Isn't it just adorable...?

Question

...when creationists quote first-year biology text books to talk about some complex part of the animal kingdom just to say 'can evolution explain that?'

like

1) anybody who isn't a creationist ought to have an advanced knowledge of biology

and

2) 'God did it' is somehow supposed to be the assumed, and perfectly reasonable, alternative.

Answer 1

heh, e=mc2 proves allah's qur'an so, why not,

i use their books against them why not use our books against us

all is fair in love and war

they get mad too when i quote their book they say you can't quote that you dont believe it

the best is why i ask "does the bible say x,y, z," then in the details i say x, y, z from matthew whatever verses x-z, and they say no no your taking it out of context, when all i did was just ask, is this in the bible

Answer 2

I am a christian, but I also have a large background in science. I also have two masters in theology. I personally get a little annoyed at both sides, when they talk about things that they do not understand. Neither side is "simple."

However there is something that neither side seems to remember:
1- Evolution does not explain the theology of creation.
2- Theology will never explain the "how" of creation.

Below is my own little exposition of what the creation story is all about (learned while I was seminary, btw). Just in case you were interested:

The creation story is a myth. I use this term in the classical sense. It is a story that attempts to explain the world around it. At the time, that the bible's 3 creation stories were written (there are actually 3 of them back to back in Genesis), there were many creation stories. Actually it was a very popular genre.

So to look at the bible for a scientific explanation of the world, would be an improper usage of the story. Obviously believers hold that God did it. However to say, that creation happened in 7 days because that is how it is written in the bible would unacademic and illogical.

In one of the alternate creation myths, we were the product of god's feces. One we were the product of a lesser god's accident. And so on.

So the wonderous part of the creation story is that there is one, but rather that it's message is very different from the rest of that time.

You see a myth wants to explain a couple of things:
1- who people are
2- our relationship to Creator
3- why world is full of suffering

The difference between the bible story and the other ones of that time is that in the Bible, creation is said to good, and humans are VERY good. (The creation of humans is the first time that the adjective very is used.)

So we are good, and we have a loving relationship to Creator. The world gets screwed up by our (or rather the first discernible people) rejecting God (sin). This has two effects. First is the first sin, and second is the cosmological shift that occurred that has affected everyone for the rest of history as a effect of rejecting God.

Hope that helps.
God Bless,
Vic

Answer 3

Like the_jim_darwin, I start by asking something that can't be denied later. For example; Was the daylight created by God, the same as the sunlight we see today, and then ask 'how could the sun have been created several days later.' This leaves no wiggle room for people who insist on 'literal' translations. But in all honestly, I only use this to identify the idiots I want to ignore...

People don't want an explanation, they want cliche's that they can use with like minded people. I don't really hold it against people when the use the expression 'It's God's will' to answer questions about things they never think about. But, when people ask a question, or start a converstation, they should at least be open to less ambigous concepts.

Read the bible, it's all in there...(sarcasm)

Answer 4

Some people enjoy the comfort of having their world flat. Change is frightening even more so when it challenges someones belief system. Minor changes in daily routines vex some people.

Christians say to me, " How does a flower grow?" I reply, "Photosynthesis." Does it make the flower less beautiful?

BTW I checked out the other reply to your politics and Christianity question. You were right the other fellow answered the your question a a college level.I gave you The Three Stooges abridged version.

Answer 5

I don't know why this creation vs. evolution debate continues - there is no point, really. Neither side has substantial and definitive evidence to back up their claims and probably never will. Let's just try to get along, accept the fact that we are here, hopefully, for a good reason, and get on with our lives the best we can, regardless of how we got here.

Answer 6

Yes, I think ignorance is so cute - especially when people kill each other over it! Aww... How cute! Little innards splattering all over this way and that in the middle east. Yeppers. It don't get more adorable than that!

Granted, at least we aren't talking Social Darwinism (jim_darwin probably cringes at the false analogy)...

In other news, I just finished re-reading "Darwin for Beginners" which is even illustrated with fun cartoons for the childlike amongst us (ok, I admit to not wanting to grow up, so screw all those people that whine about it!). Great primer on how Darwin was hardly the only source of evolutionary thought. It's also interesting how Darwin hesitated on publication for about 20 years partly because of fear of upsetting the church. Too late now, Darwin, old chap! Anyhow, his own theory has been heavily modified since the 1800s, including the addition of the Catholic monk Medel's work on heredity... Monk... Monkey... Maybe that's why the myth-informed call Darwin the "monkey man?" God forbid it's something about that 1970s band. Ick.

What I really like about "Darwin for Beginners" is that it talks about his predecessors that actually had much of the same evidence, such as Lamark, but preferred to avoid straying too far from religious dogma. Darwin was also apparently popular until he started talking about "The Descent of Man." Religion is all about stroking the ego. Saying apes, chimps, and humans all have some common ancestor somewhere (not to mention insisting that the "Biblical" estimate of 6000 year-old-earth is wrong) was anything but stroking the religious ego back.

Think about it though: if church has no legitimate reason for existing, how can they justify taking your money? They have a LOT to lose if some quaint little scientist comes along and blows it all to bits, so what do you expect them to do? Say, "well, yah, we've just been scamming you all along?"

Really, considering the number of people that fall for that nonsense, I'm thinking I might need to get in on this religious scam and maybe start my own, only it will logically reconcile all of the errata I see today with maybe some of its own fun make-believe storytelling: "Church of the Bioscientist Jesus" or something like that. Of course, churches like that only attract nerdy and geeky guys like us, so we'll use Disney cartoon musical songs as our hymns to attract the women. That way the geeky nerdy guys like us can have our own dominion over the hot church chicks as well. Need to do some market research first though... Anybody into my idea enough to tithe or some nonsense like that? Or should I just flat out admit to my audiences that the tithe is really more like an entertainment fee. "Think, my loyal followers! How much would you at least pay for great entertainment like this? Now think that it's on SUNDAY MORNING! Now my minions - err - followers, dig deep because it is all tax deductable for you and your church!"

Answer 7

You mean adorable the way precocious children are adorable? No, because these are full-grown adults being so irrational and childish.

I don't have a problem with "God did it" as an explanation; I just think we need a little detail. Like, OK, God did everything. But don't we want to know HOW He did it?

Answer 8

It's a sad illustration of the sorry state of public education. And in the wealthiest part of the world, too -- there's no excuse for willful ignorance.

Answer 9

Ever wanted to understand how drugs interacted with the brain, but didn't have an adorable animated rodent to explain it to you?

Answer 10

Do you really want me to quote advanced science on here?

Thank you for sparing me reading the monotonous answers.