I’m probably not the only person insanely irritated by the stupid debate about whether or not Creationism should be taught in school instead of (or along side of) Evolution.
It seems to me that people who believe that ‘Evolution’ or any other scientific theory should be replaced by a creation myth has lost track of what it means to have faith in a creator. Faith is not about proving that God exists or trying to manipulate a religious belief system into explaining physical things that frankly don’t really matter that much anyway. Theology deals with stuff that should be seen as leagues more important than finding out if the layers of that rock over there were created by sedimentation or God’s paint brush. Stuff like loving your family, building a healthy community, raising your children, compassion and selflessness.
I just read this article on BBS News (it was on google news’s front page at the time of this post) and it really started to piss me off. The writer is yet another militant liberal making ALL people of faith look like bush-loving, anti-science cavepeople who are simply wrong about their beliefs.
His tone is hateful, condescending. A quote:
Bush and the ID people are fooling no one. Look who cheers when the president makes such remarks: not scientists–who overwhelmingly reject “intelligent design”–but bible toters, theocrats and preachers. (….) This is not science vs. science. This is poorly disguised religious dogma vs. the fact of evolution.
He goes on to say that Creationists interpret “gaps” in scientific knowledge as evidence that science is at an end and he implies that religious people feel that it is only these scientific gaps that allow room for God at all. He basically characterises people of faith as complete idiots when he says,
Let’s ask creationists: Someday, when these gaps have closed and all your purported examples of “irreducible complexity” have been satisfactorily explained by science, will you abandon your belief in a god?
Hopefully not! Holy fucking shit. when did this become a “you people aren’t allowed to believe in God once science explains everything” issue?
I want to beat someone over the head with a frying pan! Science and religion don’t need to be contradictory entities! Forgive me for taking a stand similar to “can’t we all just get along”, but shit. this is really ridiculous.
I do have to give this writer some credit. His story begins as a criticism of just President Bush and the notion that he is “using his office to legitimize his theistic views, which happen to be the origin myth of the believing bloc that voted him into office,” which I think is a valid criticism and I’m with him on his point of view on that. My favorite quote rhetorically asks if since Bush seems to believe that “both sides ought to be properly taught”, does he advise properly teaching the creation mythologies of other cultures, or other origin theories such as extra-terrestrial origins. Nice one.
But the story degenerates into a spiteful attack on believers that just makes me feel angry at a “fellow liberal”.
*sigh*
fellnearshiva | 06-Aug-05 at 9:54 pm | Permalink
i don’t believe in anything so it’s all the same to me :D
crazygerad | 06-Aug-05 at 11:02 pm | Permalink
*considering he just read bits of it* Well I do agree that politicians have been using the Religion tactic to get into office since there are religious fanatics that would do anything not to think and do whatever their preacher tells them to. Still considering only 20% or so of the US population actually goes to vote on those things who knows if it really makes a huge difference.
My belief is that people should see the scientific and the theological view on the thing. Still not to become obsessed with one or the other but just for them to make their own informed decision for which they want to go living with. I have been trying to find some answers to life big questions and the answer I have come up with is that we live because we wanted/want to live, but still everyone has their own reasons and stuff.
Well I do like the “Believe whatever comes out of your arse as long as you don’t bother no one” but sadly we live in a world where catolics, evangelist and all these one religion to rule them all religions, just think: “Believe what I say or I kill you” Which historically has happened quite some times.
Seems interesting when I am not sleepy I will read it more throughly
xjaymanx | 06-Aug-05 at 11:24 pm | Permalink
::nods:: … just as religion itself evolves over time, evolutionists can never hope to fully explain what evolved BEFORE the big bang… if creationists can leave some room for science/evolution, why can’t evolutionists leave some room for religion/god? … thanx for sharing ;)
durandal1707 | 07-Aug-05 at 6:18 am | Permalink
i don’t believe that you don’t believe in anything. do you?
actinide | 07-Aug-05 at 1:23 pm | Permalink
Science and religion don’t need to be contradictory entities!
Everything else aside, this is something that I’ve been quietly saying for years. I live with an anti-religion atheist, and members of my extended family are anti-science catholics. It drives me absolutely insane to listen to each side complain about the other being “close-minded” and “unaccepting”, then proceed to wage war on the other party’s beliefs.
Yesterday, we drove up the coast to Santa Barbara and stopped at the old mission there. They were ringing the bells for mass, and I wanted to see the inside of the chapel (it’s beautiful by the way), so I slipped in during the procession. Before going in from the foyer, I made the sign of the cross and I thought John was going to fall over and die right there. He kept poking at me for “falling off the wagon” and letting the “little catholic girl resurface”. He just couldn’t understand that I did it out of respect for the beliefs of the people around me, not out of any remenant belief of my own or even habit.
They drive me crazy, the lot of them.
doubleyou | 15-Aug-05 at 10:52 pm | Permalink
The rabid anti-religion people only give vindication and purpose to those who would legislate their religion on everyone else.
As far as I’m concerned, people can have all the religion they want, organized or otherwise, as long as they don’t try to force it on others. And conversely, nobody should be trying to outlaw religion either.
fellnearshiva | 20-Aug-05 at 3:37 pm | Permalink
oh that was just a melodramatic attention stunt, dont worry