-
-
Creationist offers prize for fossil proof of evolution
A controversial creationist has offered 10 TRILLION Turkish Lira to anyone who can provide convincing fossil evidence of evolution.
-
Darrow, Darwin, and Dayton
Recently, VP Candidate Sarah Palin made an extraordinary claim. "Yes", she said, "I have seen images of dinosaur fossils with human footprints in them!", a statement consistent with her attempts to get 'creationists' put on school boards. By definition, a 'creationist' believes that human beings were contemporary with dinosaurs.
A 'creationist' believes that human beings were contemporary with dinosaurs because 'creation' —they believe —took place just 6,000 years ago. Palin has long espoused 'creationism', a belief that Genesis is a literal history. If so, all creation took place over a period of seven days about 6,000 years ago, thus: the creationist believes that humans and dinosaurs co-existed. And not just in Jurassic park or Alley Oop comic strips.
The 'footprints' that were said to be human were not. That determination was made back by 1989. Claims that human tracks had been fossilized in pre-Tertiary rocks from other localities are "not considered credible by ... mainstream scientists' or 'major creationist groups". [See: The Paluxy Dinosaur/'Man Track' Controversy, Glen J, Kuban]
The idiotic idea that the universe is but 6,000 years old is easily refuted. Consider the known, proven distance to the Andromeda galaxy --some 2 million light years. That means that when we look up into the night sky and see Andromeda, we see it as it was two million years ago. We see the Magellanic Clouds as they were some 195 thousand years ago. If the Earth were but six thousand years old, the number of stars visible to Earth might be counted on our fingers and toes.
It comes down to this: if we can look up at the sky at night and see Andromeda, 'creationists' are wrong! Guess what! We can SEE Andromeda. It is the only Galaxy that is visible to the naked eye. If we had discovered no other object, we must conclude, therefore, that the universe is at least two million years old. Of course, there are many more objects that are much more distant than Andromeda and they are easily discerned by the Hubble telescope. Recently, VP Candidate Sarah Palin made an extraordinary claim. "Yes", she said, "I have seen images of dinosaur fossil... more -
Larry Charles: "Jesus Didn't Exist!"
Real Time comedian Bill Maher and Borat director Larry Charles are men on a mission: to destroy society's blind faith in God. The medium they chose to convey their doctrine is not a dusty old book, but an entertaining documentary which highlights the ridiculous aspects of religion, hence its name, Religulous.
In an effort to spread their brand of enlightenment, Charles and Maher embarked on a romp around the world, questioning religious beliefs in the places they began and the palaces they paid for. The duo returned from their three-month pilgrimage with oodles of often-funny footage, much of it shot guerrilla-style as with Borat. Stringing interviews together with biting commentary and incisive footnotes, (to quote Kazakhstan's most famous fake export) they present their "cultural learnings" which they ultimately hope may "make benefit" of our "glorious" globe.
I chatted with Charles, who mastered absurdity while working on Seinfeld and Curb Your Enthusiasm, and took the opportunity to challenge a few beliefs of his own.
Click on link above for full interview. Real Time comedian Bill Maher and Borat director Larry Charles are men on a mission: to destroy society's blind faith in God. The... more -
Palin Claimed Dinosaurs And People Coexisted
Soon after Sarah Palin was elected mayor of the foothill town of Wasilla, Alaska, she startled a local music teacher by insisting in casual conversation that men and dinosaurs coexisted on an Earth created 6,000 years ago -- about 65 million years after scientists say most dinosaurs became extinct -- the teacher said. Soon after Sarah Palin was elected mayor of the foothill town of Wasilla, Alaska, she startled a local music teacher by insisting in c... more
-
It's time for science and reason
There was a time when we sought our answers in superstition....
Now is the time when we should use scientific methods, rational thinking and evidence to determine our way....
Anyone agree with me? There was a time when we sought our answers in superstition.... ... more -
The Evolution of John McCain - Why He Picked Sarah Palin, Carbon Queen
www.copyright-free-photos.org.uk/wolves/02-grey-wolf.htm
copyright-free-photos.org.uk
http://www.tomdispatch.com/
Way back in September 2005, not so long after Katrina hit New Orleans and Americans discovered just what the Bush administration was — and wasn’t — capable of, environmental activist and author Chip Ward wrote a piece for TomDispatch, “Left Behind,” on “Bush’s holy war on nature.” In it he outlined just what that administration was, in fact, quite skilled at doing. He wrote, in part:
“During their time in power, Bush’s officials have worked systematically and energetically to undo half a century of environmental law and policy based on hard-learned lessons about how to sustain healthy environments. Strikingly, they have failed to protect the environment even when they could have done so without repercussions from special-interest campaign contributors. Something more is going on.”
[...]
The Evolution of John McCain
Why He Picked Sarah Palin, Carbon Queen
By Chip Ward
Despite the media feeding frenzy, we still may be asking ourselves, “Just who exactly is Sarah Palin?” Mixed in with the Davy-Crockett-meets-SuperMom vignettes — all those moose hunting, ice fishing, snowmobiling, baby-juggling, and hockey-momming moments — we’ve also learned that she doesn’t care much for her former brother-in-law and wasn’t afraid to use her office to go after his job as a state trooper; that she was for the “bridge to nowhere” before she was against it; that she’s against earmarks unless they benefit her constituents; that she can deliver a snappy wisecracking speech, thinks banning books in libraries is okay, considers herself a pit bull with lipstick, and above all else, wants to drill the ever-lovin’ daylights out of every corner of her home state (which John McCain’s handlers have somehow translated into being against Big Oil, since she insisted on a marginally bigger cut of the profits for Alaskans).
Oh, and — not that this is very important to Americans or the planet — she now thinks that global warming might possibly be human-made… sorta… though she didn’t before, despite the fact that the state she governs is on the frontline of climate change. And, of course, she’s a classic right-wing, fundamentalist Christian: against abortion — check; against same-sex marriage — check; against stem-cell research — check; favors teaching Creationism in public schools — check.
It's that last item, her willingness to put Creationism up against the teaching of evolutionary science in the classroom on a he-says-she-says basis, that's far more revealing of just who our new Republican vice presidential candidate is than we generally assume. It deserves the long, hard look that it hasn't yet gotten. Most Democrats and progressives tend to think of the teaching of Creationism as a mere sidebar item on their agenda of political don't-likes, but it's not. Sarah Palin's bias towards Creationism is a window into her political soul and a measure of John McCain's hypocrisy.
[...]
http://www.tomdispatch.com/post/174979/chip_ward_sarah_...
***
Brutal: Sarah Palin’s Record on Aerial Wolf Hunting
https://secure.defenders.org/
Have you ever heard of aerial hunting? It’s a brutal practice. Wolves are shot from low-flying aircraft or chased to exhaustion, then killed at point-blank range.
Governor Sarah Palin, the Republican nominee for Vice President, promotes this barbaric practice, exploiting a loophole in the Federal Airborne Hunting Act to allow private wolf killers to shoot down wolves using aircraft. To encourage the killing, she even proposed a $150 bounty for the left foreleg of each dead wolf!
We have to get the word out about this! Please watch this powerful new television ad by Defenders of Wildlife Action Fund, and then share it with every wildlife lover you know:
http://actionfund.defenders.org/palintvwolf
More on Sarah Palin: http://wordpress.com/tag/palin-sarah/ www.copyright-free-photos.org.uk/wolves/02-grey-wolf.htm copyright-free-photos.org.uk http://www.tomdispatch.com/ ... more -
British Creationists at Genesis Museum
Widely believed in the United States, creationism - the belief that God created the earth and man in six days - is enjoying a resurgence of support in the UK, say its believers and its critics.
At first glance the Genesis Expo museum, in the naval town of Portsmouth, looks like any other repository of natural history exhibits: fossils of dinosaurs and unusual rock formations.
But focus on the narrative of the information panels alongside them, and you start to realise this is a museum with a difference - one dedicated to the theory of creationism.
The revelation that US vice-presidential candidate Sarah Palin says creationism should be taught in schools, alongside that of evolutionary theory, has raised few eyebrows in the US. An estimated 47% of Americans reject outright Charles Darwin's theory of evolution, accepting instead the Bible's account of the creation of the universe - as laid out in the first chapter of Genesis.
"If we came from nothing and go into nothing... that encourages people to lead reckless and materialistic lifestyles"
Rev Greg Haslam, Westminster Chapel, London
Call for creationism in science
But in Britain, where a portrait of Darwin appears on the back of the £10 note, his theory of life evolving from primitive to complex structures by means of natural selection appears to be unchallenged orthodoxy.
Not so, say those on both sides of the creationist divide - a point amply proved by the existence of the Genesis Expo museum, to date Britain's only creationist museum. The museum is the work of Britain's oldest creationist group, the Creation Science Movement, which has built Genesis Expo to visibly challenge the theory of evolution .
In its walk-through display, fossils in glass cases purport to show that ancient animals - including man - did not evolve from lower creatures but were instead divinely created "after their kind" (Genesis Chapter 1, verse 21).
A picture of a landslide-causing volcano is used to counter the scientific understanding that rock strata took millions of years to build up.
And throughout the display are scattered examples of "intelligent design" - complex creatures that "could not have evolved" as the result of natural selection.
Gravestone exhibit
Leading British scientist and author Dr Richard Dawkins has warned of creationist "brainwashing" in the UK - spurred on by an unwillingness of the authorities to offend religious sensibilities. His creationist adversaries say their ideas are beginning to gain wider acceptance within these shores as dissatisfaction grows with "materialist" evolutionary explanations of how life began.
£10 note
The pocket evolutionist - Charles Darwin, on the back of a £10 note
Museum curator Ross Rosevear describes himself as a "Young Earth" creationist, who believes that the earth was created in six days "less than 10,000 years ago."
Standing before the museum's prize exhibit - a mock gravestone inscribed: "Here lies the Theory of Evolution" - he rejects as "unreliable" the scientific tests that fix the age of the earth at more than four billion years. While he concedes his convictions are intimately connected with his Christian faith, he insists the evidence presented in the displays could convince even non-believers of the "fatal flaws" in Darwin's theory of evolution.
"All we are saying is that it is not unreasonable to present an alternative explanation of how life began," he says.
For some, it's an explanation that has gained a surprisingly wide acceptance in the UK.
A 2006 survey for the BBC found that more than a fifth of those polled were convinced by the creationist argument. Less than half - 48% - chose evolution.
--More at Link--
Another Article:
"'Creationism' Biologist Quits Job"
http://current.com/items/89322951_creationism_biologist... Widely believed in the United States, creationism - the belief that God created the earth and man in six days - is enjoying a resurgen... more -
'Creationism' biologist quits job
Professor Michael Reiss has quit as director of education at the Royal Society following the controversy over his recent comments on creationism.
Last week Prof Reiss - a Church of England minister - said creationism should be discussed in science lessons if pupils raised the issue.
He was criticised by other scientists - though misquoted as saying creationism should be "taught" in science classes.
The society said some of his comments had been "open to misinterpretation".
This had damaged its reputation.
'Not scientific'
"As a result, Professor Reiss and the Royal Society have agreed that, in the best interests of the society, he will step down immediately as director of education - a part-time post he held on secondment," it said in a statement.
"He is to return, full time, to his position as professor of science education at the Institute of Education."
The Royal Society reiterated that its position was that creationism had no scientific basis and should not be part of the science curriculum.
"However, if a young person raises creationism in a science class, teachers should be in a position to explain why evolution is a sound scientific theory and why creationism is not, in any way, scientific."
I believe the Royal Society should have supported him and used this opportunity to further a reasoned debate
Roland Jackson
British Association for the Advancement of Science
It added that the society greatly appreciated the efforts of Prof Reiss, a biologist, in furthering its work in the important field of science education over the past two years and wished him well for the future.
Creationists take a literal interpretation of the Bible's description of the origin of life and reject the Darwinian concept of evolution.
Prof Reiss, speaking at the British Association Festival of Science at the University of Liverpool, estimated that about one in 10 children was from a family which supported a creationist rather than evolutionary viewpoint.
He said his experience had led him to believe it was more effective to include discussion about creationism alongside scientific theories such as the Big Bang and evolution - rather than simply giving the impression that such children were wrong.
Misconceptions
--More at Link--
Another Article:
"British Creationists at Genesis Museum"
http://current.com/items/89322947_british_creationists_... Professor Michael Reiss has quit as director of education at the Royal Society following the controversy over his recent comments on c... more -
Creationist campaigner has website banned
A Turkish court has banned internet users from viewing the official Richard Dawkins website after a Muslim creationist claimed the content was defamatory and blasphemous.
Adnan Oktar, a household name in Turkey, has used hundreds of books, pamphlets and DVDs to contest Darwin's theory of evolution. In 2006 Oktar's publishers sent out a detailed book rejecting the theory of evolution.
Dawkins, responded to the book by stating on his website "Iam at a loss to reconcile the expensive and glossy production values of this book with the breathtaking inanity of the content".
Does the blocking of websites really have the effect of stifling reasoned debate? A Turkish court has banned internet users from viewing the official Richard Dawkins website after a Muslim creationist claimed the con... more -
'Creationist' biologist quits job
A senior professor at the Royal Society, Michael Reiss, has left his post after he made controversial comments on creationism.
He had said that it should be discussed in science lessons if pupils raised the issue. A senior professor at the Royal Society, Michael Reiss, has left his post after he made controversial comments on creationism. ... more -
Should Creationism to be taught in Science Class?
"Renowned scientist advocates a Science curriculum with space for Religion:
Recently a member of the Royal Society published a blog suggesting that Creationism should be included in the teaching of science in schools.
Michael Reiss, the Director of Education for the Royal Society openly suggested that science teachers should try to explain scientific theories such as evolution in a manner which accommodates the many religions of the general public, which mostly happen to be routed in Creationism.
As expected this resulted in a thorough flaming from his colleagues, and the call for his removal was immediate and resounding. The fact that he is the Director of Education for this important scientific organisation and is also an ordained Anglican priest has been called comparable to a “Monty Python Sketch” by renowned Biologist Richard Dawkins.
The move to have him dismissed was put forward by two Nobel Prize winners - Sir Harry Kroto and Sir Richard Roberts. Reiss’ argument rests on the premise that the majority of learners hold religious beliefs, and that the current scientific curriculum does not support the claims of Creationism.
He states that learners’ religious beliefs should be encouraged; however, having them encouraged within a scientific context has many scientists fuming." "Renowned scientist advocates a Science curriculum with space for Religion: ... more -
Creationism 'should be taught in UK schools'
The Royal Society has backed the teaching of creationism in schools, kicking off what promises to be a spectacular row amongst the country’s top scientists.
The Royal Society director of education told the British Association’s festival of science in Liverpool that creationism should be examined in school science classes as a legitimate point of view.
Michael Reiss, who is both a professor of biology and a Church of England clergyman, took the position that with ten per cent of UK school children coming from families with creationist leanings, teachers should convey a message of “respect” for those beliefs while continuing to teach evolution.
Frankly I find this ridiculous. There are no religious children only children of religious parents. Why should we choose to indoctrinate our school children with religious ideology? Let them draw their own conclusions. The Royal Society has backed the teaching of creationism in schools, kicking off what promises to be a spectacular row amongst the cou... more -
A Visit to Palin’s Church | Newsweek Religion | Newsweek.com
Newsweek goes to Palin's church to get an idea of the story there and called it "unremarkable" except for the view. They really don't get to judgemental and try to give it a fair shot in this article. Its worth reading if you want to know all about Palin like most of us do. Newsweek goes to Palin's church to get an idea of the story there and called it "unremarkable" except for the view. Th... more
-
US Divided on Evolution : Poll
Americans are divided over whether humans and other living things evolved over time or have existed in their present form since the beginning of time, according to a new poll.
People on both sides of that argument think students should hear about various theories, however. Nearly two-thirds of those in a Pew Research Center poll, 64 percent, say they believe "creationism'' should be taught alongside "evolution'' -- a finding likely to spark more controversy about what is taught in the schools.
In the poll by the Pew Research Center, 42 percent of those surveyed held strict "creationist'' views that "living things have existed in their present form since the beginning of time.'' Creationism generally refers to a literal reading of the Bible's story of the creation of man.
Almost half, 48 percent, said they believed humans have evolved over time. Some of those people, 26 percent of all those polled, said they believe evolution occurred through natural selection, and another 18 percent of all those polled, said evolution was guided by a supreme being.
To summarize, 42% of those polled believed only in strict creationism. 48% of our country believes in evolution, but only 26% believe that it was caused by natural selection. 18% believe that evolution is guided by a "supreme being."
Also, 64% of people believe in teaching both creationism and evolution in schools. Americans are divided over whether humans and other living things evolved over time or have existed in their present form since the be... more -
State-by-State Map of the Creationism Controversy
Self explanatory.. this is a good tool for visualizing the attack on the separation of Church and State.
-
Spore angers creationists
Creationist groups are complaining that the newly-released Spore has an overly heavy emphasis on... you guessed it - evolution. Some groups are now even lobbying to get it banned, saying, "this entire game is propaganda aimed directly at our children to teach them evolution instead of creationism." Interestingly, TechDigest points out that the way in which 'evolution' works in Spore is actually far from how neo-Darwinism would explain it, and is much closer, ironically, to the Creationist model. Shiny Media's evolutionary biology correspondent explains:
"I understand that it's only a game and I would never criticise Spore for this but it did make me grimace and suck air through my teeth like a plumber doing an estimate on your bathroom to think of all the people out there who might think that Spore is an accurate account of how evolution works. "
"Several times in the Creature Stage I made huge differences to my beasties when I found they were getting the crap kicked out of them on the plains. I went from two-foot, blue spotted singing and dancing animals to giant green murder machines in one generation and it wouldn't have been a problem if you didn't then see one hatch directly from the egg of another."
"See now, for my money, this is a closer depiction of Creationism than Neo-Darwinist evolution. One of the classic reactions you get from someone who disputes evolution is "Yeah, but when have you ever seen a monkey turn into a man" or such. Of course, we all know that evolution is a very subtle process taking millions of years and so what Spore has done is represent a rather instanmatic Creationist version of how it's done." Creationist groups are complaining that the newly-released Spore has an overly heavy emphasis on... you guessed it - evolution. Some ... more -
Sarah Palin on Creationism
::: From Fog® ::: Creationism is fun to believe in! Science and evolution prove NOTHING to me! God made us all 6,000 years ago!
-
The Christian Right's Got a New Stealth Tactic to Smuggle Creationism into Sc...
A new law in Louisiana allows teachers to bring in "supplemental textbooks" about evolution, the origins of life and global warming to science class.
In the 21 years Patsye Peebles taught biology in Louisiana public schools, she never received one complaint from parents for teaching evolution.
"The bottom line is that I never questioned their faith," she said.
Whenever she had a student who brought up creationism, she always made it clear that science is science, and religion is religion.
"I wanted them to understand," Peebles said, "that science has to be testable and proven with evidence."
Whether they agreed with evolution or not, Peebles wanted her students to become what she calls "biologically literate citizens." Now she worries that a new Louisiana law, which would encourage teachers to question evolution, will push the state's education backward.
"My whole curriculum was based on evolution, I integrated it into everything I taught," said Peebles, who testified against the law in a state Senate hearing and serves as a regional coordinator for the National Association of Biology Teachers.
"Now this muddies the waters and keeps students from having a really good education," she said. "When they go to college, they will be at a disadvantage because they will not have a good understanding of science."
Already, more than half of the state's eighth-graders lack basic competence in science, according to recent national test scores.
But despite pleas from scientists, civil liberties activists and educators like Peebles, Gov. Bobby Jindal signed Louisiana Senate Bill 733 into law. The new statute will allow teachers to introduce into the classroom "supplemental textbooks and other instructional materials" about evolution, the origins of life, global warming and human cloning.
The "Science Education Act," as it is known to the law's proponents, is the first such "academic freedom" bill to make it into the law books. The Discovery Institute, a Seattle-based think tank that promotes intelligent design, is coordinating the promotion of similar bills throughout the country -- this year in states including Florida, Alabama, Missouri, Michigan and South Carolina.
"These bills are full of creationist code language," said Barbara Forrest, a professor at Southeastern Louisiana University. "The phrase 'academic freedom' has been used by creationists for decades."
Forrest is co-author of Creationism's Trojan Horse: The Wedge of Intelligent Design, a 2004 book that exposed the theocratic agenda of the Discovery Institute and other creationist organizations. She is leading the Louisiana Coalition for Science, a network of individuals and groups who organized opposition to SB 733.
Measures like Louisiana's new anti-evolution law are key pieces of the Religious Right agenda. Americans United for Separation of Church and State and its allies believe the Science Education Act is another attempt to force religion into public schools. AU has warned that lawsuits will result if Louisiana introduces religion into classrooms.*continues* A new law in Louisiana allows teachers to bring in "supplemental textbooks" about evolution, the origins of life and global ... more -
US University can deny credit to applicants who were taught creationism in high sc...
(08-12) 17:25 PDT SAN FRANCISCO -- A federal judge says the University of California can deny course credit to applicants from Christian high schools whose textbooks declare the Bible infallible and reject evolution. (08-12) 17:25 PDT SAN FRANCISCO -- A federal judge says the University of California can deny course credit to applicants from Christi... more
-
Riz Khan - Darwin's legacy - 21 July 08 Part 1
The first of a series about evolution, Darwin, Creationism and so-called "Intelligent Design".
-
related topics
Creationism
Contributors (490)
Creationism
