Entry 752, on 2008-04-23 at 20:11:35 (Rating 3, News)
I enjoy living in a world full of crazy and unusual people with weird and wonderful ideas. That's one of the reasons that, while I have a disdain for most religious people, I would never want to see them all convert to atheism. We need variety in the world and I need someone to argue with! Similarly, I never want the world to switch from Windows PCs to Macs because then I would be in the majority and that's not necessarily where I want to be.
Even the nutters who believe in crazy stuff like Atlantis, UFOs, ghosts, goblins, dragons, the Loch Ness Monster, etc, have their place because they just add to the variety of experiences we have. I find that debating with these people is frustrating because they have such a poor grasp on reality that its difficult to have a sensible discussion with them, but without them the world would be a lesser place.
OK, so now to get to the subject this is all leading to...
Apparently Muslim scientists and clerics have called for the adoption of Mecca Time to replace GMT. They seem to think that Mecca is the true centre of the Earth. I haven't been able to find any evidence supporting this belief apart from that it says so in the Koran. And how a point on the surface of a spheroid can be its center I don't know - except maybe its the Earth's "spiritual" center. After all, if you throw a few meaningless words like spiritual in and you can support any contention!
To give you an example of how totally inane the discussion becomes once these words are thrown in look at this quote: "But the movement is not without its critics, who say that the notion that modern science was revealed in the Koran confuses spiritual truth, which is constant, and empirical truth, which depends on the state of science at any given point in time." In this context "spiritual truth" seems to just mean some random fictitious story they want you to believe.
If that is the way Muslim scientists now think then I'm not surprised their civilisation has fallen from its former lofty heights to the miserable state its in now (many people don't know that a lot of great philosophy, maths and science was carried out in Islamic countries before their religion attained its current stranglehold on free thought).
Its true that locating the prime meridian at Greenwich, England was an arbitrary decision (the French wanted it at Paris) but its a decision which we are all used to now and it recognises the former importance of the British Empire. Changing it to another, equally arbitrary point, is just stupid, especially if its as the result of pressure from a religion which stifles freedom to the extent that Islam does.
Of course, there's no chance it would ever happen. Well maybe Islamic "scientists" might use it, but they are largely irrelevant now since it seems that their science isn't really very important any more. Do some research on recent contributions by Islamic scientists to the greater human total knowledge and you will see my point.
I should emphasise though, that I think its great that they have made this suggestion. Its just as much fun as someone discovering a new species of unicorn, or proof that the Loch Ness monster really exists, or maybe the tawdry account of a UFO abductee!
So please keep making those wacky suggestions. I just love them!
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