scientific evidence that we are indeed decended from some sort of a "monkey-like" primate AND from something closer to a vole, mole, stoat or rat prior to that again. If it was a murder case -there'd have been a hangin' ages ago. Frankly I don't get why so many religious types have such a big hang up about it when the fact of evolution does not automatically exclude the possibility of a "God"

[Schumi]

I don't get why so many religious types have such a big hang up about it when the fact of evolution does not automatically exclude the possibility of a "God"
No but it means that the genesis creation myth isn't true which some religious types can't take.

[Lionel Ritchie]

fair enough -but surely only the most staunch bible worshippers put so much stock in the old testament? Is the "gospel" they swear by not the new?

[lopez]

Aside from Wayne Rooney there is Luke Chadwick -and after Luke there is volumes upon volumes of well corroborated scientific evidence that we are indeed decended from some sort of a "monkey-like" primate AND from something closer to a vole, mole, stoat or rat prior to that again. If it was a murder case -there'd have been a hangin' ages ago. Frankly I don't get why so many religious types have such a big hang up about it when the fact of evolution does not automatically exclude the possibility of a "God"It's called the Theory not the Fact of Evolution which sort of undermines its credibility. While there are similarities between man and primates a number of things are different. We like to think chimps are so clever but on a human scale they are little more intelligent than David Beckham. In fact why are humans so far advanced than any other animal? Secondly, while a donkey and a horse can produce a (sterile) hybrid, why can't humans and monkeys do the same (FFS, plenty of people have tried)? When did they become so far separated? Take your point about it not excuding God, but it also sounds ludicrous to me even if I was an atheist. A force of greatness we just don't know about or a brand of monkeys changing into humans (no hair, bigger noses, able to invent machines) over millions of years. They're both on the face of it laughable.

No but it means that the genesis creation myth isn't true which some religious types can't take.Never had the benefit of a religious education at school but one of the nuns at the Nymphomaniac College Conchita went to claimed it was a load of Jackson Pollocks.

[Schumi]

It's called the Theory not the Fact of Evolution which sort of undermines its credibility.
There's no such thing as scientific FACT (can't write that word except in capitals of late it seems!), all scientific 'knowledge' is theoretical. You can't prove any theory, the only way they have any credibiltity is if they explain current phenomena and can predict future observations. Bacteria becoming resistant to anti-biotics shows life changing to suit changing conditions which fits in with evolution whereas it doesn't fit with the creationist theory if any sensible person really believes that.

[lopez]

There's no such thing as scientific FACT (can't write that word except in capitals of late it seems!), all scientific 'knowledge' is theoretical. You can't prove any theory, the only way they have any credibiltity is if they explain current phenomena and can predict future observations. Bacteria becoming resistant to anti-biotics shows life changing to suit changing conditions which fits in with evolution whereas it doesn't fit with the creationist theory if any sensible person really believes that.Watched a programme on BBC2 the other day about the death of Thomas A Beckett. Claimed he was 6ft in an era when the average age was 5'2''. Things change. So what. My point is why did some bacteria stay bacteria while other bacteria became humans. If you believed that we came originally from pond life, then good for you. Just let others, including myself, believe in our own fairy tales.

[exile]

It's called the Theory not the Fact of Evolution which sort of undermines its credibility. While there are similarities between man and primates a number of things are different. We like to think chimps are so clever but on a human scale they are little more intelligent than David Beckham. In fact why are humans so far advanced than any other animal? Secondly, while a donkey and a horse can produce a (sterile) hybrid, why can't humans and monkeys do the same (FFS, plenty of people have tried)? When did they become so far separated? Take your point about it not excuding God, but it also sounds ludicrous to me even if I was an atheist. A force of greatness we just don't know about or a brand of monkeys changing into humans (no hair, bigger noses, able to invent machines) over millions of years. They're both on the face of it laughable.
Never had the benefit of a religious education at school but one of the nuns at the Nymphomaniac College Conchita went to claimed it was a load of Jackson Pollocks.


are you saying you dont belive in darwins theory of evolution??

[Schumi]

My point is why did some bacteria stay bacteria while other bacteria became humans.Random chance I suppose, I'm not too familiar with the mechanics of DNA mutations. :)

If you believed that we came originally from pond life, then good for you. Just let others, including myself, believe in our own fairy tales.I'm not stopping you, believe whatever you want. I just don't think creationism stands up to rational thought. If it works for you, fine.

[exile]

join me at church of satan (http://www.churchofsatan.com) :D :D were not here for a long time but a good time :D

[Schumi]

Nah, that Satan looks a bit too camp. :D

[exile]

and just to clarify things we dont sacrifice kids or anything just goats and chickens :D

[Schumi]

No child sacrifices? Now I'm definitely out. ;)

[anto eile]

I find that pretty insulting :(

re. Israel taking Palestine as 'Gods own people' i think it's more down to the fact everyone felt guilty for not being able to stop the holocaust...correct me if i'm wrong

guilt or no guilt to say "god promised us this land" as an excuse to commit genocide against the palestinians is ludicrous.
they have some cheek to claim theyve been oppressed/suffered for millenia then they go and visit this suffering upon the palestinians.

[anto eile]

satan looks a bit gay.
though much of your beliefs make sense
i like this one:

11. When walking in open territory, bother no one. If someone bothers you, ask him to stop. If he does not stop, destroy him

[dcfcsteve]

it has played a part in some of them, but hey, we can all be selective about which facts we choose- the fact is, overall in terms of conflict in the world, religion plays a huge part.

WWI: no
WWII: Hitler's persecution of the Jews, certainly a part of the war. the support of the Catholic Church (or senior elements within) for Hitler and Mussolini
Gulf War I: no
gulf War II: Yes. Bush's insane right-wing evangelical beliefs have certainly played a part in his decision making, and much of his loyal support base is convinced that Islam is evil
Vietnam: no
Falklands: no
Boer War: probably not
Northern Ireland conflict (religion was dragged into it): total cráp. It is as much a part of it as anything else.
Korea War: no
Serbian-Kosovo: yes.
Iraq-Iran: different factions within Islam were involved AFAIK.


I can make a list too:
Yugoslavian civil war.
Northern Ireland.
Israel-Palestine.
India- Pakistan.
etc etc

I don't mean to be rude Eanna, but I think that your anti-religious zeal is creating a very selective understanding of history.

Yes - religion was involved to some degree in a number of the above conflicts. But that is simply a reflection of the fact that religion has been a fundamental element to both individual human existence and society in general for thousands of years.

Just because 2 cultural/ethnic/national groups clash, and they happen to be from different religious backgrounds, doesn't necessarily mean that religion must be somewhere near the root of that conflict. Even by your own tally above, the majority of conflcts listed were not motivated by religion, and that's without questioning some of your assertions (again, the conflict in Northern Ireland is caused by 2 competing cultures both claiming legitimacy over the exclusive use of the same territory. The 2 groups just happen to be easily characterised along religious lines. If everyone in Norn Iron woke up Jewish tomorrow, there'd still be rows between those Jews who wanted to be British and those who wanted to be Irish).

Nationalism was a major, if not the leading and in many cases sole, cause of all but 1 of the above conflicts (Vietnam being the exception, - though it would be easy to argue that America's enforcement of it's own political ideology upon other countries was and still is in itself a form of US nationalism).

And whilst a minority of Jew's may claim they have a biblical right to the land that is Israel, it is certainly not all Jews. There are even a number of strict Jewish religious sects who are vehemently anti-Zionist and believe that returning to Israel is AGAINST the will of God, but I see you've chosen to ignore them. Regardless - the land the Israeli's now occupy wasn't "given to them", and scriptures were certainly not used as justification by the Allies at the time they were considering what to do with the region (post Holocaust guilt and the need to create a homeland where the Jews could feel secure was actually the key factor for Britain and the US at the time). To clarify - when the British ran the Plastine Mandate post WW2, they did their usual 'divide and conquer' by promising both the Jews and the Palestinians roughly the same thing. The Palestinian Jews, who were in a guerilla war with Britain at the time, saw an opportunity to strike before anything concrete was put in place regarding the creation of an Israeli and Palestinian state, and as the British army withdrew from the area they siezed their weapons and the land that eventually became Israel.

Regardless of any perceived biblical claim to the land of Israel by the Jews-
their claim to Israel is as much to do with the concept of traditional homeland as it is religion. They were exiled from their region of origin so long ago that the bible just happens to be the main 'proof' that it ever was their homeland.
If England had cleared all the Irish out of Ireland during the Plantation and replaced them with Scots and English (as indeed was their plan) would you now oppose the right of the exiled Irish to return to their traditional and historic homeland ? The only difference between the claim of the Irish to the 6 counties of Northern Ireland and the claim of the Jewish nation to a homeland in what is now Israel is chronology.

In summary - just because 2 distinct cultural/ethnic/national groups are in conflict, and they happen to be affiliate to different religions, does not necessarily mean that religion MUST be somewhere near the root of that conflict. Yes - in such circumstances differences in religion can often help to exacerbate the conflict, but usually no more so than many other differences between the groups (skin colour, language etc).

[finlma]

Any scientific proof that we are related to monkeys (Wayne Rooney obvious exception)?
I'm not a Catholic. :p

There's way more proof that we are descended from monkeys than some big guy with a beard living in the clouds that created this planet.

If you believe in the proven subject that is science then it is very difficult to believe in theology.

I still think religion is good because it creates hope and a reason for people to live a moral life.

[green goblin]

If people here are trying to look at things logically, then agonsticism is the only thing that makes sense: There might be God, there might not, and it's logically impossible to prove one way or the other. Atheism is as much a logical nightmare as belief, as you cannot prove there is no god in the same way you cannot prove there is.

But this what the word faith is all about, here. Something far more interesting than simple binary certainties some people seem to want in their lives. If God was a certainty, then we woudl not need words like 'belief' and 'faith'. We'd know God in the same way we're reasonably confident in gravity, electricity, biology, and so on.

Sorry to bring it down to a crass level, but it's a bit like when Indiana Jones steps out into nothing in Radiers of the Lost Ark III. There's nothing there, he's walking out into nothing, but he closes his eyes and believes, steps out in faith... and suddenly there's a path he'd never noticed before. It's not suddenly there, magically, because he closed his eyes and beleived and it appeared out of nowehere, rather it was there all the time in front of him but he just never noticed it before.. :)

As a Chrsitian, the creation vs evolution debate has never bothered me - or interested me, that much. What the bible actually says (if you read it with a less literal mind), is that first there was nothing, then a big explosion, then matter formed stars, then planets, then water formed, then plant life grew up from nowehere, then life appearded in the sea, then on land, and then finally humans came along and messed it up for everything. I'm sorry, but where does this contradict Darwin :confused:

I think a lot of people get hung up on the timescales and outrageously large numbers in the Old testament, quite needlessly.

[lopez]

There's way more proof that we are descended from monkeys than some big guy with a beard living in the clouds that created this planet.

If you believe in the proven subject that is science then it is very difficult to believe in theology.And what proof is that? That we 'share' DNA with monkeys, yet a human can't have anybody's blood.

As GG says, the belief in evolution needs faith. I read an article in the London Evening Standard yesterday that a scientist last month (?) shocked the world by admitting that he believed 'God' (ie: a creating force) lives/lived. Something about multiple universes (all very technical and the article was a 'why did God let the tsunami kill so many?' type of article). I can't paste the article but this might prove interesting reading for those that believe Scientists are all atheists.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/life/feature/story/0%2C13026%2C1034872%2C00.html

[piratemousey]

you also have to understand that the Church created symbols and ideals of worship.
for example St. Patrick the idea od st. patrick is two people intertwined.-which was writen down 400 years after the real st. patrick was in ireland.
St. Augustus of Hippo(northern africa) was seen as White and written about much later on.

[green goblin]

:rolleyes: Catholics are Fenians(Allegedly );Prods.(some) are D.O.B's ;)

C of I,which I'm nominally,is a 'halfway house'between the two.........

A D.F.B. by any chance? :) :o

Still waiting to see that "Fenian prods on tour" flag you promised us, Dav. :)

[SÓC]

He is sheer and utter evil. I make no apologies for saying it. How many millions of lives could have been saved from AIDS but, no that isn't a christian thing to do at all :rolleyes:


Evil?
Ahh Bless....(oops) :D

Stop, throw aside your bias and think rationally for a minute. The current pope preaches that contraception is a sin. So you reckon that he said it was ok to use condoms they people wouldnt be dying from aids because they'd use them straigh away seeing as it was ok?:rolleyes:

Lets accept your line of arguement so for a minute anyway. Now Éanna what do you use condoms for? Now hold that idea just a second.....now...what is the Churches position on sex?

Now JP also preaches that sex outside of marriage is a sin. So they dont obey him for the sex part but follow him to the letter for contrception?

Condoms 99% effective
Abstanence 100% effective

So JP is evil eh?

Evil is invading a country for no (honest) reason
Evil is blowing up a bomb on a train full of innocent people
Evil is flying planes into a building full of innocent people

You have serious RC issues. Any you call yourself a Celtic fan:D:D

[Éanna]

Evil is invading a country for no (honest) reason
Evil is blowing up a bomb on a train full of innocent people
Evil is flying planes into a building full of innocent people
yeah. I agree. So is what JP is doing. Not to mention his hate campaign against homosexuals.


You have serious RC issues.
I've already admitted as much- I can't stand the organisation.

[eoinh]

I think JP is evil too I guess.

One of his recent elevations to become a saint had me laughing.

Cant remember what the guys name was (a count from austria, one of the royal family) who gassed 10,000 italians. He made this guy a saint!

He also made a saint a nun who was cured of varigous (sp?) veins. Funnily enough the nun was in hospital at the time being treated for the problem. No coincidence i guess.

[exile]

satan rocks come with me to the church of satan and make a sacrifice(goats chickens small cows and ponys only) :D

[NJTom]

Here's a type of Christianity (http://www.godhatesfags.com/) you probably don't have much of back in the Auld Sod.

It doesn't get any more looney than this.

Caution may not be work safe.

[SÓC]

yeah. I agree. So is what JP is doing. Not to mention his hate campaign against homosexuals.


Please explain how he is evil or is this still based on your whole condom thing?

Thinking homosexuality is a sin means he's evil?

[finlma]

Please explain how he is evil or is this still based on your whole condom thing?

Thinking homosexuality is a sin means he's evil?

I wouldn't say he's evil myself but I would say that a lot of his teachings are idiotic and seriously out of date.

I actually think he's dead and that they take his body out of ice for a few public showings a year. He's operated by a few strings by a select group of priests. Just like that movie Weekend at Bernies.

[lopez]

It doesn't get any more looney than this...Bar the ********** website, it is about as looney as it gets. I think this is a perfect example of tw*ts using religion as a vehicle justifying their pet hates.

BTW: What are the bible quotes on 'sodomy'? Something in Leviticus (OldT) - lying down with a man as with a woman (does that mean with a bloke with curlers in?). Then someone at work told me it was in Acts (NewT), and that the same text mentions that it's a sin for a woman to wear/not to wear a hat in church. As for Sodom, sounds to me a bit like a few Ireland trips I've been on - the ones before we got this new generation of college educated Celtic-tiger clones anyway. :D ;)

[NJTom]

Bar the ********** website, it is about as looney as it gets. I think this is a perfect example of tw*ts using religion as a vehicle justifying their pet hates.

I checked out the ********** website, it's comforting to know they only have 188 members. Maybe there is hope for the human race after all.

[lopez]

I checked out the ********** website, it's comforting to know they only have 188 members. Maybe there is hope for the human race after all.Sadly, quite a number of them are from Ireland and are not supporters of a Glaswegian team that play in blue. :(

[green goblin]

If, like me, you take enjoy seeing hypocrites, idiots and bigots mocked, then can I reccomend the quite brilliant www.ship-of-fools.com
It's run by a very well adjusted CofE vicar, and is superb. From the surreal "Gadgets for God" section to the often terrifying "Fruitcake Zone", the worst excesses of the contemporary church are laid bare for all.

For example, did you know there's a American sect who gatecrash gay peoples funerals, and give the next of kin tape recordings of the deceased screaming in the fires of hell? Or what about the "liberated church", who get nekkid and wifeswap in the name of Jesus?

The Mystery Worshipper section is worth a look too.

[lopez]

If, like me, you take enjoy seeing hypocrites, idiots and bigots mocked, then can I reccomend the quite brilliant www.ship-of-fools.com.It's no wonder the Church of Satan are doing a brisk trade at the moment. :o

[dortie]

who's shoving it in my face? Just look at the education system in this country- full of it. the angelus on tv at 6 o'clock etc., It really bugs me. I totally respect people's right to their beliefs, and I have no problem with people believing in a higher being, but I just don't think it should be done in public. And religion is a factor in almost every conflict on the planet- even if it is only being used as an excuse.


You would make a great contribution to Cuba or the IRSP ;)

[Éanna]

You would make a great contribution to Cuba or the IRSP ;)
sure would. but only as leader. I like telling others what to do ;)

[dortie]

sure would. but only as leader. I like telling others what to do ;)


Mmmm Dont you read history, never be a leader of the IRSP, you end up dead, more than likely by one of your own at that :D

Thank God I was never an Erp ;)

[Risteard]

Anyone go to the Islamic Cultural Exhibition in ucc?
Very good.
Learned a few interesting things.
Jesus Christ is actually one of the main figures in Islam,
immaculate conception is recognised etc.

[lopez]

Anyone go to the Islamic Cultural Exhibition in ucc?
Very good.
Learned a few interesting things.
Jesus Christ is actually one of the main figures in Islam,
immaculate conception is regognised etc.Obviously not on par with Mohamed (pardon the spelling) but regarded as a prophet. Hence - I think - why there were Muslims at the Beeb on Saturday complaining about Jerry Springer The Opera.

[Éanna]

Jesus Christ is actually one of the main figures in Islam,
immaculate conception is recognised etc.
yeah, I'd love to see Bush asked about that- seeing as those "folks" apparently hate freedom and christianity etc :rolleyes:

[green goblin]

Obviously not on par with Mohamed (pardon the spelling) but regarded as a prophet. Hence - I think - why there were Muslims at the Beeb on Saturday complaining about Jerry Springer The Opera.

Judaism, Christianity and Islam all have lots in common, in terms of their theological roots. The Christian Old testament is esentially the same for Jews, and although the Koran is far more Eastern in structure (Books are arranged in order of page count, rather than begining-middle-end!) they have many of the same stories from the O.T..
Islam came along hundreds of years after Jesus, and does indeed think of him as a minor prophet. Not THE Prophet, who they take as being Mohamed.

As for the Jerry Springer thing... Well, not all Christians take themselves entirely seriously (As I hope the ship-of-fools link, above, shows!). It's really only the barmy minority who ever make the headlines. For example, many of the singers from the 'blasphemous' opera will be singing in Chelsmford Cathedral on Saturday Night, with the Bishop of Essex, to raise money for victims of the Tsunami and Christian Aid. Probably won't make the news, though.

General Booth, the founder of the Salvation Army said you couldn't talk to a man's soul when his stomach was growling, and he's right. Whilst I personally find blasphemy upsetting, I think it matters more that we feed the hungry first and foremost. I once heard a speaker from a a pulpit say
"f*ck, sh*t, c*nt, w*nk. There are Xmillion children currently starving because of unpayable debt, and yet every single person here is more outraged that a curate just said 4 rude words in a church. You all need to sort out your priorities".

[eoinh]

For the first three or four hundred years christians used to pray like muslims do at the mosque now.

[Risteard]

I once heard a speaker from a a pulpit say
"f*ck, sh*t, c*nt, w*nk. There are Xmillion children currently starving because of unpayable debt, and yet every single person here is more outraged that a curate just said 4 rude words in a church. You all need to sort out your priorities".
Really?
thats brilliant, where was that?
Priests should be outspoken like that. Maybe that could restore respect for the clergy.
What a great way to wake up the church attendance.

[liam88]

Evil?
Ahh Bless....(oops) :D

Stop, throw aside your bias and think rationally for a minute. The current pope preaches that contraception is a sin. So you reckon that he said it was ok to use condoms they people wouldnt be dying from aids because they'd use them straigh away seeing as it was ok?:rolleyes:

Lets accept your line of arguement so for a minute anyway. Now Éanna what do you use condoms for? Now hold that idea just a second.....now...what is the Churches position on sex?

Now JP also preaches that sex outside of marriage is a sin. So they dont obey him for the sex part but follow him to the letter for contrception?

Condoms 99% effective
Abstanence 100% effective

So JP is evil eh?

Evil is invading a country for no (honest) reason
Evil is blowing up a bomb on a train full of innocent people
Evil is flying planes into a building full of innocent people

You have serious RC issues. Any you call yourself a Celtic fan:D:D

Fair play SOC I agree with this 100%
If they married, had a test and setled down then there would be no AID's (unless they chose to obviously)-it'd take a long time die out but if everyone followed our Pope's teaching then AIDs would die out!
Long live the Pope!

[eoinh]

You dont just get AIDS from having sex!!!

You can get it from Blood transfusions as well. You can be born with HIV also.


For people married say who are on the bread line do you advocate that they should abstain from sex? Having a child in these circumstances would lead to a level of poverty for the whole family that us westerners just cant imagine.


Getting back to Aids - its so endemic in some parts of Africa that many people dont realise wether they have HIV. Do you think that people married then who arent fully sure of their medical condition should not be allowed wear condoms and should just abstain from sex?

[green goblin]

Really?
thats brilliant, where was that?
Priests should be outspoken like that. Maybe that could restore respect for the clergy.
What a great way to wake up the church attendance.

It was at a service at a thing called the Greenbelt Festival. It's been going for years; used to be drippy happy clappy, now quite edgy. Recent speakers have included Ciaron O'Reilly, imprisoned for taking the bible verse "Turn your swords into ploughshares" literally and turning US F-16's to farm equipment, to the Archbishop of Canterbury on why The Simpsons is probably a gift from God.

But you're right, the clergy should be more outspoken. There's two ways of looking at Jesus. There's the doe-eyed, simpering vapid saint you get in a lot of (bad!) church art... and then there's the radical, long haired beardie revoltionary, outraging the religious leaders, embarassing the government, hanging out with whores, beggars, traitors, gunmen and Aids victims with a message about fierce, unbreakable love.

I think a lot of the church establishment (Of all varieties, RC, CoI, Prods)prefer the Jesus-lite version, because they think they can control him, and in all honesty they would be happier if he'd stayed dead!

[Lionel Ritchie]

Fair play SOC I agree with this 100%
If they married, had a test and setled down then there would be no AID's (unless they chose to obviously)-it'd take a long time die out but if everyone followed our Pope's teaching then AIDs would die out!
Long live the Pope!

That may be true Liam -but on the real planet earth skies are blue and grass is green. not whatever colour the pope sees.
Now tell me what the feck on "gods" green earth has the pope done to grasp that reality -rather than pontificating ;) about abstinence.

BTW my earlier point still stands that he shuts right up about abstinence when he's urging malnourished, uneducated, impressionable teenagers in south america and africa to "breed priests" to fill Europes evaporating "vocations".

I don't go so far as to call him evil - but his acts are those of an ignorant man blinded to the need for action by his own dogma. he asks banks (for whom i've no love or sympathy) and better off nations the world over to take a hit for the sake of jumpstarting the worlds poorer countries -but refuses to take any form of a hit to his own organisation.

[lopez]

I don't go so far as to call him evil - but his acts are those of an ignorant man blinded to the need for action by his own dogma. he asks banks (for whom i've no love or sympathy) and better off nations the world over to take a hit for the sake of jumpstarting the worlds poorer countries -but refuses to take any form of a hit to his own organisation.I'd go along with a lot of that. But that's the man-made side of religion. The corrupting influence that humans have had on Christianity by placing it within an organisation. I wouldn't say dump all the Michael Angelos and Raphaels on the market at once but one or two could feed a couple of battalions of starving people.

[SÓC]

Of course its not a solution to the AIDS problem, but then again Éanna's whole assumption of JP being evil based based on condoms.

Sell a few paintings to contribute? Sure that would contribute a bit but look how much the Catholic church gives already;

How much does the Irish/British/Americian Governments save thanks to the Churches. Can you imagne in the morning if the Catholic Church/COI decided they didnt want to play ball anymore.

If that was to happen;
Oppps there goes the whole education system. Ahhh crap our health service is gone too. Oh look no care places available anymore, oh dearie me half of the sports grounds in the country are also gone.

In short we would last very long or else the Government would have to spend countless times our GDP to aquire this services, sites, organisations etc

[JohnB]

Any scientific proof that we are related to monkeys (Wayne Rooney obvious exception)?


All life on the planet is related and, this can be demonstrated by comparing DNA profiles as well as using other taxonomic techniques. That some animals and plants can interbreed and others can't depends on many things, not least upon how far apart the genomes of each species have drifted. In general, very closely related species may sometimes be able to breed whereas in more distantly related species, it becomes less likely. But even when species are very closely related, they may vary in a way that prevents reproduction. e.g. sperm is exposed to strong evolutionary pressure and this can have a profound influence on whether or not reproduction can take place.

Because they can reproduce so quickly, evolution in small organisms can take place very rapidly. That some evolve when others don't depends upon what pressures they're exposed to. The HIV virus has evolved very rapidly over the past few decades, probably because it has been subjected to evolutionary pressure via the use of drugs. Different individual viruses will mutate in such a way as to make them resistant to a particular drug and therefore predominate over non-resistant viruses that will be wiped out. There is much more genetic diversity between different species of bacteria than there is in the whole of the animal kingdom.

Lopez, I'd never have thought you had so much in common with those from the bible belt ;)

BTW, no offence meant but the pope's a ****.

[Dublin12]

Where's Fr.Ted when you need him.Agree about the pope johnb,they're all saps

[drinkfeckarse]

Where's Fr.Ted when you need him.Agree about the pope johnb,they're all saps


Hey Hey Hey...leave Ted outta this :D

And regarding the Pope.....that would be an Ecumenical matter ;) :D