Creationism vs Evolution.

I was watching an episode of Penn and Teller about Creationism, and about half way through it I had a revelation that might explain why all the religious types are so stuck on their version of how things work!

We can divide this into two areas, the basic beliefs that religion teaches, and then the method by which this is accomplished.

The basic belief is of course utter nonsense, because it means taking the Bible literally instead of as a work of parables and stories designed to give people a  sense of right and wrong.

One of the best examples of this would have to be the persecution of Galileo for supporting Copernicanism

(Biblical references Psalm 93:1, 96:10, and 1 Chronicles 16:30 include text (depending on the translation) stating that "the world is firmly established, it cannot be moved." In the same manner, Psalm 104:5 says, "the Lord set the earth on its foundations; it can never be moved." Further, Ecclesiastes 1:5 states that "And the sun rises and sets and returns to its place" etc.)

Galileo's championing of Copernicanism was controversial within his lifetime, when a large majority of philosophers and astronomers still subscribed to the geocentric view that the Earth is at the centre of the universe. After 1610, when he began publicly supporting the heliocentric view, which placed the Sun at the centre of the universe, he met with bitter opposition from some philosophers and clerics, and two of the latter eventually denounced him to the Roman Inquisition early in 1615.

In February 1616, although he had been cleared of any offence, the Catholic Church nevertheless condemned heliocentrism as "false and contrary to Scripture",  and Galileo was warned to abandon his support for it—which he promised to do.

When he later defended his views in his most famous work, 'Dialogue Concerning the two Chief World Systems,' published in 1632, he was tried by the Inquisition, found "vehemently suspect of heresy", forced to recant, and spent the rest of his life under house arrest

Even today you will find people that swear the sun travels around the earth because of this biblical statement! (And don't even try and talk to them about the moon landings in  '69' and the early '70's'!)

As for the method employed by the church to foster Creationism and their version of things, this is where it starts to get a bit sticky since the holy spin doctors are a pretty slick bunch of guys for a group that is so far out to lunch!

They decided to turn the tables and call their beliefs "Creationism Science" and poo poo Evolution as "Just a theory!"

Well let me tell you something kids............, gravity is "just a theory" too!

Now try jumping out of a twelfth story window to test it! (Or if you do have a bit of doubt, just jump out of the fourth floor!)

No?

Well that's how modern religion explains Evolution!

Creationists question it, and approach it from the negative, but never give a plausible alternative, except of course, their own warped World View of things.

Even the compromising concept of "Intelligent Design" is flawed from the get-go!

Here the faithful try and substitute the scientific facts with a "Creator" and "Divine Intervention," instead of properly putting a "First Cause" as the foundation for scientific fact!

In other words Creationists don't want to give up on the notion of a personal God, rather than a Deity that is impartial and uncaring, and this is where the problem lies!

Unfortunately, this means that until we are able to put the notion of God in its proper context, the simplistic version of what it's all about will prevail!

Your 'holier than thou' scribe;

Allan W Janssen