#1 physics student in nation is a christian

[Riddick]

my boss was dean of the university of nebraska business school for 20 years.

his daughter, last year as a junior, was the #1 collegiate physics student in the united states. she's now working on her doctorate in physics at the university of washington.

she's also a christian.

How you like 'dem apples?

P.S.
Galileo...christian.
Isaac Newton...christian.
Stephen Hawking...has kicked about the idea of God.
Da Vinci...converted when near death.
Michaelangelo...christian.

[Phaycops]

A person's faith does not bear upon their ability to do sound science. The only problem is when someone's faith provides them answers that they then seek to prove, because this is not science. I call red herring.

[Suezoled]

Yeah...so?

Oh, are you trying to say something like "Christians are smarter than aetheists/ agnostics/ Jewish/ Muslim/ Hindus/ Shintoists/ Buddhists/ Pagans/ Taoists/ Confucianists/ etc" because one person who happens to be part of a majority religion in the United States also is very good in physics this year? Who was she competing against, this contestant? Other US physics students, I am guessing, as the award was for "Best Physics Student in the US"? Does that make Christianity superior? A decent human being would say no, as the religion does not dictate the moral character of the person.

Uh huh. Can you try a little harder Riddick?

Oh, and the historical references: yes, research was done by people to prove the existence of god, and some folks got other conclusions, but it did not shake their faith. Good thing they never listened to the liminality of the Church (Galileo was put under house arrest for his assertions about such things as planetary motion, and was only treated kindly because he his was an influental house, and would have cause more trouble to boot him than to just keep an eye on him), and thus progress was made.

And people on the JREF board? Also kicked about the idea of god. And Riddick...some folks on this board believe.

[Riddick]

still, isn't it a little bit disappointing she's not running around carrying the "atheist" flag?

[Riddick]

i imagine she wasn't the only physics student in the competition.

i know how hard it can be for you guys to accept the notions of things. unfortunately, i don't have her score reports or her competitors on hand, so i can make a handy hyperlink to it.

you'll just have to believe what i tell you is true.

[dmarker]

Quote:

Originally posted by Riddick
my boss was dean of the university of nebraska business school for 20 years.

his daughter, last year as a junior, was the #1 collegiate physics student in the united states. she's now working on her doctorate in physics at the university of washington.

she's also a christian.

How you like 'dem apples?

P.S.
Galileo...christian.
Isaac Newton...christian.
Stephen Hawking...has kicked about the idea of God.
Da Vinci...converted when near death.
Michaelangelo...christian.

Big deal. There are also brilliant physics students who practice hinduism, shinto, et. Does that mean anything?

By the way,
Einstein...Jew
Julius Salk, inventor of the polio vaccine, ...Jew
Thomas Jeferson...Deist

Who give a rat's behind? Seriously, if her work is good then her religion doesn't matter, if her work is bad her religion won't save her.

[Dylab]

Quote:

Originally posted by dmarker

Einstein...Jew

To be fair Einstein wasn't really a religious jew. He clearly stated that he didn't believe in a personal god.

I'm not sure but I believe Max Plank was also a Christian.

[Brian]

Quote:

Originally posted by Riddick
my boss was dean of the university of nebraska business school for 20 years.

his daughter, last year as a junior, was the #1 collegiate physics student in the united states. she's now working on her doctorate in physics at the university of washington.

she's also a christian.

How you like 'dem apples?

P.S.
Galileo...christian.
Isaac Newton...christian.
Stephen Hawking...has kicked about the idea of God.
Da Vinci...converted when near death.
Michaelangelo...christian.

I'm happy for this person. She's obviously quite gifted.
Hate the religon, love the religous.

[Martin]

Quote:

Originally posted by Riddick

Galileo...christian.
Isaac Newton...christian.
Stephen Hawking...has kicked about the idea of God.
Da Vinci...converted when near death.
Michaelangelo...christian.

On the other hand,

Riddick...christian.

Ah, well. Can't keep the pattern going forever.

[Phaycops]

Quote:

Originally posted by dmarker


Big deal. There are also brilliant physics students who practice hinduism, shinto, et. Does that mean anything?

By the way,
Einstein...Jew
Julius Salk, inventor of the polio vaccine, ...Jew
Thomas Jeferson...Deist

And let's not forget all the important scholarship done by the Muslims in astronomy and math.

[Skeptic]

unfortunately, i don't have her score reports or her competitors on hand, so i can make a handy hyperlink to it.

So you don't have her tests, her competitors, or even what the details of the contest were, but you "know" she is the "top physics student in the country".

[Quinn]

Quote:

Originally posted by Riddick
still, isn't it a little bit disappointing she's not running around carrying the "atheist" flag?

No. Why, is our collective lack of disappointment disappointing for you? If so, we could put on a little act where we pretend to get all huffy and flustered and say the kinds of silly, cartoonish things that some believers erroneously accuse us of saying, if it will make it easier for you. Here, I'll start.

*ahem*...

"What??? Well she's obviously not a REAL student of science then! This will never happen again once we succeed in our plot to force religion out of American society!"

There, did that help? I hope so, because it was quite fun for me -- kind of like living in a Chick tract for a moment.

C'mon everyone, it's fun! Who's next?

[Phaycops]

Quote:

Originally posted by Quinn


"What??? Well she's obviously not a REAL student of science then! This will never happen again once we succeed in our plot to force religion out of American society!"

Hey, Quinn, are you still coming over later to have stem-cell slurpies? I have some more plans outlined to make schoolchildren all liberal gay communists!

[Beleth]

Quote:

Originally posted by Riddick
still, isn't it a little bit disappointing she's not running around carrying the "atheist" flag?

Not even slightly.

But it's obvious that that our lack of disappointment disappoints you.

Way to express those Christian morals, pal.

[MLynn]

Quote:

Originally posted by Riddick
my boss was dean of the university of nebraska business school for 20 years.

his daughter, last year as a junior, was the #1 collegiate physics student in the united states. she's now working on her doctorate in physics at the university of washington.

she's also a christian.

There are many smart/together people who happen to be christians too. I hope she has examined why she believes the way she does. It might be interesting to talk with her. Riddick, you're feisty - I like you...

[Riddick]

Quote:

Originally posted by Phaycops
And let's not forget all the important scholarship done by the Muslims in astronomy and math.

the muslims are the descendants of ishmael of the bible.

muslims believe in the same God.

[Riddick]

Quote:

Originally posted by Beleth
Not even slightly.

But it's obvious that that our lack of disappointment disappoints you.

do you believe that?

[Riddick]

Quote:

Originally posted by Martin


On the other hand,

Riddick...christian.

Ah, well. Can't keep the pattern going forever.

Riddick...christian.

Riddick is a world class slalom skier, holding an open class rating of 36th.

[Martin]

Riddick is also an idiot.

[Suezoled]

Quote:

Originally posted by Riddick

the muslims are the descendants of ishmael of the bible.

muslims believe in the same God.

heh. No they don't. If they did, they're be Christians and they wouldn't read the Koran.

[Bjorn]

#1 physics student in nation is a woman ... well, that finally proves ..... whatever.

[The Bad Astronomer]

Judge not, lest ye be judged.

Pride goeth before the fall.

[Wrath of the Swarm]

Technically, the warning to "judge not" continues on to state that you'll be judged by the same standards you apply to others.

Judging justly isn't forbidden. The key is to question whether your own judgments are just or not.

[espritch]

Just as a point, I was a Christian when I first went to college and was still right up to the end of my junior year.

When I was a child I spoke as a child, I thought as a child; but when I became a man I put away childish things. Just because she's a Christian now doesn't necessarily mean she will remain one. A lot of people loose their faith when they get to college and find out a lot of the things they were taught as children don't actually appear to jibe with reality.

[Riddick]

Quote:

Originally posted by Suezoled
heh. No they don't. If they did, they're be Christians and they wouldn't read the Koran.

christians and muslims believe in the same god.

the muslims wrote the koran.

the muslims are the descendants of the family of ishmael, which is the family of abraham of the bible.

[Riddick]

Quote:

Originally posted by Wrath of the Swarm
Technically, the warning to "judge not" continues on to state that you'll be judged by the same standards you apply to others.

Judging justly isn't forbidden. The key is to question whether your own judgments are just or not.

yes, my favorite verses, matt 7:1,2.

you had it mostly, but a slight variation: what its actually trying to get across is that christ will judge you according to the way you judged others.

so your place in eternity, to some degree, hinges on how you judge others.

[(S)]

Quote:

Originally posted by Riddick
so your place in eternity, to some degree, hinges on how you judge others.

It's nice to know then that conservatives will get their comeupons ...

[Checkmite]

I have never met, in my entire life, a single person - regardless of his or her own religious or areligious beliefs - who was disappointed, crestfallen, or even slightly annoyed that "so many Christians were big important scientists". It doesn't matter. Nobody cares.

[(S)]

Snide remarks aside, what is the point of this?

It cannot be to justify Christianity through the achievements of [some of] its members. You will be hard pressed to find any atheist/non-theist/whatever of the opinion "All Christians are evil and their contributions to the world are meaningless." [And if you do, tell him he owes me another game of chess. But aside from him--] Very few non-theists have any problem with other people having religions. Their beliefs -- both the theists and the atheists -- are personal things.

Is it because you think that some poor, damned soul among us will see your list, think, "Well I'll be! Newton was a Christian, Newton was a bad-ass, and I want to be a bad-ass too, so I'd best renounce my life of sin and convert to Christianity!" That is rather unlikely. Almost to a man, we arrived at our beliefs in a personal way, not because it was the cool thing to do. Few are likely to be swayed away from their beliefs for the sake of peer pressure.

Is this then a pissing contest, a 'my belief system has larger genitalia than your belief system'? Well, then, let's make it interesting. We can appoint a council to officiate -- I'm sure it shouldn't be too hard to make an unbiased panel representing the full sprectrum of Earth's religions -- and set up official categories. We can judge the relative contributions of every major religion's members, with breakdowns for major sects and denominations of these religions, on a variety of categories. In the Sciences, Mathematics, Physics, Chemistry, and Biology, are obvious main categories, perhaps with Astronomy, Geology, and a few others thrown in. The Arts also need to be addressed. Sculpture, Dance, Music, Painting, et cetera. Social contributions are a plus. Engineering? The architects of the tallest buildings, longest bridges, as well as significant machines [Airplanes, rockets, computers]. I'm sure with a few more categories, it could become quite a definitive measure of the worth of various belief systems. There are a few wrinkles to be ironed out, though. For instance, who gets da Vinci?

[Kopji]

Jesus was Jewish.

[LFTKBS]

Looking forward to calling up UNLincoln tomorrow.

[T'ai Chi]

Quote:

Originally posted by Riddick
my boss was dean of the university of nebraska business school for 20 years.

his daughter, last year as a junior, was the #1 collegiate physics student in the united states. she's now working on her doctorate in physics at the university of washington.

she's also a christian.

How you like 'dem apples?

P.S.
Galileo...christian.
Isaac Newton...christian.
Stephen Hawking...has kicked about the idea of God.
Da Vinci...converted when near death.
Michaelangelo...christian.

Riddick,

I am a philosophical Daoist and I am happy for her accomplishments.

[Kopji]

Hee hee...
To be an intelligent and successful woman in Nebraska must be tough enough without being an atheist too.

I agree with Tai Chi though. Good for her.

We'll be checking to see if this is really true, that's the problem with skeptics.

PS: Tha't quite a list of 'Christians'.

[epepke]

Quote:

Originally posted by Riddick
still, isn't it a little bit disappointing she's not running around carrying the "atheist" flag?

No.

Next question?

[neutrino_cannon]

Science and Religion are only incompatable when one, the other or both are being very silly.

The fact that many of the greatest minds of all time belong to the most prevalant religion and not to mine (if it is one) comes as no suprise or disapointment, and in fact only reenforces my conviction that religion and science ought have nothing to do with each other. One who can practice faith and still be a very serious scientist is a ray of hope in an increasingly silly world.

[Quasi]

Quote:

Originally posted by Riddick
still, isn't it a little bit disappointing she's not running around carrying the "atheist" flag?

Not at all, three out of the four of the best scientists I know are theists, one a Mormon, one a Hindu and the other Xtian. All are well known in their fields and two hold faculty positions at the best science institutions, the other is in biotechnology industry. The question is whether they are good skeptics, regardless of faith. Right now in the US, skepticism is frowned on and irrational thinking is praised. This is the problem.

[varwoche]

Quote:

Originally posted by Riddick
...his daughter, last year as a junior, was the #1 collegiate physics student in the united states. she's now working on her doctorate in physics at the university of washington.
she's also a christian.

Big deal, there's excess time to study when you're not smoking reefer, screwing the football team, and otherwise raising hell, no pun intended.

varwoche

[Abdul Alhazred]

Quote:

Originally posted by Riddick

the muslims are the descendants of ishmael of the bible.

A spurious genealogy fostered by Muhammad.

The Bible doesn't say so.

Whenever Arabs are mentioned in pre-Islamic antiquity, they are living in Arabia and not fighting anybody.

[Tez]

I'm with espritch on this one.

As a child your religion is a reflection of your upbringing.

I will be disappointed if this girl stays a physicist and a christian. I've known around 10 or so people who were christians (mostly born again, but a few strict catholics) when they started studying physics, but who were apostate by the time they ended grad school. Also known two orthodox Jews (wore the penguin outfits and everything!) who deconverted. In fact, I personally only know of one exception to this general trend (and I know a lot of physicists...) Interestingly, most become somewhat radical in their atheism, presumably because you feel annoyed at having been fooled half (or more) of your life...

So, go tell your boss he has likely condemned his daughter by letting her out into the real world of thinking people. Perhaps he should send her to a nice christian college (stacks of them in the states) where her soul will be safe, while her brain undergoes eternal torment...

[Oleron]

Quote:

Originally posted by Riddick
still, isn't it a little bit disappointing she's not running around carrying the "atheist" flag?

Yes it is.

Well, it's what you wanted to hear,isn't it?

I'm just gutted.