Rational Thinkers Must Fight to Keep Science In The Classroom

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bible-genesis-660

Science or religion? They are not compatible, despite the insistence of those who try to make peace between the two camps.  Science is about the natural world, the real world, not the world of myths and supposition, as suggested by ignorant desert dwellers thousands of years ago.

For example, in Genesis, the world was created in 7 days by an ‘almighty’ being hereafter referred to as god.  In reality, and as the more rational among us know, the world evolved over a period of billions and billions of years, along with animals and mankind itself.

A close examination of the bible, and the ‘holy scriptures’ [that didn’t make the publishing cut], reveals huge holes in the descriptions of the natural world and no amount or religious explanation can offer sufficient reason as to why beyond nonsensical mumblings such as: it’s god’s will.  The religious will tell you that any explanation of the universe beyond that offered in the bible is part of a large conspiracy headed by the world’s scientists to undermine the ‘word’ and will of the lord.

The evidence for scientific, not religious explanations of the world is overwhelming and indisputable, except by the fanatic faithful, who refuse to accept that the earth is more than 6,000 years old, and man actually tamed and rode dinosaurs.  This sort of nonsense is taught in private Christian schools all over the country.  It is taught to young and impressionable children, who have no experience beyond their own perceptions, encouraged by parents whose fanatical beliefs shape their paradigm.

In America the Religious Right has established more than a toehold in neighborhoods and communities, as well as in government.  Their twisted beliefs drive legislation such as the abortion bill recently signed into law by Texas’ governor.  But there is more, and that’s the push by republican lawmakers to make creationism, alongside evolution, part of school curriculum’s.  In the more extreme cases Christian politicians are trying to remove evolution entirely from public schools, and to substitute the simple-minded concept of creationism.

The war on science has been waged since before Copernicus and Aristotle, and from time to time the fighting has become intense indeed, as people with new ideas about the creation of the actual world were tortured and often put to death for their beliefs.  While it’s convenient to reflect back to those days with a cavalier “that was a long time ago,” the war continues in America and the creationists are making slow and insidious progress.

The Young Earth Creationist (YEC) movement calls for the rejection of evolutionary science and the substitution of creationist dogma in science classrooms across the nation.  These determined fundamentalists are working hard to influence legislation that mirrors their beliefs in statehouses from the north to the south and east to west.

The leaders of the YEC are men like Ken Ham, William Lane Criag, Walt Brown, Kent Hovind, who is serving prison time for tax fraud, and Kent’s son Eric Hovind. These individuals are supported and propped up by their own “foundations” and Answers in Genesis, an influential creationist website popular among fundamentalists.

The YEC movement espouses the incredible belief that all evolutionary and geological science is completely wrong or at the least severely flawed in its evidence and calculations. Most scientists agree the earth is approximately 4.3 Billion years old. Creationists say that the earth, based on biblical calculations, is only about 6,000-10,000 years old.

Author and atheist Richard Dawkins once made the following humorous observation:

Believing that the earth is only 6,000 years old is like believing the entire width of North America is 500 yards.

Keep in mind that creationists believe that the Genesis story is true, all of it, including Adam and Eve, the talking snake, Noah’s Ark, and etc.  These are literal facts to them. As mentioned earlier they even claim, without one scintilla of scientific support, dinosaurs lived with humans before god drowned them in the great flood. The YECs have even set up museums and theme parks around the country devoted to this idea, with animatronic dinosaurs complete with saddles, living peacefully alongside humans.  This is the fairy tale they want to perpetuate in the nation’s public schools.

The Chauvet-Pont-d’Arc Cave in the Ardèche department of southern France is a cave that contains some of the earliest known cave paintings, as well as other evidence of Upper Paleolithic life. It is located near the commune of Vallon-Pont-d’Arc on a limestone cliff above the former bed of the Ardèche River, in the Gorges de l’Ardèche. Discovered on December 18, 1994, it is considered one of the most significant prehistoric art sites.

The cave was originally explored by three speleologists: Eliette Brunel-Deschamps, Christian Hillaire, and Jean-Marie Chauvet for whom it was named. Chauvet (1996) has a detailed account of the discovery. In addition to the paintings and other human evidence, they also discovered fossilized remains, prints, and markings from a variety of animals, some of which are now extinct. Further study by French archaeologist Jean Clottes has revealed much about the site. The dates have been a matter of dispute but a study published in 2012 supports placing the art in the Aurignacian period, approximately 30,000–32,000 BP.

Hundreds of animal paintings have been cataloged, depicting at least 13 different species, including some rarely or never found in other ice age paintings. Rather than depicting only the familiar herbivores that predominate in Paleolithic cave art, i.e. horses, cattle, mammoths, etc., the walls of the Chauvet Cave feature many predatory animals, e.g., cave lions, panthers, bears, and cave hyenas, but no dinosaurs of course.

Subscribers to the creationist myth cannot accept indisputable evidence such as that found at the Chauvet Caves because it flies in the face of their long held belief that the Earth is less than 10,000 years old.  As a result they cannot appreciate the historical beauty of complex art created 32,000 years ago.

America is sadly unique in its adherence to creationism.  In most civilized nations such mythology is not important and their governments are quietly secular, free from the influence of Christian crazies.  Shockingly, over 46% of the American people actually believe the earth is less than 10,000 years old, and this is a frightening statistic indeed, as it presents a clear and present danger, with almost half of the country rejecting science and embracing religious clap-trap as the source of the world’s actual origin.

Can you imagine a country that teaches religious myth as opposed to proven science?  Millions of the nation’s children will believe in nonsense and eschew reality.  This has the potential to destroy scientific inquiry in America, and groups such as the YEC have already succeeded in getting anti-evolution and pro-creationist laws passed with anti-science, pro-religion dogma being taught in classrooms.

It is imperative that science win out over mythology. If we, as a nation, allow religious dogma to make further strides over science, a seriously ‘dumbed down’ generation is America’s future and rational thinking people need to fight, and fight hard to prevent this from happening.  If apathy is the word of the day, and the faith based charlatans are allowed to triumph, a bleak future awaits our once proud country.

Interested in reading more stories and articles that speak to religious nonsense?  Click here!

About Post Author

Professor Mike

Professor Mike is a left-leaning, dog loving, political junkie. He has written dozens of articles for Substack, Medium, Simily, and Tribel. Professor Mike has been published at Smerconish.com, among others. He is a strong proponent of the environment, and a passionate protector of animals. In addition he is a fierce anti-Trumper. Take a moment and share his work.
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Joe Hagstrom
10 years ago

I think Adam and Mary are just messing with you heathens. They’re probably heathens themselves as most religious zealots have no sense of humor. I got my ass kicked by a Menonite guy who’s chicken I ran over. I asked why his chicken was crossing the road and he punched me in the head.
No sense of humor at all these people.

Marsha Woerner
10 years ago

Thanks, “guys” (the quotation marks are to assure it includes both sexes). I’m not big headed enough to assume that all positive comments were made purely on my behalf (as a Jew), but I do recognize that I benefit from them. And I don’t understand how anyone who calls himself Christian can say that all Jews are swine. Jesus was a Jew (if, in fact, he WAS, which is still historically questionable…).

Rachael
10 years ago

Trolls! Mike you’ve got a couple of trolls. How fun.

Adam
10 years ago

Jews are the scurge of our life and our earth, so you saying your not “orthodox” means tou are JEW. Jews are swine, and should be put in their place.

Bill Formby
Reply to  Adam
10 years ago

Adam, have you actually read the Bible you skinhead. No one is going to your heaven except the twelve tribes of Israel. That was a piece of stupidity and hate speech to the 12 power.

Jess
Reply to  Adam
10 years ago

You don’t even have the brain power to be a half wit do you? I signed in here just to answer this one and one other. So you are some kind of TBFJ* and yet you have no idea it was a Jewish man started the Christianity thing. I’ll bet that comment you made looks way better in its orignal German. Now begone with you, before I drop a house on your ass or release the flying monkeys on you.

*Tamborine Banger for Jeebus

Reply to  Adam
10 years ago

Exactly what is their place? My place, although I am not Jewish, would be anywhere a jerk like you is not.

Marsha Woerner
10 years ago

As most of my friends can tell you, I am somewhat of a grammar freak, and I find spelling extraordinarily important. On the other hand, I find the picayune fighting about misspellings and poor grammar to be poor arguments of any type! Perhaps because I do count on voice recognition, and I have first-hand experience with amazing things that I as the typeer or dictator and up with, I do not criticize anyone for the grammar, punctuation, or spelling. If I perceive that the contributor is really misinformed on the spelling, I just smiled to myself. Will

That said, I agree entirely with Mike, Rachel, and James! No, James never said he knows everything! But in terms of arguments, there’s so much more that been offered that DOESN’T rest on grammar and spelling! And I also agree with Greenlight. There is a lot that religion has to offer that is not the magical magician in the sky. Part of the reason that I’m not an Orthodox Jew is that I believe that interpretation, and the changes in the interpretation, did not stop with the ancient rabbis!

Greenlight
10 years ago

My take is that religion served its purpose as providing a way to make sense of the mysteries of the world. Now that science has provided us with many of the answers that we once struggled to find, religion continues to be purposeful for providing moral structure, community, and a framework for accepting those things that one cannot change…unfortunately the radical few continue to hold onto now-debunked religious beliefs, as opportunistic predators continue to use religion to gain the trust and, ultimately, “contributions” of the masses. It’s a sad day indeed when these groups are given the power to shape education. Great article!

Reply to  Greenlight
10 years ago

Exactly how does religion provide moral structure when it promotes intolerance, hate, discrimination, and willful ignorance? Do you consider any of those to be useful, positive attributes for humans?

Greenlight
Reply to  James Smith
10 years ago

I don’t disagree, James! I’m not sure how much religion causes hate and intolerance as much as it provides an environment or mindset that tends to attract and feed into those who are already hateful and intolerant. I don’t know of any religion with tenets that actively promote hate and intolerance, but I can think of plenty that have been misapplied to justify it. Ugly is ugly, and I think religion may just be like a whole lot of lipstick on a whole lot of pigs….

Reply to  Greenlight
10 years ago

I like the lipstick and pigs. I must admit, some of those little piglets are cute. Well, the ones in the movies, anyway.

Anonymous
Reply to  James Smith
10 years ago

Piglets are adorable, but religious pigs are a bit of a turnoff. 🙂

Joe Hagstrom
10 years ago

As a republican I can appreciate these kooks. Whether or not they believe the stuff they espouse is debatable I suppose. But the fact is the desperate, lonely, zealous and stupid buy into it and send them money.

Therefore, I believe Jesus rode a triceratops into Jerusalem. I believe Noah herded two of every animal on Earth except for tyranosaurus which would have eaten Noah onto a boat half the size of an average Carnival cruiser. I believe a 900 foot Jesus spoke to Oral Roberts and threatened hin with death if he didn’t raise 8 million dollars.

To support my efforts at spreading these America and humanity saving truths I ask all real American and God fearers to send me money. C/O MadMike’s America.

Jess
Reply to  Joe Hagstrom
10 years ago

Bible fan fiction at last, why has no one ever though of this? You’ll make millions Joe if you do it right 🙂 Just make sure when he is riding in he is carrying some kind of automatic and you are in like Flint.

10 years ago

You use the words of Richard Dawkins in your story and he’s burning in hell as I write this. Now find a misspelled word you Atheist monster.

Reply to  Professor Mike
10 years ago

He is too dead and he’s dead because he kept drinking John Walker and smoking cigarettes, but more because Jesus took him so he could throw him into the eternal pit of hellfires and danmnation. And when Jesus took he Dawkins was burned.

Reply to  Mary Lee
10 years ago

How sad, yu can’t keep the simplest things straight. You are thinking (if I may use the term loosely) of Hitchens, not Dawkins.

It’s Johnny Walker, not John Walker. In addition it should be “When jesus took him” (not he)

You do love to demonstrate you general lack of knowledge and low intelligence, don’t you?

Yes everyone, I am having fun. I must say, she is making it far too easy, though. There’s no challenge here at all.

Jess
Reply to  Professor Mike
10 years ago

Look at you, trying to be all facty with facts and shit. No use trying with these idiots since nothing sinks in.

Reply to  Mary Lee
10 years ago

“Atheist monster?” As usual, when you theists cannot bring any facts to the table, you immediately start with threats as has Adam and also try to demonize the dissenting view without providing anything but your uninformed opinion.

BTW, there should be a comma between “word” and “you” as in “…misspelled word, you atheist monster.” Luckily for you, there is not hell. If there were, your reservation would already be made.

Reply to  James Smith
10 years ago

You tihnk you are smart because you know everything, and you dont because you are an athiest and everybody knows they will be cast into the pit. So there HA HA!

Reply to  Mary Lee
10 years ago

I have never said that I know everything. Only religion claims to have all the answers. Apparently how to use a spell checker isn’t one of them, though. It’s “think” not “tihnk.”

“Everybody” doesn’t know atheists will be “cast into the pit.” That’s just the normal theist threat because you don’t have a single fact or rational argument to back up your absurd beliefs.

As I said before, shown undeniable evidence, I would change my position. Why haven’t you even tried to present evidence? Could it be that you know you have none? Is that why you continue to resort to threats of hellfire?

Why do you continue to ignore direct questions? Is it you are afraid of the answers?

I am so happy that am an atheists and can do the right things because it IS the right thing and don’t need any empty threats of hell or false promises of heaven to do what’s right.

Even though you refuse to present any facts, I am not afraid to do so. Here’s a couple for you.

As stated by Dr. Bart Ehrman, Professor of religious studies at the University of North Caroline, Chapel Hill, NC said, “In the entire first Christian century, Jesus is not mentioned by a single Greek or Roman scholar, politician, philosopher, or poet. His name never appears in a single inscription, and it is never found in a single piece of private correspondence. Zero! Zip references!”

“If your brother, the son of your father or of your mother, or your son or daughter, or the spouse whom you embrace, or your most intimate friend, tries to secretly seduce you, saying, ‘Let us go and serve other gods,’ unknown to you or your ancestors before you, gods of the peoples surrounding you, whether near you or far away, anywhere throughout the world, you must not consent, you must not listen to him; you must show him no pity, you must not spare him or conceal his guilt. No, you must kill him, your hand must strike the first blow in putting him to death and the hands of the rest of the people following.  You must stone him to death, since he has tried to divert you from Yahweh your God.”  (Deuteronomy 13:7-11, emphasis added)

The U.S. Constitution is a secular document. It begins, “We the people,” and contains no mention of “God” or “Christianity.” Its only references to religion are exclusionary, such as, “no religious test shall ever be required as a qualification to any office or public trust” (Art. VI), and “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof” (First Amendment). The presidential oath of office, the only oath detailed in the Constitution, does not contain the phrase “so help me God” or any requirement to swear on a bible (Art. II, Sec. 1, Clause 8). If we are a Christian nation, why doesn’t our Constitution say so?

In 1797 America made a treaty with Tripoli, declaring that “the government of the United States is not, in any sense, founded on the Christian religion.” This reassurance to Islam was written under Washington’s presidency, and approved by the Senate under John Adams.

These are all easily verifiable facts. You have been presented with a very small example of mine. Where are yours?

Reply to  James Smith
10 years ago

You are one of those people who think too much and think they know what their talking about all of the time and you don’t becaue the CONSTITUION was written by OUR LORD and given to the Foundling Fathers and its GODS WORD!

Reply to  Mary Lee
10 years ago

You really are a stubbornly stupid person, aren’t you? You are afraid to respond to anything I post. Instead you reply with increasingly ignorant remarks.

If the Constitution is your non-existent god’s word, why is he specifically left out of it?

You are one crazy, demented jesus freak. Why don’t you provide a contemporary account of that jesus? Maybe because there isn’t one?

Why don’t you make a rational, factual reply to any of the above items I presented? Is it because you are irrational and facts are fatal to any religion?

BTW, it’s Founding Fathers, not “Foundling.” Are you ever going to make a post without an absurdly ignorant error?

Also, when you use all caps it’s the equivalent of shouting. When you have to shout, it shows you are trying to conceal your lack of reasoning ability.

Are you a mental masochist that receives a cheap thrill from exposing your intellectual inadequacy in public?

Bill Formby
Reply to  Mary Lee
10 years ago

Mary Lee, thou shalt not impose thy belief upon others lest thou be left babbling at the tower of babble.

That, is a new one. I guess old Thomas Jefferson is just a plagiarist for his writing of the Declaration of Independence and James Madison and all of those other folks were wasting their time in Philadelphia. Thanks for clearing that up. If that is true then I am pretty sure he had something to do with the Civil War but both sides claimed him.

10 years ago

Our kids need to learn the difference between insanity and reality. Just because you chose insanity, doesn’t mean you can force it upon others.

Adam
Reply to  James Smith
10 years ago

How do you know its insanity? Just becuz you beleive one thing doesn’t make it real. Our Lord made our world and us in his likeness and you athiests will be punished for lying about it.

Reply to  Adam
10 years ago

How do I know? Because there isn’t a single verifiable fact to back up on word of that arrogant stupidity.

Just because you believe (please note spelling) something doesn’t make it real. What makes it real is solid evidence that can be verified by even the most skeptical.

As an aside, why are all of you bible bashers unable t spell or learn to use a spell checker? DO you think education is the work of the devil?

You probably do as learning to read and write and objectively examine statements for credibility inevitably leads to an atheist position. By reading the bible several times, that’s what helped me to know the truth and yes, it did set me free.
http://s1181.photobucket.com/user/slrman/media/BecomingFree_zps99092e6b.mp4.html?sort=6&o=17

As I have often said, given undeniable evidence, I would change my position on anything, even religion. What would it take for you to change your position? Obviously, facts and the ability to use a spell checker won’t do it.

As with most theists, you have to immediately resort to threats “You atheists will be punished for lying” because you cannot produce any facts or logic to support your nonsense.

Speaking of lying, you theists are the biggest liars in the world. Will you be punished for that? Actually, you already are being punished. You are wasting your lives on BS and receiving the contempt and derision of all rational people everywhere.

Reply to  Professor Mike
10 years ago

Of course it is. But you have to admit, it is amusing to point out their failings in intelligence, spelling, punctuation, and grammar.

Have you noticed how they ignore comments about those. But then, they ignore anything they cannot answer without sounding even more determinedly ignorant than they do already.

As said by Dr. House, “If you could reason with theists, there wouldn’t be any theists.”

Bill Formby
Reply to  Adam
10 years ago

Adam, you have a right to believe what you wish for your yourself what ever makes you feel good, but why should you think that others would be punished for their belief. If God made man in his own image where is he in his physical state. Since we have a physical state so must he have a physical state? Heaven? Where is heaven? These days we know more about the heavens (outer space) than we do about earth. Is there an invisible place where he and the billions of his deceased followers are hiding from all of the telescopes on some distant planet? Somewhere there has to be a reality check. While there is no doubt, powers greater than humans at work on this earth, perhaps nature itself, it isn’t some invisible person in the sky who controls everything at will.

Adam
10 years ago

Our kids need to learn both sides, and just becuz you beleive that man was born of mud doesn’t mean everybody needs to learn that.

10 years ago

I have to agree with Rachael Mike. There’s been volumes written about this subject and yours ranks right up there with some of the best work I’ve seen. We in Britain are one of the civilised nations that fortunately doesn’t have this problem. We’ve got plenty or our own but not this one. Good luck!

Rachael
10 years ago

Powerful Mike. Bravo! I’m sharing this everywhere.

10 years ago

When did verifiable facts and rational thinking have anything to do with religion or vice-verse?

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