Tuesday 10 June 2008

Scientists rally against creationist 'superstition'

From here.

To mark a double anniversary celebrating Charles Darwin, the father of evolution, his supporters are taking the fight to their opponents

The rise of creationism in Britain to the point where four out of 10 Britons believe it to be the literal truth – as well as the idea being taught in state-approved schools – has spread alarm throughout the scientific community.

But this week sees the start of a concerted fightback, as an 18-month celebration of evolution and its greatest proponent, Charles Darwin, gets under way, marking the 150th anniversary of the unveiling of his theory and the 200th anniversary of his birth.

People all over Europe will take part in a mass experiment to discover evolutionary changes to a species of snail; a major series of programmes is to be shown by the BBC; several books are to be published; and the Open University plans a new course on the subject.

Entries for a competition to design "Darwin's Canopy" – a piece of art to cover a ceiling in the Natural History Museum – will be unveiled this week, and the museum will hold a major exhibition on Darwin beginning in November.

Dr Bob Bloomfield, head of special projects at the museum and a key figure in the "Darwin200" project, said he was concerned by the prevalence of creationist ideas.

"The statistics in this country are quite frightening. If you add up the percentages that either believe in creationism or intelligent design, it is approaching 40 per cent," he said.

"I don't think society can be complacent when ideas which are unsound are perpetrated. We are trying not to compromise people's faith views, other than where they are absolutely inconsistent with science."

He said the teaching of creationism in schools was "very problematic".

Professor Jonathan Silvertown of the Open University, who is writing a book entitled 99% Ape: How Evolution Adds Up, said the OU would be running a course called Darwin and Evolution. "The idea is to give people a feel for the modern evidence," he said.

He and the geneticist Professor Steve Jones, of University College London, are involved in a mass science project to study changes in banded snails, by recruiting tens of thousands of people across Europe.

Professor Jones said religious students – even those studying medicine – were becoming increasingly vocal in their opposition to evolution, saying he was "telling lies and insulting people's religion" by teaching the subject.

"They want permission not to come to those lectures and sit those exam questions," he said. "I have been teaching genetics and evolutionary biology for 30 years and for the first 20 I think the issue arose once. That's changed."

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Consensus does not make science true. Once there was a consensus of those who believed the world was flat. Yet, the Bible called the world a circle. There was consensus that mountains did not exist under water, yet, the Bible describes mountains under water. If there is no God, how did Moses know about quarantines, health risks with mold, the need for running water when washing hands. These ideas did not come from Egypt - they thought feces cured wounds. Moses couldn't know about invisible germs - who told him? Science knew nothing of quarantine until the Middle Ages and they found it by reading Moses.

Science, once thought you bled people, but the Bible said blood is the source of life. They thought air was weightless, but the Bible said it has weight. Science thought winds blow straight, but the Bible said winds blow in cyclones. Science one said only rivers feed oceans, the Bible said oceans contain springs. Science said you wash hands in still water, the Bible said we're to wash them in running water. The Bible says animals make themselves after their own kind. Science says.....

For the most part, it seems science has been proving the Bible to be correct - not the other way. The consensus in regard to evolution has nothing to do with science, but everything to do with disproving God. That's nothing new. No man likes the thought of judgment. The consensus has always been against God.

We now know there are trillions of genes in the human body, Enough to string to the sun and back 600 times. We also know for one gene to come about by chance is 1 over 10 to 150 zeros. This is way beyond the realm of probability. How improbable would trillions be and all working in harmony?

The evolutionists silence the Creationists. They keep them from gaining employment. It's not about fact, it's about a political world view that wants to prove there is no God.

And for those who believe in pure evolution and say they are Christian, how can that be. They would have to do away with original sin. Thus there would be no need for a Savior.

When you look at a beautiful building, you don't say it's consensus this building just formed itself out of stick and mortar, you wonder who built it. People would laugh at you if you thought it just happened. Yet,the body is so complex, yet so marvelously made and we say it just happened.

Oh, science once said there were only 1,100 stars - the Bible said, "incalculable."

Evolution really does take a lot of faith. More than I have. Sorry, the consensus, during Noah's time was against the flood happening. The consensus lost.

Let Intelligent Design take place in our schools. What are you afraid of anyway?

Oh, I believe the consensus was for global warming until they discovered the books cooked.

The consensus never seems to get it right...


TL Watchman

Anonymous said...

Consensus does not make science true. Once there was a consensus of those who believed the world was flat. Yet, the Bible called the world a circle. There was consensus that mountains did not exist under water, yet, the Bible describes mountains under water. If there is no God, how did Moses know about quarantines, health risks with mold, the need for running water when washing hands. These ideas did not come from Egypt - they thought feces cured wounds. Moses couldn't know about invisible germs - who told him? Science knew nothing of quarantine until the Middle Ages and they found it by reading Moses.

Science, once thought you bled people, but the Bible said blood is the source of life. They thought air was weightless, but the Bible said it has weight. Science thought winds blow straight, but the Bible said winds blow in cyclones. Science one said only rivers feed oceans, the Bible said oceans contain springs. Science said you wash hands in still water, the Bible said we're to wash them in running water. The Bible says animals make themselves after their own kind. Science says.....

We now know there are trillions of genes in the human body, Enough to string to the sun and back 600 times. We also know for one gene to come about by chance is 1 over 10 to 150 zeros. This is way beyond the realm of probability. How improbable would trillions be and all working in harmony?

When you look at a beautiful building, you don't say it's consensus this building just formed itself out of stick and mortar, you wonder who built it. People would laugh at you if you thought it just happened. Yet,the body is so complex, yet so marvelously made and we say it just happened.

Oh, science once said there were only 1,100 stars - the bible said, "incalculable."

Evolution really does take a lot of faith. More than I have. Sorry, the consensus, during Noah's time was against the flood happening. The consensus lost.

Let Intelligent Design take place in our schools. What are you afraid of anyway?

Oh, I believe the consensus was for global warming until they discovered the books cooked.

The consensus never seems to get it right...

Oh, I forgot...some claim that the original cells must have been planted by people from another planet - who made them?