Apparently there wasn't enough interest in the Answers In Genesis outing, because nothing more has been said about it. So we are moving on to other, less controversial (in my opinion at least) things. Whew!
Anyway, I really believe the Young Earth Creationists/Intelligent Design crowd is making a very big mistake in trying to push their agenda in the public schools under the guise of science. But not in the way you might think. So far, they haven't been too successful in the courts. But supposing they succeed?
First of all, if they win their demand for equal time, then that opens up the door for every other group that has an alternative version of events. The Mormons will want the Book of Mormon taught as pre-Columban Native American history; the Christian Scientists will want Mary Baker Eddy's version of disease and health (it's all in your head, dearie, there's no such thing as viruses or germs), and so on and so forth. This will open up a big can of worms that the Creationists/ID folks really do not want to deal with, because they do not believe anyone else has the Truth except them. But try to keep all the others out! This will really expose their religious agenda for what it is and will cause even more of a backlash. Frankly our schools have enough problems teaching kids without all this BS.
Secondly, should they be successful in getting Creationism/Intelligent Design into the curriculum, then they have to answer the question, Who or What is the Creator and Where is He/She/It? In other words, they are going to have to bring "God" into the classroom. Are they really prepared for this? There is a saying that Extraordinary Claims Require Extraordinary Evidence. Once you get into that classroom there will be no room for waffling on this issue. They are great at pointing out the flaws in Evolutionary Theory, ok, let's put their theory under a microscope and see how they do. They are going to have to stand up and deliver.
Somewhere in the Old Testament/Tanakh there is a story that I particularly like. I think it is in one of the books of Kings or maybe Samuel. I'm not going to stop and look it up now. But from a scientist's point of view this story is pretty interesting. It concerns a showdown between the prophet Elijah and the priests of Baal that supposedly took place on Mount Carmel.
Apparently the prophet Elijah was pretty ticked off over Baal's continuing popularity in Israel--maybe it was the "Don't Worship Idols, the Temple Doesn't Like Competition" bumper stickers on the Baal supporters' chariots that did it--and so he challenged the priests of Baal to a contest. The idea was that they would build a big bonfire but not light it. Then each side would take turns praying and whoever's God answered by lighting the bonfire, that would be the one and only God. Now that seems rather fair. So Baal's priests went first. They prayed themselves into a frenzy but nothing happened. Of course not, this is the Bible. So then Elijah prayed and WHOOSH!!! the logs went up like someone had doused them with too much lighter fluid. So everyone lived happily ever after. No, not quite. Elijah's men (who had come prepared) took swords and massacred every last one of the priests of Baal. Leaving Elijah's group the only witnesses to what happened or did not happen upon that mountain . . .
I have often wondered what would happen if Elijah's bonfire experiment were to be repeated, say on the Washington Mall or some other public venue. It'd be a nifty way of settling religious disputes, that's for sure. But, would anything happen at all? Or would the skeptics be standing on the side shaking their heads and saying, I told you so?
Anyway, I really believe the Young Earth Creationists/Intelligent Design crowd is making a very big mistake in trying to push their agenda in the public schools under the guise of science. But not in the way you might think. So far, they haven't been too successful in the courts. But supposing they succeed?
First of all, if they win their demand for equal time, then that opens up the door for every other group that has an alternative version of events. The Mormons will want the Book of Mormon taught as pre-Columban Native American history; the Christian Scientists will want Mary Baker Eddy's version of disease and health (it's all in your head, dearie, there's no such thing as viruses or germs), and so on and so forth. This will open up a big can of worms that the Creationists/ID folks really do not want to deal with, because they do not believe anyone else has the Truth except them. But try to keep all the others out! This will really expose their religious agenda for what it is and will cause even more of a backlash. Frankly our schools have enough problems teaching kids without all this BS.
Secondly, should they be successful in getting Creationism/Intelligent Design into the curriculum, then they have to answer the question, Who or What is the Creator and Where is He/She/It? In other words, they are going to have to bring "God" into the classroom. Are they really prepared for this? There is a saying that Extraordinary Claims Require Extraordinary Evidence. Once you get into that classroom there will be no room for waffling on this issue. They are great at pointing out the flaws in Evolutionary Theory, ok, let's put their theory under a microscope and see how they do. They are going to have to stand up and deliver.
Somewhere in the Old Testament/Tanakh there is a story that I particularly like. I think it is in one of the books of Kings or maybe Samuel. I'm not going to stop and look it up now. But from a scientist's point of view this story is pretty interesting. It concerns a showdown between the prophet Elijah and the priests of Baal that supposedly took place on Mount Carmel.
Apparently the prophet Elijah was pretty ticked off over Baal's continuing popularity in Israel--maybe it was the "Don't Worship Idols, the Temple Doesn't Like Competition" bumper stickers on the Baal supporters' chariots that did it--and so he challenged the priests of Baal to a contest. The idea was that they would build a big bonfire but not light it. Then each side would take turns praying and whoever's God answered by lighting the bonfire, that would be the one and only God. Now that seems rather fair. So Baal's priests went first. They prayed themselves into a frenzy but nothing happened. Of course not, this is the Bible. So then Elijah prayed and WHOOSH!!! the logs went up like someone had doused them with too much lighter fluid. So everyone lived happily ever after. No, not quite. Elijah's men (who had come prepared) took swords and massacred every last one of the priests of Baal. Leaving Elijah's group the only witnesses to what happened or did not happen upon that mountain . . .
I have often wondered what would happen if Elijah's bonfire experiment were to be repeated, say on the Washington Mall or some other public venue. It'd be a nifty way of settling religious disputes, that's for sure. But, would anything happen at all? Or would the skeptics be standing on the side shaking their heads and saying, I told you so?
