Re: The "church of Darwin" insult


<jgrisham@xxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote in message
news:1138042179.278932.275870@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
>
> Robert J. Kolker wrote:
>> You will notice that these fundies demean the theory of evolution by
>> likening it to what they have -- a dogmatic religion.
>
> While you don't quote a specific instance, I suspect that
> fundementalists have a much broader perception of what constitutes "a
> religion". While dictionaries insist on some connection to deity, the
> average American has been propagandized to associate "belief systems"
> with Communism, Fascism, Naziism, Terrorism, perhaps even Capitalism.
> Take any "ism" too seriously and for all intent and purposes it seems
> to behave like an intolerant and dogmatic religion. Proponents like
> Dawkins have a particularly dictatorial view which helps to associate
> evolution with a dogmatic belief system.

Dawkins is highly opinionated. How is this dictatorial?

>> The implication is
>> that being a religion is NOT a good thing.
>
> Religions are man-made social institutions, which can be or usually
> become corrupt (i.e., power corrupts, absolute power corrupts
> absolutely). All religions and all "isms" are built on perceived truths
> or facts. Humans tend to be highly irrational about such essential
> building blocks to their particular belief. Historically, the dominant
> method of entrenching such ideas in a society has been war (a.k.a., the
> survival of the fittest). It takes a significantly twisted logic to
> unconditionally describe this struggle of ideas as "a good thing".

I think you've missed the point completely.

>> With which I agree
>> completely. However the Theory of Evolution is a science not a religion.
>
> Actually, TofE is far more than a science. It's the manifestation of a
> philosophy, Materialistic or Methodological Naturalism. This particular
> philosophy begins with the assumption that deity does not exist.

The theory of evolution says _nothing_ about the existence of a deity.

> While the intent of that assumption was to support method, it is often
> twisted to suggest proof of the non-existence of deity (proving
> non-existence of anything is illogical).

How?

> In other words, if I were using a method to determine flavors of ice cream
> and established for
> the sake of method that vanilla was not a flavor, then after compiling
> a list of flavors, of which, vanilla could not exist, it would be
> twisted logic to use my data to suggest proof that vanilla does not
> exist.

What's twisted is your analogy. Please demonstrate how evolutionists use
this type of logic.

> It's only after the use of such illogic disguised as science
> that it gets into arguments of philosophy and science takes on
> dimensions of a belief system.
>
>> It can be falsified empirically.
>
> Empirically means by observation. You can't observe the animal that
> died and became fossilized.

You can identify the animal.

> The fossil record is not an uninterupted document of geological history.

No one claims it is.

> Fossilized remains are subjective data
> conformed by opinion into a perceived chain of associations which
> change perpetually as different scientists bring different perspectives
> to the same evidence. At best, Evolution is a historical science
> written by whatever opinion is currently winning peer-reviewed support
> and at worst a narrative... a creation story.

No, that's how ID works.

Your e-mail address indicates that you may be a teacher. If so, I'm even
more worried about the state of public education in this country.

>
> JTG 1/23/06
>
>>
>> Bob Kolker
>


.

Relevant Pages

  • Re: New journal Evolution: Education and Outreach
    ... by Niles Eldredge and Gregory Eldredge ... What's So Special About Science? ... The theory of evolution forms *the* ... Evolution taught is so students will not believe in God and religion. ...
    (talk.origins)
  • Re: Proposal - a new strategy to counter anti-evolutionists
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    (talk.origins)
  • Re: Televangelist Robertson warns town of Gods wrath
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  • Re: History of Intelligent Design
    ... The ID conspiracy to wedge religion into our schools is well ... she has no practical knowledge of science. ... of evolution was unconstitutional because the motivation was based on ... A California judge ruled that teaching evolution in public school ...
    (talk.origins)
  • Re: Judge Jones / new icon of science!
    ... evolution is a fact or theory or whether evolution should be taught as ... "ID's project to change the ground rules of science to include the ... religion, per se, rather than merely showing him an alternative theory ... while scientists continue their research. ...
    (talk.origins)
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