oh goodie, someone WITH a brain that would like to engage in conversation...

...this might be good.

Your assumption about my religious philosophies is, as are most such assumptions, faulty. I'm not sure specifically what words I typed that led you to that inference as I have been diligent in keeping my religious philosophies to myself. I do however rail against religious intolerance of any kind because after all, we do live in a country where you are supposed to be free to worship/believe as you choose. My railings come from what I feel are the erosion of that freedom in this country....

First, on dinosaurs...

Yes, I am fully aware that 65 million years is the generally accepted time frame for the extinction of dinosaurs. Some frequent posters in here have espoused a strictly biblical interpretation of creationism. What's the difference between 65 million and one million to people who believe the earth and all of the life thereon is only 13, 000 years old?

On ancestry...you are missing the exposition of a thousand fanatical religious posts, my friend. The 'joke' I was attempting to belittle was made by someone who believes that modern man was created in its current form and has not evolved from one species to another. Since you seem to be as interested in the sciences as I am, you must know that the best scientific evidence suggests otherwise, regardless of the overall ability of Darwin's theories to hold water. My words were directed at someone who actually believes his ancestors, modern form, walked with the dinosaurs. If not that, then some other cockamamie explanation for the bones of dinosaurs.

I can see how in your eyes the joke might have failed, but rest assured, there are others here that know of which I speak.

on evolution....

I think Darwinian evolutionary theory is flawed....that said, evolution of species has been repeatedly observed in nature, super-bacteria being a prime example. Other examples include the disparate ways homo sapiens have evolved geographically and insects that develop resistance to pesticides. So.....Evolution as dogma or an umbrella philosophy? No I don't believe.....but, to say that life forms do not evolve would be erroneous in the least.

If I were to characterize my beliefs in some way it would be agnostic with a lean towards intelligent creation of some kind....I base that lean on observation of nature and evidence such as you pointed out....DNA, the prevalence of the golden ratio and fractal gemetry in the design of living things....observable order in what we usually see as chaos.

I freely admit, probably too often, that I am under-educated in the traditional sense. The one way that works to my advantage is that I am never chained to what I've learned or believe. This flexibility, imo, is what allows my philosphies to evolve (excuse the expression) and not stagnate in 'rightdom'.

lastly....

What is wrong with pointing out the hypocrisy of someone who shouts 'hypocrite'? Isn't that what the poster of this thread is doing if not directly, by inference?

....and you have to admit, admonishing non-christians for particpating in christian celebrations is awfully hypocritical coming from a group that stole half of its religious symbolism from the pagans of pre-christian europe. Sorry....that might be a bit of a stab in the dark for you there, it may be more like sixty five percent......

BTW....I didn't detect any disrespect in your post.