How about “None of the above?” for the final comment.  I don’t have any problem incorporating the idea of intelligent fellow hominids into my religious beliefs.  I may be uniquely broadminded, but suspect there’s a large middle ground between “These creatures prove religion is false” and “These creatures are a test of the Devil.”

It’s like those religious fanatics have an answer for EVERYTHING.

Oh gosh… just came to read and we posted about the same article… yours is more creative though! I defer…

i’m an atheist, therefore i believe in human evolution over hundreds of thousands of years.  i’ve known some theists that believe in human evolution as well.  they rationalize the
‘7 day creation thang’ as having been stretched over a longer period of time.  they believe this and still hold on to their faith.  hey, whatever helps you get through the day, bub.  some people choose alcohol, but many more choose religion.

i find it amusing when creationists look hard evidence in the mouth and respond with anger.  you can be spiritual and believe in evolution if you like.  but it’s foolish to deny hard evidence of where we actually came from to hold on to an idea that we’re fucking special.  responding with anger is a sign of weekness of conviction.  for those ‘zealots’ that do this, i suggest you get a bottle because you can’t deny the truth forever.

2) Would this “Hobbit�? be the evolutionary crown jewel?
That would show that humans belong in the animal kingdom and that humans are really not that unique.

Why would homosapiens NOT be considered part of the animal kingdom? Is this science or modern human ‘center of the universe’ conceit?

you got it.  one word -egocentrism.  that and it doesn’t fit in nicely with prominent religious teachings

I for one welcome our Hobbit brethren.  I’ll just wait around until they find Troll, Orc, Elven, and Dwarven skeletons and prove that Tolkein’s books were actually a historical account of old, forgotten times and not mere fantasy. 

Seriously though, this is really, really cool. 

I prefer the write up in the New Zealand Press.

Here

Given the way we humans act, is there really any doubt that we are members of the animal kingdom?

Good analogy, Eggman.

Brock, you’ve hit that nail straight through the fucking board!! Humans show all the group sophistication of Jackals or Hyenas on a good day.
On a bad day we are in a class by ourselves!
Homo Sapiens wiped out all our brother bipeds, or they evolved some really kickass ways of hiding themselves in plain sight.
It is a really sad thing to see a discovery like this in play as either proving or disproving someones personal religion!!
Eggman in the Religion I grew up in we are not in the center of the universe and we were supposed to balance our spiritual nature with the rational nature of the universe. Science not superstition was the key to advancing humankind. The problem now I think is the fact that the old guys don’t want to let go of their power.