Young Earth Creationists (YEC from here on in) make me so sad for the state of humanity, but not even for the reasons you might be thinking.

I do a lot of research on a wide variety of topics, and often I will watch or listen to YEC videos or podcasts. I used to do it because they are funny to me (hahaha, these guys know less about science than a 7th grader! [that kind of thing]), but lately I can’t laugh at them any more. Their disingenuous attitude towards those that don’t share their view is dangerous.

Their vacuous arguments are cruel, and I would say they may even violate many tenets of the Bible (I am aware that the more literally you take the Bible, the more laws of the Bible you are breaking just because many are, as a technicality, impossible to follow since they contradict each other — but for the sake of fair play, I will say they are [as a general rule] following their own religious doctrine). They lie, or change evidence to fit their goals. They engage in ad hominem attacks on scientists. They ignore evidence that disagrees with them, and praise evidence that can be used for their side (even if they have to remove context, change the wording, lie about the source of the data, or just straight up bend it until the square evidence fits into the circular theory [SEE WHAT I DID THERE?! HAHAHA! Jokes!]).

I could forgive them for cherry picking evidence if they weren’t so cruel about it. One of my favorite YEC podcasts is Creation Today (www.creationtoday.org)
I enjoyed their videos until the Bill Nye vs Ken Ham debate. After that debate, they spent two full episodes discrediting, berating, and making fun of Bill Nye. If your message of love, peace, and acceptance has to come at the expense of someone, if you can’t say you can love Bill Nye, then how does your message work? “We love and accept EVERYONE! Except those that we don’t, whom we list here, as well as any sins we could dig up over the course of their entire life!”

I have no problem with Christianity, when it does not hurt those around it. Many people have found solace, solidarity, and happiness in the embrace of God. I would never want to take that from them. But as soon as you use your religion to actively exclude or harm another person or group of people, I think you have gone astray. I think Ken Ham, Eric Hovind, and his ilk have officially tripped the line from scientifically ignorant (not an insult; they just don’t know, and that is [for the most part] ok) to actively harmful.

I am not here to campaign against them. Or maybe I am. The hashtags I am going to use are kind of inflammatory, I won’t lie. But still.

I will leave you with this last bit of bad science that did actually make me laugh. Reading the body language of the lecturer, one notes that he doesn’t even seem comfortable with his own message — it does take a bit of intellectual dishonesty to get a PhD in a scientific field, then ignore all of the science in that field. Perhaps he has not gotten over his conscience just yet.

https://answersingenesis.org/media/video/science/ice-age-bible-explains/

‪#‎YEC‬ and ‪#‎CreationToday‬ ‪#‎AreKindOfAssholes‬
‪#‎ReadTheNewTestament‬
‪#‎ReadTheWholeOldTestament‬
Once you’ve read both, and decided that the Bible is perfect and consistent and without contradiction, get back to me. If you still believe that there are no faults in that book, go read it again. Please.

Answers in Genesis
Creation Today
Why do you have to denigrate others to argue your side?

So here’s a question I have… Why is it that so many ex-Christians that I know, personally, have such a deep knowledge of the Bible? Why do so many of them have a deeper knowledge of the Bible than so many of my currently Christian friends?
Most Christians I know can pull at the big picture of the Bible, but that isn’t entirely fair, is it? During my religious Searching (I’d say a capital ‘s’ is warranted there), I find so many quotes in major parts of the Bible that should change the big picture, but you would never see them in the “Children’s Bible.” That being said, why does it seem that so many people know only about as much about the Bible that one would find in the “Children’s Bible”?

I am not an Atheist, or a Christian, I am just a seeker. I want to find the Truth. Will I ever find it? No, I don’t believe anyone ever finds the Truth with a capital T. They can find what they believe to be the Truth, sure, I won’t deny that.

But that’s the point. Why do we argue, and fight, and kill, in the name of something that is truly, absolutely, unprovable? Why is it so hard for so many to follow the pillar of their own religion (The Golden Rule, for Christians). When Jesus came upon an adulteress, what was his response? Even if you aren’t Christian, you probably just thought about how he did not cast a stone. He did not condemn her. And yet today, in what is called the Bible Belt, homosexuality is being condemned, and people are being persecuted daily, and often in the name of religion.

Richard Dawkins related, in his book The God Delusion (definitely strongly atheist leaning, but I read from both sides), that the most terrible hate mail he receives is often from people professing to be strong Christians. He receives death threats in the name of God.

Does that sound Biblical? Sure, they may be a small minority, but from whence comes their vitriolic hatred? How do we find the root of this weed, and pluck it out?

People who read and understand the Bible, who stand on the principles of love and justice for all, I love you all. People who pick very short passages, often a single out of context verse, to justify your hatreds, I hate you. I am not going to say I am holier than thou, I am not going to say I follow the Bible to the letter. I am not fettered by the trappings of a single book. I will hate those who cause suffering to others, no matter their creed. Christian, Atheist, Muslim, Agnostic, Buddhist (if you hate people, you are probably doing it wrong), doesn’t matter.

And yet, if you love others, and try to remove suffering from the world instead of bringing it in, whether you are Christian, Muslim, Atheist, Agnostic, Buddhist, then I will return that kindness.

If you are cruel to me, if your hatred tries to touch my own personal soul? I may hate you, but I will respond only with kindness. All humans deserve that.

I think that’s the point I was trying to get across with this whole thing. Be nice to everyone. If you aren’t nice, I will still be nice back to you — but I don’t have to like it.

This was really rambling. I am rereading it and I realize that this post probably makes less sense than a Rube-Goldberg machine made purely of cooked pasta. I am sick, and my brain isn’t working. Don’t care. Gonna post.