Pheobe Debates The Theory of Evolution

Original scene from the show... Friends. ^ | NA | NA

[Mr.Atos]

I was just lisening to Medved debating Creationism with Athiests on the air. I found it interesting that while Medved argued his side quite effectively from the standpoint of faith, his opponents resorted to condescension and beliitled him with statements like, "when it rains, is that God crying?" I was reminded of the best (at least most amusing)debate that I have ever heard on the subject of Creationism vs Evolution, albeit a fictional setting. It occurred on the show, Friends of all places between the characters Pheobe (The Hippy) and Ross (The Paleontologist). It went like this...

Pheebs: Okay...it's very faint, but I can still sense him in the building...GO INTO THE LIGHT MR. HECKLES!!

Ross: Whoa, whoa, whoa. What, uh, you don't believe in evolution? Pheebs: Nah. Not really. Ross: You don't believe in evolution? Pheebs: I don't know. It's just, ya know, monkeys, Darwin, ya know, it's a, it's a nice story. I just think it's a little too easy.

Ross: Uh, excuse me. Evolution is not for you to buy, Phoebe. Evolution is scientific fact. Like, like, the air we breathe, like gravity... Pheebs: Uh, okay, don't get me started on gravity.

Ross: You uh, you don't believe in gravity? Pheebs: Well, it's not so much that ya know, like I don't *believe* in it, ya know. It's just...I don't know. Lately I get the feeling that I'm not so much being pulled down, as I am being pushed.

Ross: How can you NOT BELIEVE in evolution? Pheebs: [shrugs] I unh-huh...Look at this funky shirt!!

Ross: Well, there ya go. Pheebs: Huh. So now, the REAL question is: who put those fossils there, and why...?

Ross: OPPOSABLE THUMBS!! Without evolution, how do YOU explain OPPOSABLE THUMBS?!? Pheebs: Maybe the overlords needed them to steer their spacecrafts!

Pheebs: Uh-oh! Scary Scientist Man!

Pheebs: Okay, Ross? Could you just open your mind like, *this* much?? Okay? Now wasn't there a time when the brightest minds in the world believed that the Earth was flat? And up until what, like, fifty years ago, you all thought the atom was the smallest thing, until you split it open, and this like, whole mess o' crap came out! Now, are you telling me that you are so unbelievably arrogant that you can't admit that there's a teeny, tiny possibility that you could be wrong about this?!?

Pheebs: I can't believe you caved. Ross: What? Pheebs: You just ABANDONED your whole belief system! I mean, before, I didn't agree with you, but at least I respected you. Ross: But uh.. Pheebs: Yeah...how...how are you gonna go in to work tomorrow? How...how are you gonna face the other science guys? How...how are you gonna face yourself? Oh! [Ross runs away dejected] Pheebs: That was fun. So who's hungry?

[VadeRetro]

Let's stay above this fray and continue the scientific discourse that appeals to the reasoned among us.

Virtual ignore must continue to be our friend. Where is it written, "Put not your faith in princes?" Shields were lowered for the purpose of the experiment demonstration just conducted on this thread. VI is back on.

[RadioAstronomer]

Y'all can do what you want, but I will report all abuse. Let that be a warning to everyone here

The question is what do you conside abuse. Are you the final say now?

If I call Genesis a silly superstition, is that abuse in your eyes?

[exmarine]

The question is what do you conside abuse. Are you the final say now?

Any personal attack is abuse, but I won't be the judge - I will leave that to the management of this website.

[Right Wing Professor]

The link will be removed if you're willing to do the same with yours. Agreed?

To tell you the truth, I don't care if he removes it. My interest was merely to demonstrate what a smarmy piece of work his 'apology' was. I'll be happy to accept a sincere one at any point; at that stage, I'll be happy to take down the link.

[RadioAstronomer]

Any personal attack is abuse, but I won't be the judge - I will leave that to the management of this website.

Answer the question, Do you consider the words "Genesis is a silly superstition" abuse?

[general_re]

Despite the clamor to raise the civility of discourse, the real goal here is an underhanded attempt to remove science from the forum.

Indeed. "Give me everything I want, and I'll leave you alone."

That's not negotiation, nor is it a truce - it is blackmail, plain and simple.

[RadioAstronomer]

Don't leave me out! I agree completely.

[Junior]

Point of order. It is Catholics who partake of the body of Christ in the form of a wafer. Fundamentalists, when they do a communion service, usually use chunks of bread; some of the more strident will substitute grape juice for wine. Please do not mix up Catholic ceremonies with the practices of the fundamentalists.

We now return you to your regularly-scheduled flamewar... ;^)>

[general_re]

Sorry, friend - won't happen again ;)

[headsonpikes]

"...munch the wafers"

Now, that's kinda gratuitous, don't you think?

[exmarine]

Answer the question, Do you consider the words "Genesis is a silly superstition" abuse?

No. Does that answer your question? Now I have one for you: Do you consider the words "neodarwinism is not science" abuse?

[VadeRetro]

You mean the Methodists were doing it wrong all the time I was growing up? ;)

[RadioAstronomer]

neodarwinism is not science" abuse

Nope. Opinions are not abuse.

[VadeRetro]

Yep.

[RadioAstronomer]

This is FREErepublic. Opinions should be able to be aired without name calling.

[general_re]

And the opinion that Darwinism = Marxism, or the many variants on this theme...?

[js1138]

From #783:

Returning to the topic of the proposed agreement: We can tone down the rhetoric and remove name-calling from the threads, but we are not going to eliminate the friction caused by questioning each others sources and witnesses.

I have been for some time hopeful that we could stop the name calling. I have no hope that we can stop the heat caused by disagreements over ideas.

When I look back over the last 50 posts I recognise what is behind the anger on "my side". It is the assertion that science is inherently anti-Christian, anti-conservative. One of your guys said it best: evolution IS a personal assault.

The notion that you can defeat ideas by associating them with criminals is anti-logical. It is simply unacceptable in any civilized debate. And it is a form of name-calling.

[Physicist]

The Moravian Church--the oldest Protestant sect--uses wafers for purposes of theophagy.

[Junior]

I don't consider Methodists, Episcopalians or Lutherans to be fundamentalists. Their services are pretty close to the Cahtolic Mass. I just hate for Catholics to be lumped in with the tunnel-vision Christianity espoused by fundamentalists.

[Nebullis]

Some protestants use wafers or oyster crackers while others use chunks of bread. The real difference is that the protestants are only munching on exactly the wafer or the bread and not on the transubstantiated BOC.