Has American Christianity become the first ideology to openly attack mankind’s quest for knowledge?

Question

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/id/program.html

“In an era when we’re trying to cure cancer, when we’re trying to prevent pandemics…to introduce bad science to ninth grade students makes very little sense to me.”

Judge John Jones – Judge in the Dover Intelligent Design ruling

It’s much different in modern times because we have modern media which can instantly transmit information to the entire globe. Back in the days of Galileo, communication took much longer to travel. That’s why I said “openly attack” which is different to what happened in the middle ages.

Answer 1

Not the first, but Christianity has the longest history of it. The view of the world that does not match interpretations based on the belief has constantly been something religious conservatives have felt a need to fight. So, there are large networks of people who try and argue against evolution and swear the world is only 4000 years old and teach their children in the home to stop them from getting "contaminated" with ideas that do not match their beliefs. Of course these same folks are not eating kosher and probably are eating pork spare-ribs without a second thought. It is funny what people pick to obsess about from the Bible - the Bible actually prohibits mixing leather and wool or linen and has several other "what God does not want you to wear" no-nos clearly stated that are broken by everybody out there with wild abandon, so I am a little surprised we do not hear and see more religious fashion perogatives from conservative Christians. If people are editing the Book on one hand, it sounds extremely false when they want to "uphold" other pieces at any cost!

Answer 2

Not really. Newton, Galileo were also attacked and ridiculed, just to name a couple examples. Those in power have persecuted and in many cases fried/burned/stretched and killed those who challenged the acceped views of the day...sort of why it was called 'the dark ages'.
Much of it can be attributed to religions which controlled the state gov'ts of the day, or were the actual gov't of the day - for big example - the Catholic Church. Many scientists were put to death in those days as 'heretics'. That which science had to offer would lay dormant for centuries.
So no, American Christianity is not the first, nor do I believe that it openly attacks mankinds quest for knowledge. Many discoveries of these days actually verify what the Bible spoke of centuries ago.
I am of a science background, and I'm quite excited that science is discovering the hand of God thru out our universe.
The truth of one need not exclude the truth of the other.
All things in balance, while science unravels the physical world around us, we must realize mankinds inspirations and motivations are spiritual more than physical.

Answer 3

Rational thoughts, independent thinking, freethinkers and science pose a threat to religion and therefore, religion will do and say whatever they can to discouraging these traits.

Intelligent Design is creationism in disguise; the true purpose of it is to get rid of science and convince people that prayers work despite the fact that there has never been indisputable evidence to support that it works.

If we continue to allow Christianity to continue the way they are and let them gain support, ALL forms of science will be done away with. Rather than give a scientific explanation as to what causes earthquakes these religious people will teach that earthquakes are caused by god.

This is another example of how religion IS HARMFUL to society and people need to wake up to that fact. If they fail to do so religion WILL hinder any and all forms of human progress.

Religion WANTS to control people in every manner, from thinking and speaking to what, when and how we should act.

Say NO to religion otherwise society will be destroy because of it.

Answer 4

No not really, many religions have often tried to suppress knowledge

Edit:
While I understand the "instant" communication aspect, I don't think that it negates other suppression of knowledge by religion and those were just as open.

Edit
Sorry, made a few mistakes in the above, I'm watching ICarly with my daughter... funny show!

Edit:
BAMAMBA has a point about there being many forms of suppression in the past, however ID and creationism are not science by any stretch of the imagination, and that is why trying to teach them as science is a step backwards.

Answer 5

No, but many people who have been ignorant and resistant to change have also so happened to be Christians or people who called themselves Christians. But that's not God's fault.
Look at Galileo's story. Nothing in the Bible says that everything revolves around the earth, yet the religious leaders insisted that Galileo's discover of everything revolving around the sun was heresy. That's just because many people in general were resistant to new ideas, even if they were no threat to the Bible.

Answer 6

Can you believe that Judge Jones, appointed by Bush, received death threats from the Christian Right and was labelled "an activist leftist judge" by the very people who had supported his appointment?

Simply for upholding the constitution!

I have my copy of the Judgement Day DVD on preorder already.

It should be aired or available on the internet in Australia this coming week, according to an email I received from Peter Bowditch of the Australian Skeptics.

Answer 7

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Answer 8

You have a very valid point, here. No other group in history has attacked and condemned knowledge the way that modern Christianity does.
If you go into the "Creation Museum", you even see posters showing pictures of books with a big slash through them, and then a picture of the Bible next to it with a message saying that the only knowledge you need is in one book.

Answer 9

This question sounds a lot like "Have you stopped beating your wife?"

American Christianity isn't attacking mankind's quest for knowledge, openly or otherwise. Whether you choose to believe it or not, ID has supporters who are both scientists (Ph.D., labs, and all) and non-Christians.

And the human race has a long and illustrious history of trying to quash any "discovery" which threatens the status quo. It's certainly not confined to religion.

Why do you feel the need to demonize the people you disagree with?

Answer 10

I hadn't thought of it that way, but you're absolutely right.

The program to which you link is EXCELLENT; I recorded it a few days ago, and was blown over by what I heard. I'd recommend it to any thinking person on this board.

Edit: The "ninth grade teacher" who answered needs to watch the program; if he/she doesn't, his/her students are losing out.