Originally posted by Mucker
How have these time estimates been calculated if no one was around?
Primarily via radiometrics:
http://www.asa3.org/aSA/resources/Wiens.html
Originally posted by jcarl
So you're saying that two nonliving things can combine and make a living thing.
Yes, the theory is called Abiogenesis and there is some evidence that suggests it is possible but nothing definitive yet:
http://www.americanscientist.org/template/AssetDetail/assetid/21438?fulltext=true
Even if that were the case wouldn't something somewhere down the road have to create that sun and that water, or at least provide the ingredients to create them?
The basic ingredients, hydrogen and a few others, were formed from the big bang. All subsequent elements were formed from hydrogen in the nuclear fusion of stars and supernova:
http://curious.astro.cornell.edu/question.php?number=345
The question you are leading up to, however, is what caused the 'Big Bang'. And, quite frankly, nobody knows. There are various hypothesis but no evidence as of yet.
In my opinion, it takes more faith to believe in what you do than to believe what I do.
My suggestion is that you study both religion/philosophy and science. Religion and philosophy attempt to answer human questions while science answers question about how the world works. Neither is particularly good at explaining things in the realm of the other.
Originally posted by Crystal
Haha - it's effing sick how stupid theists are.
I assure you that there are some theists here that could whoop your ass (intellectually of course). Give it a rest.
I feel like I"m in that movie "time machine" where the smart creatures live above and these dumb smelling animals live below.
Of course, if you had actually read the book rather than only watching the movie you would know that you got it backwards. The Morlocks were the 'intelligent' and the Eloi were the ignorant ones.
Originally posted by okinrus
Also a dead cell has never been observed coming back to life despite having all the necessary ingredients.
It depends upon what you mean by dead. Non-functioning cells are brought back to 'life' quite often by geneticists with a tiny electric shock.
~Raithere