Koosholts

Yeah, that was a satisfying post to make.

And thanks, I think it's a pretty cool background too. Yeah lol, I should probably put an epilepsy warning on my profile

It didn't actually give you a seizure did it? :hmm:

Thanks. You're too kind.

I'm not half as smart as I wish I was though.

You're very intelligent as well.

That's awfully kind of you to say. I'll try to be worthy of that praise.

I'm sure it will gain popularity in years to come.

I'm not sure if he was nominated for the Nobel. Perhaps. I know that his work with Keiji Kikkawa in String Theory got him lots of attention.

And yes, he built a particle accelerator in his parent's garage for his high school science fair lol. He ended up getting first place in the National Science Fair.

Lol. No problem Koosholts. I hope that list helps.

These are all in my personal library. I've got many more, but those are my favorites. Most of the books I listed deal with the Big Bang, Cosmology, Astronomy, String Theory, Quantum Mechanics, and General Relativity.

I've listed what I think are the best authors. Of them all, Michio kaku definitely my favorite. His books are truly amazing. There are a lot of authors out there but honestly, most of them kinda suck. The guys I listed are the real deal though; they know their stuff and how to present it.

I'm not that familiar with books specifically about Astrobiology (there's probably not that many because it's such a new field). If I come across anything though, I'll let you know.

An '*' means one I highly recommend.

Books by Michio Kaku:

Beyond Einstein: The Cosmic Quest for the Theory of the Universe (A little technical for beginners but a good overview of the history of String Theory)

Hyperspace: A Scientific Odyssey through Parallel Universes, Time Warps, and the Tenth Dimension* (A must read. Period.)

Einstein's Cosmos: How Albert Einstein's Vision Transformed our Understand of Space and Time

Parallel Worlds: A Journey Through Creation, Higher Dimensions, and the Future of the Cosmos* ( A great book about Quantum Cosmology and M-Theory)

Physics of the Impossible: A Scientific Exploration Into the World of Phasers, Force Fields, Teleportation, and Time Travel* (Another must read, especially in the later half of the book)

Books by Brian Greene:

The Elegant Universe: Superstrings, Hidden Dimensions, and the Quest for the Ultimate Theory* (Very similar to Hyperspace. Really good)

The Fabric of the Cosmos: Space, Time, and the Texture of Reality* (Discusses the nature of space-time from a relativistic and a quantum mechanical perspective)

The Hidden Reality: Parallel Universes and the Deep Laws of the Cosmos* (Everything multiverse is in this book)

Books by Stephen Hawking:

A Brief History of Time: From the Big Bang to Black Holes* ( A must read)

The Universe in a Nutshell*

The Grand Design* (A great book on how the universe could have came from nothing)

Books by Leonard Susskind:

The Cosmic Landscape: String Theory and the Illusion of Intelligent Design

The Black Hole War: My Battle with Stephen Hawking to Make the World Safe for Quantum Mechanics*

Books by Lawrence Krauss:

A Universe from Nothing: Why there is Something rather than Nothing* ( A must read if you're interested in the history of Cosmology and what Quantum Mechanics says about what possibly could have happened before the Big Bang)

Also:
Horizons: Exploring the Universe* ( College textbook. An introduction to Astrophysics) Horizons: Exploring the Universe, (0495559733), Michael A. Seeds, Textbooks - Barnes & Noble

Your Cosmic Context* ( College textbook. And introduction to Cosmology) Your Cosmic Context: Introduction to Modern Cosmology, (0132400103), Todd Duncan, Textbooks - Barnes & Noble

Universe: The Definitve Visual Guide* (A really good overview of Astronomy. It’s full of star charts and thousands of beautiful color pics and illustrations) BARNES & NOBLE | Universe: The Definitive Visual Guide by Martin Rees, DK Publishing, Inc. | Paperback

The 4% Universe: Dark Matter, Dark Energy, and the Race to Discover the Rest of Reality by Richard Panek

Death by Black Hole: And Other Cosmic Quandaries byNeil deGrasse Tyson* ( A great book)

You have asked the right person lol. I've read tons of great books on astronomy, physics, cosmology, etc. I'll compile a list of the best ones and send it to you in a minute.

I write eloquently? I appreciate that.

I've always been interested in English, and I was an English major in college...plus, I spent some time in law school and now work at a law office (not an attorney yet; taking time off law school to get some law firm experience, which I realized I sorely needed after one year). I think the legal environment especially has helped me learn not to use too many extraneous words, and the time spent with English (hopefully) fostered some clarity in my writing. But I dunno. I feel like I still have a lot to learn to express myself clearly--I'm very self-conscious of my limitations when it comes to English. >.>

Also, I don't do much else. Philosophy, law, English...that's pretty much it. Couldn't even learn a second language. You said you were interested in science, right (or was I just imagining that)? Yeah, I respect people who can do math and science...the really practical stuff. It's always a challenge for me.

On a totally different note, I saw your thread about finishing Majora's Mask. Congrats. You're not alone. I think I first finished that game last year, and boy, was it a painful process. Don't get me wrong, it's good, but it's damn hard.

Thanks. ^^

That's interesting about the contraception and abortion, something I knew nothing about. Albeit, from my own standpoint I'm convinced it still is as I've said. Modern media--that is, television or movies, even a majority of the music industry--all these are portraying messages seemingly with the intent of removing God's commands from daily lives. It influences daily lives, because many people love watching/listening to whichever form of entertainment (not that I'm blaming them). Therefore, this isn't about the number of believers standing up for their faith, but rather those who aren't accepting of religion trying to quell every fiber of it from society.

As I pointed out, this gives Satan and his forces the elbow room they need to distribute grievances over them. This in no way makes God impotent, but He consents to it for now, because He gave us free will. Conversely, the devil is not so lax; he's actively striving to keep everyone's attention off God's will. In other words, he's the real reason behind the suffering. Always hungry for souls, he thrives off misleading them, in a manner of speaking. Ultimately the choice falls to us, and by that we must decide for eternal life or hellish torment.

Regardless of whether they don't believe in God or devil, Satan will still pursue them. To him I'm certain they'd be free game, especially if God's Word never made it to them. This may sound cruel and unfair, but really, the Prince of Darkness doesn't care so long as his rapacious hunger is fed.

Finally, I doubt God wouldn't be receptive of your prayers even if you were unfaithful, yet I don't say that to proselytize. I'll happily pray for her, though.

Hi. Well, in order to not go off-topic in the thread, I decided to bring the issue here, if you don't mind me doing so. But if that does bother you, just let me know, and I'll be rid of this message, 'kay?

Anyway, I suppose my intended meaning wasn't put together, since I was speaking in observations and not absolute interpretations. To keep my thoughts short here, I was saying that modern society seems so set on removing God altogether, and this gives Satan and his forces the space they need to do their job. I believe the devil and co. are the true dispensers of suffering.

As for your grandma, I have no explanation other than that being the due course of nature. If you'd like I can pray for her, since she is an older Sister of mine. Your call.

I would actually argue that all three of those situations you presented are indeed natural. Deer are a part of nature. What they do on a daily basis (eat, reproduce, preform other cellular functions, etc.) is natural. Humans are also part of nature. Therefore anything we do as part of our daily habits is natural.

I see what you mean if you take the definition of natural as "the opposite of artificial," but I believe even artificial things are technically natural (this is going by the basis that anything humans do in their daily routine is natural). It's not a big deal, arguing those three things, but that's my take. Electricity is like... the most natural thing on that list, and that's something I won't budge on. Electricity was created using a natural resource (lightning). Electricity actually occurs in lightning, a natural process.

Back on topic of homosexuality being unnatural. I do believe it is mostly determined at birth. It's not something that you stumble upon all of a sudden. If you believe homosexuality is a psychological disorder, would you go as far as saying all psychological disorders are unnatural? They occur in humans by natural processes. Even mutations are natural. They occur in cells and genes by natural cell processes.

Hey, I wanted to comment on your comment on my post detailing how you say homosexuality is coined as not natural (just didn't want to throw the thread off topic).

According to dictionary.com, the definition of natural:

1. existing in or formed by nature (opposed to artificial): a natural bridge.
2. based on the state of things in nature; constituted by nature: Growth is a natural process.
3. of or pertaining to nature or the universe: natural beauty.
4. of, pertaining to, or occupied with the study of natural science: conducting natural experiments.
5. in a state of nature; uncultivated, as land.

"Existing in nature." Homosexuality not only exists in nature as we would describe animals in nature, but it exists among humans. Anything humans do is natural, technically. Nothing in the world can exist as unnatural, only perhaps "paranormal" (though that in itself is a separate discussion), because anything occurring in nature is called natural. And nature is literally everywhere, so therefore everything is natural. What do you think about what I said here?

Haha, oh yeah, I'm genuinely surprised that thread has survived long as it has. But this is a very understanding community, so that justifies my surprise.

Yes sir, it was yesterday, and today is my anniversary on the forums. First year, and it was a good one. Thank you very much; it was indeed a great b-day.

For me it's mashing my thoughts into few words as possible. I like my posts having some length to them, but I can be very concise while still working to achieve that that length. Even though I wouldn't say I'm opinionated, that's how I come off, namely in religious threads, but like you, I merely enjoy sharing my views. That's why I prefer simplicity, so that my post doesn't turn to more "intimate" opinions. xD

Ha, that's honestly ironic, because I wish I could describe whatever the topic with your length and clarity in posts. You actually do a very good job at bringing things to mind visually, and the grammatical issues are small enough that most people wouldn't even notice. Just keeping things that simple is something I'd love having the ability to do as well.