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from the you-both-get-dirty-and-the-pig-likes-it dept.
McGruber writes:
"Following up on the Bil Nye and Ken Ham debate on Creationism, Creation Museum founder Ken Ham announced Thursday that a municipal bond offering has raised enough money to begin construction on the Ark Encounter project, estimated to cost about $73 million. Groundbreaking is planned for May and the ark is expected to be finished by the summer of 2016. Ham credits the high-profile evolution debate he had with "Science Guy" Bill Nye on Feb. 4 with boosting support for the project.
After learning that the project would move forward, Nye said he was 'heartbroken and sickened for the Commonwealth of Kentucky,' lamenting that the ark would eventually draw more attention to the beliefs of Ham's Young-earth Creationist ministry. 'Voters and taxpayers in Kentucky will eventually see that this is not in their best interest.' Nye hopes."
(Score: 4, Insightful) by bucc5062 on Saturday March 01 2014, @09:13AM
I would wish that scientists stop trying to debate creationists. That is not where the fight is at. WHen I come across one who believes in the literal writing of the bible I just grin, metaphorically path their head and say almost nothing except to say, "I don't agree with your view". That is it. I understand religious fervor (grew up a PK) and it cannot ever be changed by logic. Emotion, maybe, but not logic.
The fight is within the Constitution and our government to strongly enforce the separation clause. More time, more effort needs to be made to ensure governments cannot sanction one story over another. If Crazy Hamm got a Muni Bond to build his ark, then I figure someone else should be able to (at least) petition a bond to build the Temple of Pasta or recreate some ancient story object. If not then Hamm should not be granted a bond. Build it on personal money, not government,
This is our undoing, we try to convert the crazy when we need to use the Law to just stop them. Most people in this country will and do support separation. It just needs to be made clear. "No one is stopping you from building an Ark. You just cannot use government money for help".
The more things change, the more they look the same
(Score: 1) by M. Baranczak on Saturday March 01 2014, @02:08PM
If Crazy Hamm got a Muni Bond to build his ark, then I figure someone else should be able to (at least) petition a bond to build the Temple of Pasta or recreate some ancient story object.
That's basically what they're doing now in Oklahoma City. The yahoos in the state legislature put the Ten Commandments in front of the state house. So now there are other groups that want to put up statues of Hanuman, Satan, and the Flying Spaghetti Monster, among others.
(Score: 1, Funny) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday March 01 2014, @03:22PM
I had bought a sex toy online, and since my billing address is still with my parents, the company sent them a catalog. "Discreet shipping" somehow includes sending catalogs to your billing address.
My dad then called to express his concerns that the devil had my soul and that I was going to hell. I explained to him the wild difference in views of the afterlife between the OT and the NT as well as the Zoroastrian hypothesis accounting for this change. (Corollary: there is not a hell to go to.) I also mentioned the insoluble discrepancies in the birth narratives of Matthew & Luke as well as in the resurrection accounts. He dismissed this for the most part, but said he would do more reading.
Do you think this kind of approach is helpful? Previously, I wouldn't have said much at all, but he was laying it on pretty thick, and I felt the need to defend myself...
And for fuck's sake, sexual thinking dominated my life to a much greater extent when I was religious because I thought it was sinful. I feel like my thinking in this area is much healthier now that I don't believe that shit. But my dad believes "by simple faith" that the devil is out to devour me and that I'm going to hell. God of love, my ass.