I really wonder how long we’ll have to put up with creationism and creationists? Perhaps today is a good day to discuss this issue. It’s the 12th of September here, but as of writing it is still the 11th in the USA, the 10th anniversary of the most heinous terrorist act of this generation. Regardless of whether it was primarily motivated by religious zealotry or not (I’m not going to get into that debate), it certainly inspired a religious backlash, a resurgence of fervour for fundamentalist Christianity.
As you probably know, the “creation-evolution” debate is not scientific in nature, it is cultural. The issue isn’t happening in the lab, or between scientists, but in the public square. Creationists aim at children, and the scientifically illiterate. They target the easily bamboozled and those who won’t go and check their facts. Once their plague has infected someone it is very difficult to cure. Many even go through the motions of higher education, sometimes even in the scientific realm, and still come out a science-denying baboon. It has been said that the typical “Creation Scientist” has a doctorate in Chemistry, Computer Science or Engineering. Not to badmouth those fields at all, but they don’t exactly resemble biology. In the case of Engineering and Computer Science, they are fields that deal almost exclusively with man-made, purposefully designed objects. So it is easy to see where their misplaced expertise lies, take an understanding of synthetic codes and design, alongside a religious and ideological agenda (perhaps from childhood indoctrination) and you have a cookie-cutter [dis]”reputable” Creation Scientist.
I don’t think it is possible (or necessary) to try to get rid of religion as a whole, and it may even be a difficult task to tone down, or get rid of fundamentalism, especially when we periodically see “revivals” of it, like this past decade as a reaction to Islamic fundamentalism. If fundamentalism is to be done away with, it must come from within the religion. Christians have to take out their trash. Muslims have to take out their trash. It is up to the religious establishments to clean shop. Though influence from outside the fold does happen (I am one who left from outside influence), it simply cannot give the results that we wish it to. If moderate and liberal Christians want to curb fundamentalism, they have to up their game. I am more than happy, as are thousands of other “new atheists” to offer our criticisms, but we can only do so much.
Take home message: To moderate and liberal believers, your shit stinks, for both our sakes, flush it! Please!
I agree the liberal Christians need to up their game.Its all very well talking about all the harm that some Christian fundamentalist groups do ,to many families caught up in the ongoing abuse these groups are still involved in.But we need to also see more liberal Christians taking some real action.
ReplyDeleteOh..oh, oh buddy, OH my garsh, OM(nonexistent)Gawd...did I write this post because I couldn't have said all those things better myself. i'm so stunned and without words I don't know where to begin.
ReplyDeleteFirst of all, I always thought that liberal Christianity should team up with The Mighty New Atheist because we have the same opponent in literal Christianity and biblical interpretations. If I were a Christian I would cringe every time westboro baptist church was in the news or Bill Donahue and the Catholic League.
The battle for the public classrooms here in the states is hardly ever talked about in the media, and yet it is sooooo important. Sure the science classroom is under attack by the cre-tards, but the history classroom is also under assault (American was founded on Christian values, the bible was intened to be taught in public schools etc...).
I agree, religion is here to stay, but to what extent...history will say.
Good luck, buddy. Great post.
Kriss
Haha, thanks Kriss.
ReplyDeleteI'm in no way an accomodationist, but I think that any effort to reduce conflict and to curb anti-scientific nonsense is in everyone's best interests.