Yesterday I posted a small rant about a link a friend posted on FB, which then spurned a Note, and finally into a full-blown blog entry.
This rant can also be found here: http://www.xomba.com/creationism_versus_evolution_rant or on my blog on blogspot. I link the Xomba one here since there are articles written by other people you might find interesting as well about this general topic.
So here's the blog rant:
From the article "Kirk Cameron Stands Behind Controversial Darwin Statements" by Oliver Jones (found here: http://www.people.com/people/article/0,,20307814,00.html):
"Atheism has been on the rise for years now, and the Bible of the atheists is The Origin of Species, Cameron tells PEOPLE. We have a situation in our country where young people are entering college with a belief in God and exiting with that faith being stripped and shredded. What we want to do is have student make an informed, educated decision before they chuck their faith...
"So what is the plan that Cameron, 38, has hatched to supposedly save the souls of freshmen around the country?
He and other creationists have created thousands of editions of Charles Darwin's landmark work explaining evolutionary theory, with a 50-page introduction that picks apart aspects of Darwin's work and try to link it to everything from Nazi eugenics to the scientist's alleged 'disdain for women.' "
Ok. There are quite a few things to rant about concerning this topic, but theres a subject people don't usually include in the argumenta subject that drives me crazy about this whole creationism thing.
My biggest problem with this ongoing clash between of creationism and evolution is this: Creationists presume that only the Christian creation story is what matters. If you're going to teach creationism as an alternative to evolution then you have to cover EACH and EVERY creation story found in EACH and EVERY religion, or it simply is not a viable subject to teach in school. You can NOT just teach ONE religion's views and use that as the sole creation argument against science/evolution. It simply brings us back to Christians versus everyone else, namely the scientific community. (Exclusive religions love to play the us versus them card.) In schoolwhich is supposed to be separate from singular religious viewsyou have to be inclusive in teachings and discussions, especially if you are discussing particularly subjective views (although subjectivity can be attributed to virtually every topic known to man).
Religion does NOT equal the Christian God and the Christian creation story. It never has and never will. Americans are often too ignorant to realize there are other religions besides Christianity (or at least, other religions that hold beliefs that matter at all). In fact, there are countless others. If you want to teach creationism in schoolsmeaning the idea that a god or larger force created this world, universe, or even just our speciesgo for it, but you MUST be inclusive across the board. This is about FREE thinkingabout considering our creation from a variety of angles, theories, beliefs, etc. It should NOT be about teaching the Genesis in school, and definitely not about teaching anything as fact.
This dichotomy about the fact of Christian creationism versus the fact of evolution is maddening. It's ALL theory in the end. No one REALLY KNOWS ANYTHING as fact about virtually ANYTHING in our Universe. How can you presume to say you KNOW when you freaking don't? Doing so is pure arrogance, and it is unbelievably foolhardy. This is NOT about Christians vs Atheists. Or it shouldn't be. Such battles are presumptuous and futile as they only lead to more fighting and more hate.
All of this is why knowledge is imperative in all aspects of human existence. Humans must strive to learn everything we can from people who have already lived and experienced and thought and considered and felt and laughed and cried. It is how we grow. History is filled with people who all have a piece of truth to offer, and with those pieces of truth we can expand our horizonsas individuals, as societies, and as a speciesand seek out new truths to add to our knowledge base. Without knowledge and learning we cannot advance as people or as social groups.
People shouldnt limit themselves by confining their minds (thoughts, feelings, emotions, etc) within socially constructed boundaries (be them religious, scientific, political, whatever). We only hurt ourselves and the future of our society in the long-run.
This rant can also be found here: http://www.xomba.com/creationism_versus_evolution_rant or on my blog on blogspot. I link the Xomba one here since there are articles written by other people you might find interesting as well about this general topic.
So here's the blog rant:
From the article "Kirk Cameron Stands Behind Controversial Darwin Statements" by Oliver Jones (found here: http://www.people.com/people/article/0,,20307814,00.html):
"Atheism has been on the rise for years now, and the Bible of the atheists is The Origin of Species, Cameron tells PEOPLE. We have a situation in our country where young people are entering college with a belief in God and exiting with that faith being stripped and shredded. What we want to do is have student make an informed, educated decision before they chuck their faith...
"So what is the plan that Cameron, 38, has hatched to supposedly save the souls of freshmen around the country?
He and other creationists have created thousands of editions of Charles Darwin's landmark work explaining evolutionary theory, with a 50-page introduction that picks apart aspects of Darwin's work and try to link it to everything from Nazi eugenics to the scientist's alleged 'disdain for women.' "
Ok. There are quite a few things to rant about concerning this topic, but theres a subject people don't usually include in the argumenta subject that drives me crazy about this whole creationism thing.
My biggest problem with this ongoing clash between of creationism and evolution is this: Creationists presume that only the Christian creation story is what matters. If you're going to teach creationism as an alternative to evolution then you have to cover EACH and EVERY creation story found in EACH and EVERY religion, or it simply is not a viable subject to teach in school. You can NOT just teach ONE religion's views and use that as the sole creation argument against science/evolution. It simply brings us back to Christians versus everyone else, namely the scientific community. (Exclusive religions love to play the us versus them card.) In schoolwhich is supposed to be separate from singular religious viewsyou have to be inclusive in teachings and discussions, especially if you are discussing particularly subjective views (although subjectivity can be attributed to virtually every topic known to man).
Religion does NOT equal the Christian God and the Christian creation story. It never has and never will. Americans are often too ignorant to realize there are other religions besides Christianity (or at least, other religions that hold beliefs that matter at all). In fact, there are countless others. If you want to teach creationism in schoolsmeaning the idea that a god or larger force created this world, universe, or even just our speciesgo for it, but you MUST be inclusive across the board. This is about FREE thinkingabout considering our creation from a variety of angles, theories, beliefs, etc. It should NOT be about teaching the Genesis in school, and definitely not about teaching anything as fact.
This dichotomy about the fact of Christian creationism versus the fact of evolution is maddening. It's ALL theory in the end. No one REALLY KNOWS ANYTHING as fact about virtually ANYTHING in our Universe. How can you presume to say you KNOW when you freaking don't? Doing so is pure arrogance, and it is unbelievably foolhardy. This is NOT about Christians vs Atheists. Or it shouldn't be. Such battles are presumptuous and futile as they only lead to more fighting and more hate.
All of this is why knowledge is imperative in all aspects of human existence. Humans must strive to learn everything we can from people who have already lived and experienced and thought and considered and felt and laughed and cried. It is how we grow. History is filled with people who all have a piece of truth to offer, and with those pieces of truth we can expand our horizonsas individuals, as societies, and as a speciesand seek out new truths to add to our knowledge base. Without knowledge and learning we cannot advance as people or as social groups.
People shouldnt limit themselves by confining their minds (thoughts, feelings, emotions, etc) within socially constructed boundaries (be them religious, scientific, political, whatever). We only hurt ourselves and the future of our society in the long-run.
Cameron is a flake but people do listen to him