Are evolution deniers in the “intelligent design”/creationism movement adopting the disruptive tactics of rowdy folks who besieged “town hall” meetings in August to protest health insurance reform? We hope not. But it’s a fair question considering an extra-credit assignment some students at a fundamentalist Christian seminary were offered last week.
A little background: Southern Methodist University in Dallas is hosting a series of events this year to mark the 200th anniversary of Charles Darwin’s birth and the 150th anniversary of his seminal book, Origin of the Species. This week the university is hosting panel discussions and screening of a NOVA documentary about the war evolution deniers have waged on science education.
Now William Dembski, a mathematician and philosopher who teaches at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in Fort Worth and who has emerged in the last decade as one of the leading proponents of “intelligent design”/creationism, wants his students to attend the SMU events this week. From his Web site:
“I don’t want you going there merely as spectators but will indicate in class how you might actively participate and engage the Darwin-lovers you’ll find there.”
“Engage the Darwin-lovers”? Hmmm… This should be interesting.
In any event, it might be more informative for Dembski’s students to engage their own professor in some truth-telling about the propaganda war on sound science education. Check out this article from last month about Dembski’s antics in the past.
Dembski said
“I don’t want you going there merely as spectators but will indicate in class how you might actively participate and engage the Darwin-lovers you’ll find there.”
I thought ID/creationism was about some better alternative science that is yet to be discovered. Now he says it’s about “love.” Well, he might be right. I love Jesus. I also love the Charles Darwin that Jesus SELECTED to reveal the scientific truth (as the prophets of old) behind his Genesis 1 parable. Jesus said that in future times knowledge among men would become greatly increased. He was “spot on” with that prediction. The year 1859 was the appointed time for one of those increases, and Darwin was there to do the increasing.
It’s really too bad that Bill Dembski and the “Great White Hunter” who hired him cannot realize this because they have chosen, as fallible human beings, to adhere to the man-made philosophy of Biblical inerrancy. Ultimately, Patterson and Dembski will fail in their war against evolution because what they adhere to is not the truth. Jesus is truth. All truth his truth. Evolution is his truth. As the Southern Baptists used to say before they got bushwhacked by Christian Neo-Fundamentalist philosophy, “…the truth will stand when the world is on fire.” I fully expect Jesus and evolution will be standing there side-by-side on that day.
“Darwin-lovers?” Is he calling the reality-based community necrophiliacs?
Dang, I wish I were closer to Dallas.
I’d love to see a juxtaposition of Straussian “noble lies” used by neo-conservatives, especially in the run-up to the Iraq War, and those like Dembski who readily lie about evolution.
I went yesterday at 7. I only noticed two or so Apologetics. The remainder were pretty supportive.
Alas, here in Dallas, none of Demski’s students were (vocally) present at any of the sessions, including at 7. All quiet on the evolution front. And the sessions themselves were quite revealing of the inner workings at Kitzmiller.
We’re glad to hear that things went well, Ron. Kudos to SMU for hosting this fantastic series of events on evolution, Charles Darwin and the importance of science education.
When the first two legged humany like critter staggered out of the cave, it said to the nearby tree…….”wuz I creaded or did I evolve frum sumpthin?”
The tree replied : “You and I is billions of light years old and we both evolved frum sumpin much simpler than we is now like methane and sum other gazzez”.
OUCH………The truth hurts|
“OUCH………The truth hurts|”
That’s truly a sad thing, to me anyway. I look at my hand and try to comprehend how I am looking at the results of truly titanic explosions in space. Stardust. Mind-blowing.
I feel as though I am indeed fortunate in my lack of belief in gods/supernatural, in that I was never actually headed towards belief, nor was I asked to as a child. This is not some smug slap at Christians/religious, at least, I don’t mean to sound like that. It’s just that I have the option, should there be evidence found for the Christian God/Jesus divinity, or anything that points in that direction, I would hope that I would follow that evidence, though I also believe as Dr. Sagan suggested, and I know I’d need a whole lotta ‘splainin’ to convince me of an actual Christian God. In the meantime, I have no problem incorporating what astrophysicists have found to be likely answers to how and what we are, and I’m sure that future findings may force me to alter my opinions accordingly.