Field Notes

I recently saw this on the back of a vehicle.  I don’t’ really know where to begin other than to say I am SO sick of this crap.  It is hard to believe that in the 21st Century where EVERYONE, especially in the U.S., benefits so much from SCIENCE, there remains a faction within the Christian faith, and apparently a fairly large faction, who wishes to ignore fact in exchange for blind faith and philosophy.

Now, it is essential that I tell you that I am not an atheist nor agnostic.  I believe in God and have faith, but like Einstein, I have room for both faith and science.  I, like many reasonable people, are able to separate the two.

A few weeks before the Presidential Election I was speaking with a friend whom I had not seen in a couple of years.  Inevitably the conversation turned to politics and she asked me the question everyone has been asking me, “You lived in Alaska.  Do you like Sarah Palin?”  In short, no.  Why, because she is ill prepared to be the Vice President of the US and CERTAINLY NOT the President.  So what does this have to do with my blog topic?  Sarah is a creationist.  She believes that what is spelled out in Genesis is fact and literal.  This concerns me because evolution is science fact.  And, like all science, it is held up to the same rigorous evaluation and scrutiny as any experiment.  There are definable and repeatable steps and methods.  That’s why we call it the Scientific Method.   Creationism does not subscribe to this.  There are no experiments that one can conduct.  There are no eye witnesses.  (Yes, yes, I know the Bible is witness to this.  Pleeeaaase.)  So, back to my friend.  At the beginning of the conversation she stated that she believed in creation and not “all this big bang stuff.”  So, as a good science based person I asked her what she knew about the big bang.  I asked her if she understood the difference between religious philosophy and science.  As the conversation progressed it became obvious that she did not understand the scientific method nor the difference between science and philosophy.  She found this somewhat disturbing and I believe may have mentally retreated to some safe place for fear of feeling foolish for just “going with the religious right mantras.”

So why am I so disturbed by so called creation science (which does not resemble science in any way shape or form.)?  Let me explain with a story.  My family and I were at the Museum of Natural History in Washington D.C. this past summer.  While wondering through the fossil section, my wife overheard a child excitedly telling his mother about what he was looking at.  The mother responded by saying that it was neat but it wasn’t true and fossils, and the Earth, are not really millions of years old.  Ok.  So it took every bit of restraint I had to not give the parent and child a lecture about science, the scientific method, and reality.  (My wife too.)  I am not one to criticize others, nor do I endorse the behavior of one religious group denouncing or killing another based on a difference of beliefs; however, it pains me to see a child’s interest and enthusiasm squashed by an belief of ignorance.

So this brings me to why I can’t stand what I have come to call “young Earthers.”  These are the people that believe the Earth to be only 6,000 years old.  I had a debate with a person of this belief sturcture.  We went round and round about the fossils and his believing that dinosours roamed the Earth with man.  When I broached the issue of light speed he countered with tired light, a term and concept which always makes me smile and giggle at that level of ignorance.  He also proceeded to tell me that God presents the universe to us in the way it is, despite the fact that it may be contradictory to the Bible.  So I asked him.  Is God the TRUTH and the light.  He said yes.  I asked if God was honest and loved us.  He empatically answered yes.  I told him that I view God as our Father.  He again energetically agreed.  So I asked, “Should a parent lie to their child?”  Silence.  I followed with “If God loves us and he is the TRUTH why should he lie to me about the universe?”  “Why should I believe anything he says (Bible).  If he was willing to lie to me once he might lie to me again.”  “To my knowledge, my Dad never lied to me, I would hope the supreme Dad would not lie to me.”  He had little to respond but simply said that the Bible is God’s word.  So I added that the Bible is the interpretation of what God said.  An interpretation by MAN.  2000 year old, science ignorant man.  Man at a time when he was suseptible to superstition and belief in magic.  So even if God did relay His word, he transmitted it through a faulty system, MAN.  How can you trust the end message.  To top it off, it is philosophical in nature, not scientific.  He simply said “With God anything is possible.” and left in a huff.  I later learned that he told a mutual friend never to have a debate with me because I have too many facts.  The key word in that sentance is FACTS, not philosophical thoughts.  Believe me, I think most of the parts of the Bible and more so the teachings of Jesus are great.  Treat people the way you want to be treated.  Don’t kill each other.  Live in peace.  Etc, etc.  (Personally, the parts of the Bible that endorse the stoneing of women and trading of people should be redacted.)  Excellent phiolosophical belief and way to live, but not SCIENCE.  Besides it sure doesn’t appear that man nor ANY religion seems to be following the worthy parts of the Bible.