As an agnostic, I think that parents who teach their children that Creationism (Earth is only 6-10,000 years old, dinosaurs died in Noah's flood, etc.) are hurting our society as a whole. They are ensuring that there will exist an ignorant section of the populace who will deny all scientific evidence for evolution for years to come. As a viewer of ABC News last night, I was appalled to hear about a duo who lead BC (standing for "Biblically Correct") tours of museums.
These two men preach ignorance to innocent children, telling them to ignore scientific theories and to use "because the Bible tells me so" as their go-to answer for all scientific mysteries. They have the kids parrot in unison, "How do you know?" when speaking of the theory of evolution.
But, they couldn't explain everything. The group of little Creationist children and their families were led right past a display explaining radiometric dating, which scientists use to help them figure the ages of fossils and other artifacts. Can't explain away the half-life of carbon with bible verses, can you? The scariest moment of all for me came at the end of the news segment, when a young girl said, "We didn't all just evolve some big ASTEROID or anything over like a bajillion years or something." Yup. I like the insightful critical thinking her statement invokes.
Seriously, if you really want to believe that every word in the bible is 100% true, then that is fine. It's a free country. But "BC" tours shouldn't be allowed in museums because museums exist to present the findings of educated scientists in their fields of study. Holding biblically-correct tours in museums is like saying that the Grand Canyon was carved in a day...with a chisel. (Pardon me if I sound awfully harsh. I'm an evolutionist, and it's hard to come up with a good analogy in terms of time frame.) Scientists have spent 150+ years doing research on the theory of evolution and coming up with a system of taxonomy ("families" of species and how they are all related through a common ancestor). Respect their research and go to an art museum or, to make things more fair, just don't take a guided tour of the museum if you are a Creationist; walk on through and interpret the exhibits for yourself. Plenty of evolutionists do that every day.
Personally, I don't believe in Creationism, but I do think everyone is entitled to their own beliefs.
As an agnostic myself, and an avid fan of Darwinism, I have to say these BC tours are ludicrous. To purposefully keep people ignorant should not be allowed (at least in museums). Christians are finding it harder and harder to accept science as it develops, maybe this is an escape for them. Oh well, if they want to be kept in the dark, like you said Free Coutry.
This is actually happening? Geez....
Goodness gracious. As a Christian, I believe that the Bible tells us what God wanted us to know. Honestly, do you think people back in Moses's time would really be able to comprehend evolution?
And that's comin' at ya' from yer local redneck hippie.
your comment reminds me of what a rabbi friend of mine told his son when he asked if science was right, or the Torah. He said, "Science tells us how the world came to be; the Torah tells us how to be in the world."
http://www.progressiveu.org/blog/ediblewoman
And that's exactly how I feel regarding science and the Bible!
And that's comin' at ya' from yer local redneck hippie.
Didi you know there is a university in Texas that offers a degree in creationism? What would they study for four years, I mean you can read the Bible in like a month if you really really put your mind to it?
practically along the same lines of Holocaust revisionists. Many preach that you shouldn't believe or trust people of the Jewish faith even if they claim to have lived through the Holocaust and have a serial number on their forearm. As one who has visited The Holocaust Museum in D.C, it is hard for me to understand why anyone denies historical facts. These creationsits can't back their side up with Biblical stories. Need people be reminded that God did not author the Bible nor does anyone claim he did (hopefully). The stories are nothing more than works of literature written by normal, yet very pious human beings. Creationism is a drag on society and human development and I feel sorry for the children who are force-fed the lies and mumbo-jumbo. Creationists are breeders of ignorance. Period.
Speaking of creationist ignorance...Check my blog on Ben Stein.
http://progressiveu.org/123517-oil-future-mr-stein-you-ve-lost-my-faith
Cheers!
while we need to keep the scientific facts in mind we also can't just throw our religious beliefs away.