LJ-SEC: (ORIGINALLY POSTED BY seshen)

Conservative religious broadcaster Pat Robertson said Wednesday that his remarks about the removal of Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez were taken out of context and that he never called for the killing of the Latin American leader.

"I didn't say 'assassination.' I said our special forces should 'take him out.' And 'take him out' can be a number of things, including kidnapping; there are a number of ways to take out a dictator from power besides killing him. I was misinterpreted by the AP [Associated Press], but that happens all the time," Robertson said on "The 700 Club" program.

LJ-SEC: (ORIGINALLY POSTED BY gothic_oreo)

I was thinking over this whole Intelligent design vs. Evolution bit, and a realization hit me. This is not about faith or cultural values. Look at the natural end of questioning on both issues:

Intelligent Design -> Why? -> God -> Why? -> The bible says so.

Evolution -> Why? -> Scientific observation and fossil records -> Why? -> Not sure, but feel free to look into it and add what you find.

Granted, there are dogmatic evolutionists, but if one is being true to the scientific method, Evolution will keep, well, evolving. The very basis of the scientific method encourages questioning and open dialogue.

On the other hand, intelligent design is just the opposite. It only encourages questioning in the vein of learning where the boundaries are. Ultimately, it is about obedience to what is written rather than questioning and growth. By pushing intelligent design, it's advocates are pushing blind obedience to thier dogmatic beliefs. They see no room for questioning, as questioning loosens thier grip on the minds of thier adherents. They are not pushing faith, they are pushing control and unquestioning obediance with them at the helm.

On a similar note, the states should start saying to ID groups, sure, we will teach intelligent design in the classroom, but only if we can come into your church and teach evolution.