If I Saw a Boggart…

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Well, there you have it, argument over. This video claims to illuminate for other Christians the GREATEST FEAR all atheists have. All atheists fear the Bible, because secretly, we all know that the Bible is obviously correct, and that nothing in the Bible can be proven false! We lose sleep over it, I am told!

This is all news to me, of course, but it just proves that there is no debate to be had, doesn’t it? I have never stated a goal of taking Religion away from my friends or family, I just ask them to do what I try to do: Bring more happiness into the world than you take out of it.

Fundamentalists, or, to narrow the scope a little bit more, Biblical literalists, often use the Bible as a foundation for ultimately misogynistic or homophobic views. I use the word homophobia loosely, I am afraid, as I do not know a more appropriate word — it isn’t fear of homosexuals that they have, it is hostility. In any case, homosexuals do not harm them, but often homosexuals are marginalized and have their rights inhibited. Anti-Sodomy laws are still actively on the books in many states, and even in states where marriage laws have been loosened there is active fighting going on to define traditional marriage.

As the video goes on, they proceed to use bad science to ‘prove’ that evolutionists use bad science to justify their claims. I could go on to say this is ironic, but the irony boils down to something even simpler; they believe (and this is a direct quote) that science cannot, in any way, ever prove the Bible wrong — but they will trumpet ANY science, of any length, of any duration that proves the Bible correct. Another episode, for example, has a Biblical literalist scientist state that “I have studied 100,000 generations of bacteria, and I haven’t seen one instance of evolution.” Well, there you go; one study, by one scientist, over 15 years, has proven evolution wrong. If it can’t happen in 15 years, it could certainly never have happened in 4.7 billion years. Case closed.

It is just sad to me. That’s what I am trying to say here. If they had their way, if Biblical literalism were embraced wholesale and as wholly as they want it to be, science would stagnate. They are open to science, mind you, but only if its purpose is to Glorify God. Does Penicillin Glorify God? Well, no, but it was made by a Christian, therefore it is ok. But going forward, we don’t have to focus on this kind of science.

Why is this ok? How is this Christian? Like I said, I want to bring more happiness into the world than I take out of it… I would hope that they would, too… But they have so many caveats on that rule. As Fappy the Dolphin would say, “Conditions Apply.”

Using Bad Science to Call Science Bad is Bad Science

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Honestly, though, why does the Institute for Creation Research (http://icr.org) exist? Can you even call it science, when you start with “The Earth is 6000 years old because a book written 2800 years ago told me so. Now let’s cherry pick data and evidence to fit that conclusion.”

Look, science is not perfect. I am willing to admit it. Again, case in point, they have some evidence (carefully chosen) that is hard to technically refute (please read that very literally. The research itself is not *technically* incorrect, but it is *practically* incorrect) stating that the Earth is between 4000 and 10000 years old… But here’s the thing; the ICR will trumpet any cherry-picked study they can find that will agree with their pre-existing conclusion; that the Earth is 6000 years old. It doesn’t matter if 10, 100, or 1000 studies stand against this one study, they have one study that agrees with their conclusion (and conclusion is, obviously, not the correct word to use here).

How do they get funding? Why do they get funding? Why is their whole mission to stand against an entire body of science? What is the point of standing against a whole body of science?

I mean, if you are correct, and it is scientifically provable that the Earth is 6000 years old, won’t science at large eventually agree? Why do you need a specific, religiously funded branch to try to force the issue, despite mountains of evidence to the contrary? To make yourself feel better? It is my prerogative to believe there is a pink unicorn in my bedroom that sprinkles happy dreams on me while I sleep. I could even pay a large group of people to spread said story… But that doesn’t make it true.

Long story short, countering good science by cherry picking very narrow-spectrum studies does your side no good. Frankly, it makes you look silly.

Now please, let science do its thing. Please?

Observing Creationists in their Natural Habitat

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Fair and balanced interviews!
“It’s World War II, during the Holocaust. You are being told, at gun point, to bury Jews who have been shot. Some are still alive. Do you do it?”
“No, I would not do it. I would be shot before I did.”
“Well, how do you feel about abortion?”
“I believe you should be able to choose.”
“Well, you are now as bad as Nazis during the Holocaust.”

Well, that escalated quickly.

From the same place:

“If you don’t believe in a Creator who gave us moral laws, then you have no basis for believing that anything is right or wrong. Therefore, to accuse Christians of being like ISIS is completely invalid because your worldview can’t even explain why this would be a bad thing!”

Now, I would never accuse most Christians of being like ISIS. In fact, I would also not accuse most Muslims of being like ISIS…

But am I the only one who is positively, pants-shittingly terrified whenever someone says “I am only a decent person because God”?

I’d like to think I am a decent person because being a decent person is a decent thing to do, because it maximizes happiness in everyone around, which ends up making every day better for everyone.