Going back to chruch. What denominations are NOT agianst...

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I didn't mind it apart from the rules and stuff. It was so laid back compared to other denominations.
I'm not a Christian these days but I think people need to respect people who are.
No 'God isn't real' crap, ok?
Unless they are bigoted Christians like many people trying to get evolution out of schools, keep scripture class over ethics class, are against abortion and aren't racist but hate those Muslims.
But not all are like that. I hope.

If you're talking about my avatar picture, that is indeed me.

I am down with all of this. I don't know if this is in any way directed to my post explaining a few things about evolution, but I've known of many examples of this. Was more just discussing evolution in terms of the bigger picture. Evolution is still a theory, despite what level of the theory they're talking about today. Wanted to diffuse the argument if I could , because the fact of the matter is, even with pretty good evidence, nothing is solidified. So, religious or not, strong evidence or not, it is up to the person what he/she wants to believe. (in this day and time, at this point in research, etc).

Yeah I learned the hard way to can't argue the belief out of somebody if that belief is founded in emotion or tradition. What work for them works for them I guess.

There is at LEAST as much evidence that humans share common ancestry with chimpanzees as there is for the earth going around the sun instead of vice versa as Christians used to insist based on the same style of interpretation they use to deny the fact of evolution.

Evolution is as much a fact of nature as gravity is, and yes, I include so-called macroevolution of different "kinds" coming from common ancestors. It's funny that Michael Behe, one of the most frequently quoted advocates of intelligent design, concedes that humans and chimps share common ancestry, that it is true without a doubt. check page 72 of his book The Edge of Evolution if you don't believe me.

Evolution is not "just a theory." There is the fact of evolution, and the theories that explain it. From forty years of studying this subject, I would go so far as to say that the fact evolution occurs (yes, even macroevolution) is one of the strongest supported facts known to modern man. When you know about how much evidence there is of so many different types that all clearly show it happens, you find it incredible that there can be so much misinformation out there about this subject. That evolution does happen is NOT a scientific controversy by any means and anyone who suggests that is misinformed or lying. It is a social and religious controversy.

Behe misquotes have always been rather amusing to me. I read Black Box 4 or 5 years ago and I don't recall him speaking of man and apes at all

He's a molecular level specialist who's questions about irreducible complexity at that level were indeed interesting. That was the first half of the book. The second half I would say was a lot of marketing

On a sidenote I shall also pointlessly nitpick that gravity and newton's other laws as he understood them turned out to be only true on the working level, the theory of how it happens turned out to be a bit different, a conundrum we are still pursuing to this day ( I am referring to the advent of quantum level as well as relativistic studies)


(Shameless Edit) Is the specific case of the macro evolution of humans from apes etc well supported? I would say yes, and I am content with that. I think the world is more interested in pursuing the applications of natural selection and controlled mutation than it is with forcing people the believe a certain history, the research funding certainly seems to say that. It is obvious belief is not necessarily correlated with proof or reason anyway

Yeah, your post kinda set me off on the evolution issue. It's a subject I particularly enjoy. Had I gone into science, I probably would have become an evolutionary biologist.

There are a couple of things I would like to clarify (not that it matters much, but these are things I care a great deal about and I feel it's important to get it right.)

First of all you write "Evolution is still a theory" Actually evolution is a fact. It has been seen in action. There is a huge amount of evidence of it. It is easy to mistakenly think that "The theory of evolution" refers to if evolution occurs or if it does not. That is not what scientists are talking about when they refer to the "theory of evolution" What they are referring to is by which process evolution works. Does it occur by natural selection or by Lamarckian processes? Does it tend to maintain equilibrium for long periods only to make great evolutionary leaps in short periods of time or does it tend to occur in very gradual increments? Etc.

To clarify a bit on the concept of a theory; many people misunderstand the the meaning of the word "theory" and think it is the same thing as a hypothesis. A hypothesis is an initial suggestion of how something might work based on some set of observations. With a great deal of testing and refining of the hypothesis, eventually one either disproves the hypothesis or develops a structured explanation of how a process might be functioning. Once you have that structured description of a mechanism, you have a theory. When people say "it's just a theory" they are ignoring a rather large body of work that has gone into exploring how a system works.

The theory of evolution is not simply a guess as to how life developed on earth, but a very complex set of tested ideas that are able to explain a great many aspects of why life forms are the way they are and how those processes worked. It is a system of knowledge refined and improved through rigorous logic, experimentation and exploration. The theory continues to evolve as more is learned and flaws of logic are cleaned up. There is no doubt within the scientific community of the fact of evolution. The evidence and the logic is all there in the open for anyone to study if they are so inclined.

You are right to try to diffuse any arguments especially since that was not the purpose of the original post. I probably should not have stuck my nose in and even as I was writing the initial post on evolution, I was thinking "Don't do it. It will only lead to sorrow and gnashing of teeth!" Of course the way I see it is my rather dry, pedantic rants on science and logic are quite successful at killing even the most vigorous debate. Mission accomplished!

I go to a Methodist church. I find them rather open and accomodating. The Baptist church down the street has a autism mission and a autism teen club. So I am assuming they are very accepting of people on the spectrum. Though as some previous posters had indicated, I'm sure it has more to do with the particular group of people at the church, then the actual denomination itself.

I'm not sure how this thread turned into a evolution debate, it was even mentioned in the original post. But me personally, I believe in evolution.

Lol. It's okay. It's just I didn't want to get into details of specifics. I work with hypotheses and theories all the time. I'm a psychology major, so naturally, it's a requirement of me to develop papers largely based on hypotheses and theories. I was speaking in terms of the bigger picture anyway. I know, by way of biology and anthropology, that change is always taking place. But the components that encompass evolution are subject to much debate. As I said, I agree and acknowledge everything you have said (you've detailed everything I've ever learned in school). But being the way that it is, as you've explained, it can still be hard for those who are religious to side with that because much of the study of evolution still has theoretical components. By saying that "it's just a theory" is not to say it's not important. But to try and tell someone who is religious that everything about evolution has been proven as fact (not you, someone else) is what really made me want to say something. That's why I said this. Because if someone doesn't want to put faith in evolution, they obviously don't have to. We can't really argue too much with that, you know? I believe firmly in evolution, but others may not.

Edit: I'd also like to add that even when discussing fact vs. theory, fact is still something that has a different definition in the scientific community than it does in the public sphere. There is reasonable evidence to assume that we have descended from common ancestry (and I'm talking unicellular organism here) but no longitudinal (and I mean loooooooongitudinal) evidence that says this for an absolute certainty. So someone of religious faith can still refute this. Evolution is still a theory. While we can state that it is fact today (in science), it is still a theory in the long run.

Last edited by thisisshe on 12 Dec 2010, 11:44 pm, edited 1 time in total.

I'm the one responsible for hijacking the thread. My apologies to the original poster and everyone else. Let me answer the above though since I strongly suspect I am the "someone else" referred to, and if so I am being misrepresented or misunderstood (something I am used to, believe me).

I never meant to imply that everything about evolution is proven fact. First, "proof" is something you don't get in science. Maths might have proofs, but not scientific concepts. Science does not deal with absolute certainty, which is why many people are uncomfortable with it. That said, there is more than enough evidence of many different types to say it is near certainty humans are a species of ape that evolved from earlier life forms over billions of years if you go back to our earliest ancestors. That has been established WAY beyond any reasonable doubt a long time ago, and we are learning more details all the time, not less as the creationists or intelligent design crowd mistakenly claim.

Secondly, I don't "believe" in evolution. I accept evolution as a fact of nature just as I accept that the earth isn't flat, and for similar reasons: overwhelming evidence of many different types that this is so. I bristle at surveys that ask people if they "believe" in evolution. A better question is to ask if they accept the fact evolution occurs, and if not, why not? Evolution is as much a fact as gravity is, and we know a lot more about the mechanisms of evolution than we do about the mechanisms of gravity. It is "just a theory" exactly no more or no less than gravity is "just a theory." That's the way it is, and some people don't like it. If so, they need to take it up with their God for planting so much evidence that this is so.

Also, of course nobody has to accept the fact of evolution. What offends me though is when misguided idiots lobby politicians and school boards to sabotage the science education of American children in public schools. If they want to teach the earth is flat or similar nonsense, they can home school their kids. It is wrong in many ways, unChristian and UnAmerican to force their religious beliefs onto everyone else's children.

Does it have to be Christian? I have found great benefit from Buddhism.

If you'd prefer Christianity, maybe a nondenominational church?

Like someone said above, I think it just depends on the people who make up the congregation.

It's all good in the 'hood.

And honestly, I agree with you.

Isnt the reason for going to church to do with having a relationship with God?, rather than the other worshippers?

God himself is not against Autism/Aspergers, in fact he is more concerned for the downtrodded in this system of things.

Anybody Christian who is against Autism/Aspergers probably arent making God very happy.

Why are these religious threads allways infultrated by people who do not belive in God and would rather we didnt belive?, are they jealous that we have something they dont?
or do they earn brownie points with the Devil for every believer they convert into a non-beliver?
Allways shoving thier "evolution" down our throats, I had it all through school, and that David Attenborough, every third word is evolution.

Why arnt humans covered in fur then?
Whats the evolutionary advantage of having bald skin and either freezing to death, or getting sun burn and skin cancer?

We share 15% DNA with a cabbage, who wants to admit being decended from a cabbage then?

Personally I don't care if you believe in God or not, but I do care about real science being taught in the classroom. "goddidit" is not real science. And how can we earn brownie points from a Devil we don't believe in?

Anyway if I remember correctly, getting rid of fur allows humans to sweat, which helped in a hot environment we used to live in.

And we are not descended from a cabbage, we share a common ancestor that was a bacteria of some sort, it goes so far back.


Anyway, this topic needs to be moved, but I had to say something....

I didn't read the entire discussion because I saw too much debate starting. I stay out of religious debates. However, I will answer your question. I don't think it will be so much the denomination as the people. Also, size matters. I would say either very small or large would be good for aspies. Small is good, less people, less social stress. However, someone new will stand out, and likely attract the attention of the welcoming committee. Large can be overwhelming, but I've found easier to fly under the radar and attract less attention. Pick what you wish. Good luck!

If you have no intention of accepting Jesus as your savior, then don't go to church. In the beginning people will try to be nice and accommodating to you, but eventually you'll have to accept some of the core beliefs that they believe in.

But if you have no strong feelings about whether or not Jesus really died to save your sins (like some people who have responded to this thread clearly do), just about any denomination would do. If you're looking for acceptance, it's not so much about the denomination as it is about the people who are in the denomination.