As we mentioned last time, our current textbook-shaped object, Biology For Christian Schools, by William Pinkston, takes a pretty novel approach to science, telling students that if scientists' conclusions "contradict the Word of God, the conclusions are wrong no matter how many scientific facts may appear to back them." And so, since the Book of Genesis quite clearly states that God created life, the universe, and everything in six days, and since all those "begats" in the New Testament's genealogy of Jesus only add up to four thousand years or so, it only stands to reason that everything about modern evolution and geology must be a lie. This creates (haha!) certain difficulties for the textbook author, since the correct answer to so many questions is "God did it," but the book still has to be more than a single page. And so we get a lengthy chapter about why biological evolution is impossible, and the Book of Genesis is literally true -- but it really does all boil down to hand-waving and attempts to shoehorn some bits of science into the biblical narrative.
I agree that Dok is overreaching here, but agree with him that scientism is a word that should make you check that your bullshit detector has a fresh battery. I lurk at Jerry Coyne and P.Z.'s sites, and sightings of "sophisticated theologians" inveighing against scientism are common. "Different ways of knowing" will usually be mentioned. Also "spiritual", a word which is useful in referring to a certain musical genre, but is usually, in my opinion , meaningless.
Flaky, sure, but at least it's more optimistic than "You are born already fucked up, and if you don't believe what we tell you you will burn for eternity."
Mmmm ... she did have <a href="http:\/\/renatofelix.files.wordpress...\/2008\/11\/cantando-na-chuva-06.jpg" target="_blank">competition.</a> Legs stopped evolving, right there.
My legitimate religion <a href="http:\/\/storeimages.impulsedriven.com\/product_gfx\/crusaders3.jpg" target="_blank">has a way of shutting your religion down. </a>
This is way too late, but I can&#039;t resist. That &quot;pi = 3&quot;, referring to either 2 Chronicles or 1 Kings, comes up frequently in the &quot;Sundays with the Christianists&quot; series. As Wookies points out, believers have expended a lot of energy trying to make the Bible consistent with fact. The explanation linked to goes back to Rabbi Nehemiah in around 150 AD. Its great failing is that you have to measure the *inside* diameter of a bowl. Think about that for a while. What beats me is that there&#039;s an easy out: &quot;3 is close enough for government work&quot;. Wikipedia claims that this is (essentially) what Maimonides said. The upshot of this absurdly long post is that I went looking for evidence of this and found <a href="http:\/\/www.rationalistjudaism.com\/2010\/03\/happy-pi-day.html" target="_blank">these</a> <a href="http:\/\/www.abarim-publications.com\/Bible_Commentary\/Pi_In_The_Bible.html#.UXSs5tfNGZA" target="_blank">two</a> scholarly discussions. What? Are they by Jews or Christians? Yes!
I agree that Dok is overreaching here, but agree with him that scientism is a word that should make you check that your bullshit detector has a fresh battery. I lurk at Jerry Coyne and P.Z.&#039;s sites, and sightings of &quot;sophisticated theologians&quot; inveighing against scientism are common. &quot;Different ways of knowing&quot; will usually be mentioned. Also &quot;spiritual&quot;, a word which is useful in referring to a certain musical genre, but is usually, in my opinion , meaningless.
She should have plunged into the sun with Anders.
Or maybe Teilhard de Chardin.
Flaky, sure, but at least it&#039;s more optimistic than &quot;You are born already fucked up, and if you don&#039;t believe what we tell you you will burn for eternity.&quot;
All of us?
Mmmm ... she did have <a href="http:\/\/renatofelix.files.wordpress...\/2008\/11\/cantando-na-chuva-06.jpg" target="_blank">competition.</a> Legs stopped evolving, right there.
The existence of these ignoramuses (ignorami?) is, ironically, incontovertible proof that the species still has a ways to go.
My legitimate religion <a href="http:\/\/storeimages.impulsedriven.com\/product_gfx\/crusaders3.jpg" target="_blank">has a way of shutting your religion down. </a>
What part of Bible inerrancy don&#039;t you believe?
FIFY
I never <i>make</i> anybody do anything . . . and I never will need to.
This is way too late, but I can&#039;t resist. That &quot;pi = 3&quot;, referring to either 2 Chronicles or 1 Kings, comes up frequently in the &quot;Sundays with the Christianists&quot; series. As Wookies points out, believers have expended a lot of energy trying to make the Bible consistent with fact. The explanation linked to goes back to Rabbi Nehemiah in around 150 AD. Its great failing is that you have to measure the *inside* diameter of a bowl. Think about that for a while. What beats me is that there&#039;s an easy out: &quot;3 is close enough for government work&quot;. Wikipedia claims that this is (essentially) what Maimonides said. The upshot of this absurdly long post is that I went looking for evidence of this and found <a href="http:\/\/www.rationalistjudaism.com\/2010\/03\/happy-pi-day.html" target="_blank">these</a> <a href="http:\/\/www.abarim-publications.com\/Bible_Commentary\/Pi_In_The_Bible.html#.UXSs5tfNGZA" target="_blank">two</a> scholarly discussions. What? Are they by Jews or Christians? Yes!
&quot;this type of fundamentalism just seems exhausting.&quot;
Only if you think about it.
Has the Texas Board of Eduation approved this book for the teaching of science? Because I can see a Federal case in their future if they do.
Obviously you&#039;re not a Battlestar Galactica-er. (that&#039;s #6)
Ooops- got some Eskimo blood on Taaad&#039;s side. The Nuremberg Laws would clearly disqualify him.
I would extend that to anyone who wears a hat backwards or has a weird (to my ears) name.
In the film version God will be portrayed by Kelsey Grammer and Jesus by Kirk Cameron.