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 A World Where Lies Are TruePosted on Mar 26, 2007
By Chris Hedges “Before they seize power and establish a world according to their doctrines, totalitarian movements conjure up a lying world of consistency which is more adequate to the needs of the human mind than reality itself; in which, through sheer imagination, uprooted masses can feel at home and are spared the never-ending shocks which real life and real experiences deal to human beings and their expectations. The force possessed by totalitarian propaganda—before the movements have the power to drop iron curtains to prevent anyone’s disturbing, by the slightest reality, the gruesome quiet of an entirely imaginary world—lies in its ability to shut the masses off from the real world.” —Hannah Arendt, “The Origins of Totalitarianism” In the middle of the lobby of the 50,000-square-foot Creation Museum in Petersburg, Ky., a 20-foot waterfall tumbles. Two life-size figures of children with long black hair and in buckskin clothes play in the stream a few feet from two towering Tyrannosaurus Rex models that can move and roar. The museum, which cost $25 million to build and has a sea of black asphalt parking lots for school buses, has a scale model of Noah’s ark that shows how Noah solved the problem of fitting dinosaurs into the three levels of the vessel—he loaded only baby dinosaurs. And on the wooden model, infant dinosaurs cavort with horses, giraffes, hippopotamuses, penguins and bears. There is an elaborate display of the Garden of Eden, where Adam and Eve, naked but strategically positioned so as not to display breasts or genitals, swim in a river as giant dinosaurs and lizards roam the banks. Before Adam and Eve were expelled from paradise, museum visitors are told, all of the dinosaurs were peaceable plant-eaters. The evidence is found in Genesis 1:30, where God gives “green herb” to every creature to eat. There were no predators. T-Rex had such big teeth, the museum explains, so it could open coconuts. Only after Adam and Eve sinned and were cast out of paradise did the dinosaurs start to eat flesh. And Adam’s sin is a key component of the belief system, for in the eyes of many creationists, in order for Jesus’ death to be meaningful it had to atone for Adam’s first sin. The museum has a theater equipped with seats that shake and gadgets that spray mist at the audience as the story of God’s six-day creation of the world unfolds on the screen and the sound system rocks the auditorium. There are 30-foot-high walls that represent the cliffs of the Grand Canyon, floors that resemble rocks embedded with fossils, and rooms where a “Christian” paleontologist counters the claims of an “evolutionist” paleontologist. It has the appearance of a real science museum, complete with a planetarium, a gift shop and plaques on the wall with quotes from creationist “scientists” who have the title doctor conspicuously before their names. It has charts, timelines and graphs with facts and figures. It is meant to be interactive, to create, like Universal Studios, a contrived reality with an array of costly animatronic men and women as well as moving dinosaurs. The danger of creationism is that, like the pseudo-science of Nazi eugenics, it allows facts to be accepted or discarded according to the dictates of a preordained ideology. Creationism removes the follower from the rational, reality-based world. Signs, miracles and wonders occur not only in the daily life of Christians but in history, science, medicine and logic. The belief system becomes the basis to understand the world. Random facts and data are collected and made to fit into this belief system or discarded. When facts are treated as if they were opinions, when there is no universal standard to determine truth, in law, in science, in scholarship, or in the reporting of the events of the day, the world becomes a place where people can believe what they want to believe, where there is no possibility of reaching any conclusion not predetermined by those who interpret the official, divinely inspired text. This is the goal of creationists. Other creationist museums are going up in Arkansas, Texas, California, Tennessee and Florida. Museums are part of a massive push to teach creationism in schools, part of a vast Christian publishing and filmmaking industry that seeks to rewrite the past and make it conform to the Bible. The front lines of the culture wars are the classrooms. The battle is one we are slowly losing. Twenty states are considering changing the way evolution is taught in order to include creationism or intelligent design.1 Only 13 percent of Americans in a 2004 Gallup poll, when asked for their views on human origins, said life arose from the strictly natural process of evolution. More than 38 percent said they believed God guided evolution, and 45 percent said the Genesis account of creation was a true story.2 Courses on intelligent design have been taught at Minnesota, Georgia, New Mexico and Iowa State universities, along with Wake Forest and Carnegie Mellon*, not to mention Christian universities that teach all science through the prism of the Bible. The museum is an illustration of the movement’s marriage of primitive and intolerant beliefs with the modern tools of technology, mass communication, sophisticated fundraising and political organization. Totalitarian systems usually start as propagandistic movements that ostensibly teach people to “believe what they want.” This is a ruse. This primacy of personal opinion, regardless of facts, destabilizes and destroys the primacy of all facts. This process leads inevitably to the big lie. Facts are useful only if they bolster the message. The use of mass-marketing techniques to persuade and convince, rather than brainwash, has led tens of millions of followers to accept the toxic totalitarian line by tricking them into believing it’s their own. Ironically, at the outset the movement seemingly encourages people to think “independently” or “courageously.” At first all have, in the totalitarian belief system, a right to an opinion, or, in short, a right to believe anything. Soon, under the iron control of an empowered totalitarian movement, facts become worthless, kept or discarded according to an ideological litmus test. And once these movements achieve power, facts are ruthlessly manipulated or kept hidden to support the lie. Creationism is not about offering an alternative. Its goal is the destruction of the core values of the open society—the ability to think for oneself, to draw independent conclusions, to express dissent when judgment and common sense tell you something is wrong, to be self-critical, to challenge authority, to advocate for change and to accept that there are other views, different ways of being, that are morally and socially acceptable. We are beginning to see the growing intolerance that comes with the empowerment of these ideologues. There is a bill in the Texas Legislature to strip all mention of evolution from Texas school textbooks and institute mandatory Bible classes for all students. This is just the start. And yet, coming from the modern age, these Christo-fascists cannot discount science. They employ jargon, methods and data that appear to be science, to make an argument for creationism. They have created parallel research and scholarly institutions. They pump out articles in self-published journals to provide “evidence” that homosexuals can be cured, that global warming is a myth, that abortion can cause breast cancer, that something they call “post-abortion syndrome” leads to deep depression and suicide and that abstinence-only education is an effective form of birth control. This pseudo-science has seeped into the public debate. It is disseminated by nervous and timid media anxious to give both sides in every argument. Those who have contempt for facts and truth, for honest research and inquiry, are given the same platform by the press as those who deal in a world of reality, fact and rationality. The movement desperately needs the imprint of science to legitimize itself. It achieves this imprint by discrediting real science and claiming creationist science as true science. All attempts to argue the creationists out of their mythical belief, to persuade them with logic, evidence, scientific inquiry and fact, will fail. They have created a “fundamentalist science.” They know they cannot return to the pre-Darwinian innocence that let them believe the Bible alone was enough. They need, in the midst of their flight from reality, to reassure their followers that science, science not contaminated by secular humanists and nonbelievers, is on their side. In this they are a distinctly modern movement. They seek the imprint of science and scholarship to legitimize myth. This is a characteristic they share with all modern totalitarian movements, which co-opt the disciplines of law, science, medicine and scholarship to give a modern veneer to their primitive and superstitious belief systems, systems that allow the rulers to dictate reality and truth. The “paraprofessional” organizations formed by the Christian right, organizations of teachers, journalists, doctors, lawyers and scientists, mimic the activities of real professional groups. They seek to challenge the legitimacy and the power of the traditional organizations. The duplication of the structures and methods employed by the non-totalitarian world, the use of pseudo-science to dress up fantasy, is slowly undermining our legitimate scientific and educational institutions. It is destroying the foundations of our open society. It is ushering us into a world where lies are true. * Correction: A representative of Carnegie Mellon University states “Carnegie Mellon University does not teach a course on intelligent design. The contemporary issue of intelligent design is sometimes raised in discourse in courses such as Christianity and Science: A Multidisciplinary Approach. This fulfills an elective in the religious studies minor.” 1 Scott LaFee, “Local scientists, doctors and professors talk about ‘intelligent design,’ ” The San Diego Union-Tribune, F-1, June 8, 2005. 2 Frank Newport, “Third of Americans Say Evidence Has Supported Darwin’s Evolution Theory,” The Gallup Poll, Nov. 19, 2004, http://poll.gallup.com/content/default.aspx?ci=14107&pg=1. Previous item: Kucinich Blasts Democrats Next item: Outsourcing War Protest in an Imperial World Elsewhere: . CommentsAre you a Truthdig member yet? Login now, or register with Truthdig.
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By bold4Christ, March 27, 2007 at 5:23 am # In the bible, we learn that all Scripture is given by the divine inspiration of God (2 Timothy 3:16), a statement which requires faith to believe.
By gimmesometruth, March 27, 2007 at 1:09 am # 3 points: 1) Europe (where I have lived as an American ex-pat for some years now) is more-or-less immune to this movement because THE MEMORY OF THE TRAUMA OF NAZI FASCISM IS KEPT ALIVE in the culture and learned from. Even a country as conservative & devoutly Christian as Spain emerged from 40 years of dictatorship to embrace gay marriage & modern science. What can we learn from European mechanisms for coping with fascist tendencies?? 2) Now that Chris hedges & others have informed us about the looming catastrophe, we need a STRATEGY for maintaining US democracy. Let’s start by raising 50 million to build a museum of natural history next door to the Nazi propaganda center described above. Scientists and teachers need to integrate resistance to this movement into their daily lives. Universities and centers of learning must aggressively promote science literacy. We need to see “Evolution is God’s Gift” t-shirts being sold on every street corner. 3) Young people who feel oppressed by this pseudo-religious, totalitarian environment must be offered easy routes. These should be provided by the legitimate American religious community.
By Barber, March 26, 2007 at 10:06 pm # No matter what they learned in the Billy Bob Babtist Bible College - It ain’t science, Bubba.
By Freedem, March 26, 2007 at 9:00 pm # When all the known world was the connected places of Africa and Eurasia, Noah’s little voyage was less threatened, But as the number of kinds of critters has gone up, even in the imagination things seem a bit crowded, without going beyond the big mammals. But two of each species of insect is far greater by weight than two of each species of mammals, and when you look at nematodes, the sheer volume of even one of each species exceeds, by weight, all of both and then some. But if even the vision of elephant and grasshopper drowning in nematodes is not ridiculous enough, there is the slight problem of redistribution. Getting the Dodo’s back to Mauritius, the Kiwi’s and Moa back to New Zealand in time to be killed off again, to say nothing of all the flightless fruit flies in Hawaii, and all the Galapagos Tortoises each to their proper island. And sending the poor flightless cormorants halfway around the world to an Island in the middle of nowhere, when all the others stayed closer? But hey! if thought experiments weren’t the work of the devil there would not be any believers to argue the points.
By Expat, March 26, 2007 at 5:55 pm # Whoa, whoa, whoa! Evolution is not a proven fact...it is a Theory! Creationism is not a fact...it is a belief! Go back to school!
By Broiler, March 26, 2007 at 5:49 pm # Re: Comment #60567 by Michael Boldin on 3/26 at 2:24 pm “I know this might sound strange to many people, but THIS is exactly the reason why I strongly believe that government should stay out of schools altogether.” Well then who sets the curriculum that is agreed to? Grass is green! No it’s blue! God made it! BTW, vote them all the hell out! New game, new players.
By katsteevns, March 26, 2007 at 4:35 pm # Thanks Tyler.....you said it all....
By Kellina - Part I, March 26, 2007 at 4:28 pm # Part I: Belief in a deity (either God the father or God the son) who is both omnipotent and omniscient is impossible; God cannot logically be both. Think of the recent Tsunami, with 125,000 innocents dead in minutes. A benevolent God wouldn’t have allowed that to happen; an omniscient God would have known ahead of time that the Tsunami was coming and would have warned everyone. Religion strikes me as not only as an absurd waste of time, emotions, and money (in the form of funds diverted to the Church), but as downright dangerous to boot. If it weren’t for the gullible masses shoving it down my throat I wouldn’t give it a second thought. I would rather joyously live the one life we know we have rather than the guilt-ridden pale alternative the pious hold in such high regard.
By Kellina - Part II, March 26, 2007 at 4:26 pm # The entire Judeo-Christian-Muslim movement has done more to subvert freedom, science, free thought, people’s rights to dignity and freedom, including specifically women’s rights, and advances in civilization than every other creed or social movement combined. Christianity is responsible for the Dark Ages. Remember the Crusades, the Inquisition, the burning of the books at Alexandria? Recall how the Church persecuted Galileo and countless numbers of other intellectuals? What about the burning of so-called witches and heretics? Think about the current medical (e.g., stem cell) or scientific advances (e.g., evolutionary biology) that the Church is still attempting to squelch in favor of such dumb ideas as creation “science.” Advances in art and science were so severely restricted by the Christian movement you so revere that our civilization was probably set back by 1,000 years. Just look at the advances we have made since we loosened the religious shackles during the Enlightenment and compare that to the Christian inspired Dark Ages. Man may have been on the moon in the 10th Century if it hadn’t been for this continued religious madness. What about the Bible’s promotion of slavery, genocide of indigenous peoples around the world, the persecution of homosexuals, Jews, and others? In fact, virtually every major war, including civil war and genocide, has in some way been inspired by religion; millions upon millions of people have died needlessly. What about the unspeakable acts conducted by clergy even in very recent times (pedophilia of alter boys and followed by the subsequent cover-up by the Catholic Church)? The God of the Bible sanctions the keeping and beating of slaves as well as approving of the rape of one’s own daughter. Typical biblical morals there – now pass the loot. What about sanctioning the eating of your own children? What about the dashing of infants to pieces or the ripping open of pregnant women – more and more child abuse; small wonder child abuse is so rife amongst God’s peddlers. What about women having to submit themselves to their husbands? Or that women should not speak in church – more stellar examples of civil rights. I really do think that the confusion of morality with religion is perhaps the most pernicious crime perpetrated by Christianity and other similar cults. Using this crudely written barbaric Bronze-age text for inspiration for how to live one’s life today is misguided at best and “socially sanctioned lunacy” at worst. In addition to the deity-sanctioned murders, wars, looting, filth and obscenity so prevalent throughout the bible there is of course a prestigious list of failed prophesies, absurdities, and, at the last count, some 200,000 contradictions in the New Testament alone (but of course the bible is rewritten every year, each time removing some of these ‘problems’). You would think that absurdities such as incredible tales of longevity, the sun standing still, a talking donkey, a molten sea, pi=3, a tower of Babylon, and the sun revolving around the earth would give the fundamentalists pause for thought. You’d think the fact that even the crucifix/cross never appears anywhere in the bible would raise an eyebrow in those waiting at the rope line to heaven. Sadly, no. Brainwashing through the sickening practice of indoctrination is a powerful control tool – you really can make people believe just about anything. As many neuroscientists will tell you, and what warlords have known for centuries, is that with the right phrases, words and imagery, you can persuade the gullible masses to do anything, provided it is repeated often enough.
By Kellina - Part III, March 26, 2007 at 4:25 pm # The contradictions in the bible make Christianity truly a laughing stock. The new and old testaments are testaments to how internally incoherent a book can be and still be called a book. Which is it? Shall we “turn the other cheek” or take an “eye for an eye?” Genesis contains two creation myths. The supposed “witnesses” of Christ’s life and death cannot agree on the simplest of details. My personal favorite is the crucifixion and the Easter story. Can you explain what happened on the day the most important Christian doctrine was born? Take each of the four Gospels, start at Easter morning and read to the end of the book: Matthew 28, Mark 16, Luke 24 and John 20-21. Also read Acts 1:3-12 and Paul’s tiny version of the story in 1 Corinthians 15:3-8. Can you write a chronological narrative of the events between resurrection and ascension? I think not. What time did the women visit the tomb? Who were the women? What was their purpose? Was the tomb open when they arrived? Who was at the tomb when they arrived? Where were these messengers situated? What did the messengers say? Did the women tell what happened? Did Mary know Jesus was resurrected? When did Mary first see Jesus? Could Jesus be touched after the resurrection? After the women, to whom did Jesus first appear? Where did Jesus first appear to the disciples? Did the disciples believe the two men? What happened at the appearance? Did Jesus stay on earth for a while? Where did the ascension take place? Whew, a long list and guess what? Each and every time these books are found to be in contradiction. No one knows. The bible is clearly a book of multiple-choice. And these books were the best of the numerous forgeries available at the time of the bible’s invention. Not much to work with, I guess. The bottom line is that there is not a single shred of reliable evidence that anyone called Jesus Christ ever existed. Despite supposedly conducting miracles that would make 9/11 pale in comparison as a historical note, no historians who lived during Christ’s purported lifetime left any record of such miraculous occurrences or of Christ himself. These 40 or so writers, historians, philosophers and politicians, all writing at the time of the Christian savior’s supposed “advent,” make not a single mention of his existence, deeds, or words. Their silence is deafening. Christian scholars cling to one passage (Testimonium Flavianum) by Flavius Josephus in “The Antiquities of the Jews” written around 95CE.
By Kellina - Part III, March 26, 2007 at 4:26 pm # The contradictions in the bible make Christianity truly a laughing stock. The new and old testaments are testaments to how internally incoherent a book can be and still be called a book. Which is it? Shall we “turn the other cheek” or take an “eye for an eye?” Genesis contains two creation myths. The supposed “witnesses” of Christ’s life and death cannot agree on the simplest of details. My personal favorite is the crucifixion and the Easter story. Can you explain what happened on the day the most important Christian doctrine was born? Take each of the four Gospels, start at Easter morning and read to the end of the book: Matthew 28, Mark 16, Luke 24 and John 20-21. Also read Acts 1:3-12 and Paul’s tiny version of the story in 1 Corinthians 15:3-8. Can you write a chronological narrative of the events between resurrection and ascension? I think not. What time did the women visit the tomb? Who were the women? What was their purpose? Was the tomb open when they arrived? Who was at the tomb when they arrived? Where were these messengers situated? What did the messengers say? Did the women tell what happened? Did Mary know Jesus was resurrected? When did Mary first see Jesus? Could Jesus be touched after the resurrection? After the women, to whom did Jesus first appear? Where did Jesus first appear to the disciples? Did the disciples believe the two men? What happened at the appearance? Did Jesus stay on earth for a while? Where did the ascension take place? Whew, a long list and guess what? Each and every time these books are found to be in contradiction. No one knows. The bible is clearly a book of multiple-choice. And these books were the best of the numerous forgeries available at the time of the bible’s invention. Not much to work with, I guess. The bottom line is that there is not a single shred of reliable evidence that anyone called Jesus Christ ever existed. Despite supposedly conducting miracles that would make 9/11 pale in comparison as a historical note, no historians who lived during Christ’s purported lifetime left any record of such miraculous occurrences or of Christ himself. These 40 or so writers, historians, philosophers and politicians, all writing at the time of the Christian savior’s supposed “advent,” make not a single mention of his existence, deeds, or words. Their silence is deafening. Christian scholars cling to one passage (Testimonium Flavianum) by Flavius Josephus in “The Antiquities of the Jews” written around 95CE.
By Kellina - Part IV, March 26, 2007 at 4:24 pm # And for the record, in case you didn’t know, the Gospels were all written long after the purported death of Jesus (approx 33CE). Scholars agree that Mark came first, and was followed by Matthew, Luke and John and since Mark mentions the destruction of the Jewish temple which happened in 70CE then there is a gap of at least four decades where we hear nothing of Jesus apart from the Apostle Paul. And if Jesus did exist, well no one seems to have told Paul. In all his letters and some 80,000 words, Paul had never heard of Joseph, Mary, Bethlehem, Herod, John the Baptist, any alleged miracles – in fact he never mentions Jesus having a ministry of any kind at all. He doesn’t mention entry into Jerusalem, Pontius Pilot, the Jewish mob, the trials etc. There you have it. The supposed most important contemporary of your savior doesn’t seem to know anything about what we would call the story of Jesus. He mentions the resurrection and the ascension but tellingly Paul does not place these allege events on Earth. Just like the dozens of savior Gods that co-existed and predated the Jesus myth, Paul’s Jesus died, rose and ascended in a mythical realm. And there’s the problem. Jesus supposedly existed until 33CE. Then everyone forgot all about him for decades. Jesus finally re-appears with an uncanny resemblance to the traditional Hero/Savior-God pattern. Using Raglan’s measure, you can see the folklore similarities with the likes of Oedipus, Theseus, Romulus, Hercules, Perseus, Zeus and Robin Hood. Justin Martyr seems to agree. Go read how he compared Jesus to the sons of Jupiter. And that’s it. Mythology, folklore, forgery and no reliable contemporary evidence. Not one jot. Jesus was no Julius Ceasar in this regard, but just another God in a long line of Gods, that existed only in the imagination of mortal man – the quintessential God that wasn’t there.
By Kellina - part V, March 26, 2007 at 4:24 pm # Even if you could prove that God exists in some form, where is the proof that “he” has anointed any particular humans to be his representatives, and why are virtually all of those humans male? It’s an unfortunate fact that some people need approval from a supposed “higher authority” to run their lives, and usually that authority is in the form of a father-like god or earthly representative; this human failing is exploited to the hilt by lecherous, greedy churches. I agree with Martin Noble when he wrote the following in a piece for the NSS (National Secular Society [of England]): “The power of authoritarian organizations lies in the usurping of individuals’ right to choose what to believe, offering them instead the comfort of a parent taking responsibility for them in exchange for slavish obedience whilst offering the threat of punishment for transgression, the withdrawal of that parental love and worse eternity in hell. No wonder then that ridicule has little effect.” In this country, churches pay no taxes and their books are not scrutinized; they perform precious little charity work and even that is usually just for their own members. It is now relatively easy to become a reverend or minister and then set up shop to collect others’ money, all out of view of the government, which is in fact subsidizing prejudice and subversion of civil liberties (you can also obtain a divinity doctorate on the internet for $30; I guess every bit helps with the con). The fact that some people take time out of their life to travel to listen to these “representatives of God” lecture them about their lives (and then pay them for the privilege) is absurd. Why pay a supposedly celibate priest to lecture you about your sex life, for example, or to tell you that women should be not “liberated?” (I’ve heard both.) No thanks. I’ll make up my own mind. And what about the scandalous practice of faith healing; it really does take religion to make a human stoop so low as to prey on the sick and needy, offering them false hope of a cure, and as usual it comes with a price tag. I also resent the tax breaks going to pay for all these delusions when the same money could instead support research to improve the human condition, protect the environment, and make human life on earth more bearable. What was truly devastating to me, the veritable nail on the coffin, was reading the history and sheer extent of the abuse of power by the Church. The Church slayed competing sects (e.g., The Cathars in France), destroyed or repressed any literature that contradicted the Church’s position or revealed their fraud, insisted on holding all masses in Latin so that people couldn’t understand the ritual, accused people of heresy just to steal their property, accused women of being “witches” when they turned down sexual advances by priests, in one case, killing an entire church full of women, many of whom were still nursing their babies, who then vainly clung on to the breasts of their dead mothers, screaming in horror. This work is covered in the Ellerbe book, so I won’t go into any more detail; suffice it to say that such abuse makes Hitler and Saddam Hussein look like patron saints in comparison. Had enough? Here are some excellent authors to check out, if you are open-minded: Dan Barker (Losing faith in faith), Sam Harris (The end of faith), Helen Ellerbe (Dark side of Christianity), and Richard Dawkins (The God Delusion). Please embrace logic, reason, and solid evidence rather than blind faith when attempting to understand the mindset of a freethinker.
By TJ, March 26, 2007 at 3:56 pm # For a parallel on how this may play out over time in the United States, one should consider the disastrous effects that communist “science” had on the society and the economy of the old Soviet Union; “Science” based on its adherence to Marxist principles rather than the scientific method.
By Kol Klink, March 26, 2007 at 3:31 pm # As times grow harder for the ordinary people of the world churches and bars prosper. The Muslims are so devout in their faith because the desert is a very tough place to make a life. The thought of a better after life with fountains of water, gardens, and plenty of fresh fruit is a glorious thought to cling to. To be martyred and go directly to this heaven is much better than the living hell of thirst and starvation that the desert offers. Times are getting difficult in America and the majority remain ignorant of the reasons, so in desperation they turn to religion. After all, religion only requires faith, not thought, and so the NFL games are not ruled out. The minority of Americans that are aware of why times are getting harder in go to a bar...not all, but enough to notice an increase in the bottom line of a well run bar. Soon the evangelicals will want to try prohibition again. Stock up on your favorite brand and hope to ride out the ‘new’ prohibition or find yourself a reliable bootlegger. One might even consider the profession of bootlegger as an employment opportunity that will be difficult to outsource.
By enemy of the people, March 26, 2007 at 2:59 pm # These people are just flat-out (or is that flat-earth?) crazy. I mean they have some kind of mental illness and should be institutionalized. Can anyone imagine the insanity that compells these sad people to spend Twenty Million dollars to build a museum to NOTHING? I am not particularly concerned they will come after me next, small frog - large pond and all, but if they do…
By Lord Byron, March 26, 2007 at 2:53 pm # My “lord”, DJ Johnson. You are one deluded, lost puppy. Who brainwashed you? School? Local parish? Family? The bible itself? A “good friend” showed you the light? “We are created in the image of God.” And who’s God are you referring to? Certainly can’t be my “god.” I love how a religious person can presume to speak for me by proclaiming “we are created in the image of God.” I do believe in truth, Mr. DJ. But my quest for truth has never led me down the path of a becoming a “true believer” like yourself. I was taught early to question authority and come to my own conclusions. From the evidence presented to me, I see scan’t reason to believe in some holy creator or “god.” Jesus is not my creator and he doesn’t speak for me. And, sorry, but we don’t live in a “perfectly organized world.” If that were true, humanity would not have purposely contributed to the extinction of numerous animal species and predicate that extinction with the notion that humans are “superior” to “nature” itself. “Our perfectly organized world” is rapidly becoming unsuitable for human habitation, let alone the hundreds of animals dying as a result of human made and human caused pollution of the earth’s eco-system. Liberalism: c : a political philosophy based on belief in progress, the essential goodness of the human race, and the autonomy of the individual and standing for the protection of political and civil liberties. I’m not sure about the “essential goodness” of the human race but I do stand for protection of political and civil liberties. I do support your right to free speech, Mr. Johnson. But I don’t support your mixing of state and religion, in particular when living in a country who’s constitution reads, “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof...” Your thoughts and opinions concerning the nature of life and the universe are best to serve you and no one else. The doctrine of separation of church and state while not expressly written in the constitution are definitely alluded to by the First Amendment. For those of us who respect the advent of science and the continued intellectual development of the human brain, we find solace in recognizing our own limitations. The use of “God” had justified many a horrific human act and it is time we jettison such a childish and simplistic notion when trying to make sense of a competitive and cruel world. “Elmer Gantry was drunk… And we shall yet make these United States a moral nation.” My, my....as true today as when it was written… Comment #60480 by DJ Johnson on 3/26 at 9:14 am Without God there is no justice. We are created in the image of God and we have a soul that will not die. Where we choose to spend eternity is up to us. As for me, I prefer to spend eternity with Jesus. You all can believe you came from apes, but I believe God gave us the intelligence to know the truth. All we have to do is look around. How can anyone say this perfectly organized world is just happenstance? Liberalism is the fascism of our day. The philosophy....shut up anything that goes against secular humanism. Hitler would be proud.
By tyler, March 26, 2007 at 2:33 pm # I think it is fine to believe in God, but it seems like there a lot of christians that might ‘lack faith’, and thus feel the need to justify to themselves their own beliefs by proving biblical stories as scientific fact. Everyone who has SERIOUSLY studied the bible knows that it is filled with inconsistencies and contradictions, both chronologically and factually. The fact that there are missing books, or volumes, from the bible that are even mentioned in the bible, is one of many evidences of that. My question is, regardless of science or theory, how is knowing the timeline of the earth’s life in any way pertinant to one’s salvation? If I believe in following the ‘Word of God’ as outlined in the bible, if I love my fellow man, do not judge, live an honest life, how does the age of the earth, or knowledge thereof, affect how i will be judged by God? Its safe to say that if there is an omnipitent, all knowing, supreme being, his or her mind probably operates on an unfathomably higher level then ours. So why do we concern ourselves with trying to figure God out? Where is the faith in that? The bible is meant to illustrate through stories and parables the basic morals and ethics that we should follow to become good people. The Koran serves the same purpose. Its only when people try to explain the bible scientifically, or chronologically, that confusion and tension surfaces. If a God created this earth, then that God would surely understand EVERYTHING concerning the processes of life, making God the ultimate scientist! I believe in a God, the God of Abraham (same God as all christians, jews, and muslims), and I personally feel that one of the greatest gifts God has given us are our brains. Remember it wasn’t all that long ago when people (the church included) believed the earth was flat, or that the earth, then the sun, was the center of the universe. I don’t think that scientific growth and discovery debunks God, or God’s existence. It only debunks some people’s own interpretations of how God works. The bible is not a science manual, and was never meant to be, and we as mortal beings will NEVER be able to fully understand, or comprehend, all of the countless intricasies of God’s work. That is the reason that the principle of faith exists! Just as there was backlash and outrage when brilliant minds like davinci proved common knowledge of their day false, so scientists today are dealing with that same backlash and outrage. At least today there are laws in place that keep scientists from being imprisoned for years until the rest of the humans catch up. (knock on wood)
By Michael Boldin, March 26, 2007 at 2:24 pm # I know this might sound strange to many people, but THIS is exactly the reason why I strongly believe that government should stay out of schools altogether. Not taking either side of the issue here. Why? Because that’s not the problem. When we give government the power to dictate to us what will be taught in schools, we give them the power to teach YOUR children something YOU don’t want them taught. That goes for people who believe in creationism, and people who do not. No matter what side you’re on, government involvement in our schooling is bad for you and your kids.... Politians have always wanted to use the schools to mold minds in the way that will help fulfill their aspirations of greater power. Sure, we might find one or two that will use this power in a good way, but more often than not, we come across politicians who abuse power. Make the schools a local, community affair. That’s enough rambling for me. Here’s a good article on the subject:
By Ga, March 26, 2007 at 2:11 pm # Oh great! Yet another article about Christianists trying to re-write and to control history and science as it is taught and talked about in this country. Yet another 300+ comment thread as the debate between atheists, humanists and religionists goes on. Will the debate never end? Probably not. Here are just a few items for the religionists here: 1. The King James (and other modern English versions of) Bible cannot be the literal “Word of God” because it has been translated and re-written many times by humans with a direct intent to interpret it. This is a FACT that so many self-called Christians refuse to acknowledge. 3. The Bible is full of inconsistencies, full of torture, hate and death in various ways; endorses stoning, slavery and other terrible things. Yes there are beautiful things as well, but one cannot ignore the terrible nor call the Bible a good book to make laws by. 4. There are many Books of the Bible that have been left out of the modern versions. Ever hear from Adam’s other wife? Thought not. 5. Evolution is not about nor has ever claimed such silly things like “man descended from apes.” Evolution is about mutation and heredity. “Survival of the fittest” does not mean survival of the most “physically fit” as one thinks of a body builder or a super model, but means “most able to fit in with one’s environment.” Evolution has been widely proven. That is proven. As in proven by evidence. I could go on. The thing is, is that too many “Christians” ARE NOT EDUCATED because you live your lives “with just your faith to guide you” and you do not learn science, history, philosophy, etc. Too many “Christians” live with a “faith” that they have been taught to believe at a very early age by an authority—a Church, although created by Men, that has as its basic rule and foundation a command of “Believe us for we are the absolute word of God.” How convenient! How convenient that the Church tells you that we have dominion over all the earth and that they, the Church and their Books, are to be believed absolutely and that you need no ever believe (or learn) anything else as long as you simply “believe!” I find Jesus—whom I believe in as I think that there is evidence of his existence—to be a truly great man. He may be the Son of God, but there is no evidence of that. The Bible is not evidence. A Church saying that He exists is not evidence. But I beleive in Jesus’ teachings! Which is just like Buddha’s teachings! Which you would know if you were educated! But one must believe, or at least one must allow it to be taught and considered, in evolution and in science itself! If one does not one creates a society of stagnation where invention stops. No more advancement at all! That is why I am against “Christianity” as a religion that want to control what people read, see and hear.
By John P, March 26, 2007 at 2:01 pm # These creeps are selling snake oil and they do so with out paying taxes! ? 1) Snake oil sales is no longer acceptable in the North. We call it fraud. Absolutly amazing. $25M?? Very scary too.
By Dr. Richard Blackmoor, March 26, 2007 at 1:48 pm # I am always amazed at those who reject Darwin without reading him. It is a misnomer to say that Darwin said we came from apes.
By Enemy Combatant, March 26, 2007 at 1:24 pm # “T-Rex had such big teeth, the museum explains, so it could open coconuts.” A long, long time ago when The Earth was very, very flat, a kid in red threads happened upon a happily grazing dinosour. “My oh my, Mistah Rex, what big teeth you have!” “All the better to crack coconuts with, my dear.”
By Hairybear, March 26, 2007 at 1:24 pm # Wilderness Voice,
By Gordon S, March 26, 2007 at 1:11 pm # Why weren’t all the animals turned into carnivores because of Adam’s and Eve’s sin? Was becoming a carnivore a reward or a punishment for the animals. And why did the animals get punished at all? Collective punishment seems unnecessary for am omnipotent God. I actually believe in God, but all this creationist nonsense is an insult to the astounding size, majesty and energy of his universe, within which we are but a relative flyspeck. How do I know this about God? I don’t, but I can appreciate all of creation though science, and I have faith in the unknowable.
By Fred, March 26, 2007 at 1:08 pm # “They pump out articles in self-published journals to provide “evidence” that homosexuals can be cured, that global warming is a myth, that abortion can cause breast cancer, that something they call “post-abortion syndrome” leads to deep depression and suicide and that abstinence-only education is an effective form of birth control.” Although Creationism is nonsense, there may be some truth in these claims. How about providing research on these? Or, if you already have, provide URLs.
By Margaret Currey, March 26, 2007 at 12:57 pm # When the creation people say this earth is only thousands of years old, how come there is so much oil in the ground, it took many billions of years to make all the oil that has as yet to be uncovered. Of course the Ark did not have dinasors because they had all died out by the time that man was on the scene. There were many animals that lived and died before the civilization that was the middle east existed. Man was complete in mind and body long before Noah. But the fact is somecreated this universe and it did not happen by accident. Margaret from Vancouver, Washington
By Dr. Knowitall, PhD, PhD, March 26, 2007 at 12:38 pm # The thing to do, since it would be basically harmless, would be to stop arguing with those people, let them believe what they want, and they’ll eventually go away. After all, if the consitiution does its job, there’s nothing to fear from creationists. If a school system totally funds itself locally and the taxpayers want to teach the Bible in their schools, fine. Whaddayou care? The discourse, the dialogue has to move on to more important issues, like, finding the best wrinkle cream or litter box filler.
By Ted Smith, March 26, 2007 at 12:17 pm # Chris is completely on target with this issue. What needs to be done is to find a way to confront televangelists, publishers, museums, etc. that are promoting these “ideas as science” and accuse them, at the very least, of perpetrating a fraud on the public. They must be confronted, in a court of law, if possible & made to defend themselves so that their misinformation can be exposed.
By Bert, March 26, 2007 at 12:01 pm # Speaking as a heathen-american, I’m in favor of frequent public audits and reports on the activities of any religious institutions that are allowed to hold their business in our country, and especially any that get government funding of any kind.
By Kaneh bosm, March 26, 2007 at 11:43 am # Small wonder the religious right loves the bush regime so much. The poor and disposed that are being spit out of society due to the bush doctrine are lost and easy prey for the fascist christian extremists.
By Mike Bendzela, March 26, 2007 at 11:41 am # One thing I’ve always wondered about: WHO shoveled all that manure for the several months that Noah’s Ark was afloat, and HOW?
By a voice from the wilderness, March 26, 2007 at 11:23 am # To DJ, “God gave us the intelligence to know the truth...” DJ, DJ, DJ, do you listen to what you’re saying???? Evolution is NOT “just happenstance.” Evolution is a fact. It’s a complex process by which those minute changes that advance the chances of survival in a changing world are passed on, while those that don’t are extinguished over time—hundreds of billions of generations. Evolution explains why scientists are able to devise vaccines and antibiotics to fight diseases, and why the little buggers, those bacteria and virsus, are able to develop resistence to the drugs. It explains why there are different breeds of cats, dogs, cattle, chickens, etc. and why people can “improve” those breeds by selective mating. It also explains why so many golden retrievers and German shepherds have hip problems and why so many dalmations are deaf. We didn’t all come from apes, as creationists are so fond of saying. We have a common ancestor, somewhere way back in our evolutionary past—an ancestor that was neither ape, nor human. Since the existence (or lack thereof) of an afterlife is a matter of faith and not something that can be proven, I would posit that we live on in the memories of those whose lives we touch. Those who try to live by the teachings of Jesus and others who were similarly wise, leave the world a better place and leave behind happy memories. Those who ignore the wisdom of the ages and live lives of taking rather than giving, leave only pain behind, regardless of whether they may claim a deathbed conversion. If God is the only source of judgement, then how is it that so many of those who preach the loudest about the need for “being saved” are those who cannot in any way be said to live Christ-like lives and who are so very free with their judgement of others? You see, DJ, you and I are different in that I don’t fear science, and I don’t fear those who may be different from me. I know that there are universal standards that have proven themselves through time to help people get along peaceably. We don’t all have to agree, but we are commanded to respect each other. And that’s far more important than whether the earth is 6,000 years or 6 billion years old.
By Beau H. McLendon, March 26, 2007 at 10:59 am # The Christian movement is not without agenda. You can make clear comparisons, as everything is drawn from comparison, in relation to Christian and Secular movements. The Christian right imposes its self-contradictory doctrine not for the benefit of the people, but for control by gradual misrepresentation of fact and delusion. Then you have secular movements that seek to embrace a quality of life; an open discussion of life as opposed to dictating inane ways of life. It’s very clear that the Christian right gives something to the people, but what it asks for in return is subordination, thus control. The second you’re told not to think and to immediately believe in something written thousands of years ago is that same second in which you must think for yourself, authenticate yourself. Nobody is saying that one cannot have a religion, but everyone knows that religious belief is in direct opposition to education, science, and politics. Now if it is in a conflict with these prominent subjects, then there needs to be a mass realization that belief in something does not constitute a better life, but in fact a restriction of life. Where there are restrictions that hinder social welfare and science, isn’t it obvious what the problem is?
By stinkeye, March 26, 2007 at 10:57 am # When you’re with the Flintstones
By InsideOut, March 26, 2007 at 10:40 am # That this rate the totalitarian movements will soon have their own pool of suicide bombers.
By a voice from the wilderness, March 26, 2007 at 10:26 am # Chris, To Kellina (comment #60425), I like to tell my so-called Christian friends that if Jesus did come back, he’d be really pissed at the mess we’ve made of things in his name! The more I know about science, about the vastness of the universe and the marvelous diversity of life here earth, regardless of where else it may exist, the more in awe I become at the wonder of it all.
By Mooser, March 26, 2007 at 10:15 am # I would suggest the true believers use only medical treatments which are developed out of creation science. If evolution is a lie, the scientific medicine which aknowledges and uses evolution must be giving false results.
By Milton, March 26, 2007 at 10:06 am # This is freakin’ hysterical. Ma! Pa! Grab the kids and the dog! We’re all headin’ off to Creation Land!! These evangelical christianists are a scream! I mean, I just can’t help busting out laughing right in their faces at every opportunity. Better than The 3 Stooges!
By David Flannery, March 26, 2007 at 9:55 am # How does the old saying go::::: Be afraid be very afraid.......... Religious nut cases of all strips are the most dangerous threat the human race has ever faced.....
By Broiler, March 26, 2007 at 9:54 am # “totalitarian movements conjure up a lying world of consistency which is more adequate to the needs of the human mind than reality itself” Thank you Hannah and Chris. How is it possible that the only people in the “Guardian of the Emerald City Gates: The wizard? Dorothy: Well then, how do you know there is one?” - The Wizard of Oz (1939)
By michael, March 26, 2007 at 9:51 am # Dear Dj
By Garry Minor, March 26, 2007 at 9:16 am # In 1936 Sula Benet, a Polish Anthropologist discovered that in the original Hebrew of the Old Testament the word “kaneh bosm” had been translated by the Greeks in the 3rd century BC as calamus or fragrant cane. Benet contended “kaneh bosm” was cannabis. In 1980 the Hebrew Institute of Jerusalem confirmed “kaneh bosm” was indeed cannabis. |
Newsroom Carnage Continues at The Washington Post
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