Texas Religious Groups Fight Biology Texts

Associated press ^ | November 6, 2003 | APRIL CASTRO

[Doctor Stochastic]

A hurricane may be a cell but a tornado may be a super-cell.

[general_re]

Time to go back to tacking up Jack Chick tracts in commercial laundromats.

Wow. I gave away all my Chick tracts some years ago, but I have a few replacements now...that I found in a laundromat.

[js1138]

That would be right and wrong in a lot of languages.

[Doctor Stochastic]

I left a not out of my statement so it unravels a bit.

I do like the weather example better than mine. I had intended to use something like van Ehrenfest's urn example to show that microscopic reversibility need not imply macroscopic refersibility.

[js1138]

I have guests for the weekend and a kid in Manhattan. I won't be posting much, but I wish everyone a safe weekend and a safe November. Unrolling the tinfoil now...

[Stultis]

Therefore the sensible solution is to assume that an anthapmorphic supernatural deity is responsible for all hurricanes and tornadoes. Since this systems never cross the equator and spin in opposite directions in the northern and southern hemispheres this lends credence to the theory that certain parts of gas physics cannot be explained without resorting to the supernatural.

You may be on to something here. First of all, as I am given to understand, you are correct in that all attempts to construct theories explaining the formation and evolution of tornados and hurricanes have thus far failed. Secondly, the prophet in the book of Amos asserts that, "God creates the wind." The verb is the same used in Genesis 1, which many creationists claim denotes creation ex nihilo ("out of nothing," i.e. divine, supernatural creation).

Now that you've pointed this out, evolution opponents should expand their objections to cover meteorology. Strangely, though, they may not. By the same token I have previously pointed to the many biblical passages asserting that God is intimately, immediately and actively involved in the creation of idividual human bodies in the womb -- creating each generation (of Israel), forming us in the womb, shaping our inward parts, knitting us together of bone and sinew, etc. It's not like religiously motivated anti-evolutionists are unaware of these verses; they are the same often quoted in support of the pro-life position. Yet I have been completely unsuccessful in motivating anti-evolutionists to move against naturalistic/atheistic/dogmatic presentations of human embryology in textbooks.

[AdmSmith]

How then do we account for the existence of cyclonic weather phenomena such as hurricanes and tornadoes? There is nothing in these basic laws of physics that can account for such phenomena, but they are very common.

You are correct, you have to add other basic knowledge, like mechanics. Then you get the navier-stokes equations. Nothing strange with this. Do you have a specific question?

[metacognative]

Proving the earth round is scientific, teaching falsehoods in textbooks is typical true believer darwnism and is religiously based..not evidence based.

[Right Wing Professor]

I'm convinced.

And we were so blind for some long, thinking all that irreducible complexity could be explained by random motions of gas molecules. What fools!

[Right Wing Professor]

Hey, what do you mean. You mean he wasn't serious?

[PatrickHenry]

P L A C E M A R K E R

[vladog]

They'll want to teach about falling off the edge of the earth next.

[Morose Musician]

To believe in evolution--a long series of statistically improbable but magically replicable happy accidents--as the means by which everything came into existence requires far more religious faith and anti-intellectualism than does belief in a supernaturally intelligent creator.

"Oops" is hardly a compelling explanation for the fact that there's better technology in the common housefly than there is in our most highly advanced artificial seeing and hearing devices.

Scientists should be among the most devout theists in modern society, for they commit themselves full-time to discovering the genius of God. They should be the least likely of all observers to attribute the intricate, delicate balances of chemicals and structures found in nature to randomness.

Evolution is an insult to any rational person's intelligence. Belief in Santa Claus has more foundation in fact. At least there was a historical precedent--St. Nicholas--for belief in his existence!

[bondserv]

And the choir sings to the choir. Looks like it is getting lonely over here.

Enjoy!

[PatrickHenry]

Contented P L A C E M A R K E R

[bondserv]

3 John 1:9-11
9 I wrote unto the church: but Diotrephes (The Placemarker), who loveth to have the preeminence among them, receiveth us not.
10 Wherefore, if I come, I will remember his (The Placemarker) deeds which he doeth, prating against us with malicious words: and not content therewith, neither doth he himself (The Placemarker) receive the brethren, and forbiddeth them that would, and casteth them out of the church (FreeRepublic).
11 Beloved, follow not that which is evil, but that which is good. He that doeth good is of God: but he (The Placemarker) that doeth evil hath not seen God.

Now he's content! (emphasis added)

[PatrickHenry]

Matthew
12:14 Then the Pharisees went out, and held a council against him, how they might destroy him.

12:15 But when Jesus knew it, he withdrew himself from thence: and great multitudes followed him, and he healed them all;

12:16 And charged them that they should not make him known:

12:17 That it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Esaias the prophet, saying,

12:18 Behold my servant, whom I have chosen; my beloved, in whom my soul is well pleased: I will put my spirit upon him, and he shall shew judgment to the Gentiles.

12:19 He shall not strive, nor cry; neither shall any man hear his voice in the streets.

12:20 A bruised reed shall he not break, and smoking flax shall he not quench, till he send forth judgment unto victory.

12:21 And in his name shall the Gentiles trust.

[bondserv]

Isaiah 6:5-8
5 Then said I, Woe is me! for I am undone; because I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips: for mine eyes have seen the King, the LORD of hosts.
6 Then flew one of the seraphims unto me, having a live coal in his hand, which he had taken with the tongs from off the altar:
7 And he laid it upon my mouth, and said, Lo, this hath touched thy lips; and thine iniquity is taken away, and thy sin purged.
8 Also I heard the voice of the Lord, saying, Whom shall I send, and who will go for us? Then said I, Here am I; send me.

[bondserv]

Psalm 119:129-136
129 Thy testimonies are wonderful: therefore doth my soul keep them.
130 The entrance of thy words giveth light; it giveth understanding unto the simple.
131 I opened my mouth, and panted: for I longed for thy commandments.
132 Look thou upon me, and be merciful unto me, as thou usest to do unto those that love thy name.
133 Order my steps in thy word: and let not any iniquity have dominion over me.
134 Deliver me from the oppression of man: so will I keep thy precepts.
135 Make thy face to shine upon thy servant; and teach me thy statutes.
136 Rivers of waters run down mine eyes, because they keep not thy law.

[HalfFull]

Rom 1:20-23
20 For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen, being understood through what has been made, so that they are without excuse. 21 For even though they knew God, they did not honor Him as God, or give thanks; but they became futile in their speculations, and their foolish heart was darkened. 22 Professing to be wise, they became fools, 23 and exchanged the glory of the incorruptible God for an image in the form of corruptible man and of birds and four-footed animals and crawling creatures.
NASB