Serbia strikes blow against evolution [education]

MSNBC.com ^ | 07 September 2004 | Staff

[Doctor Stochastic]

Which came first, the mountains or the mollusks?

[Dimensio]

Again, I don't claim to be an expert. I would think just plain old curiosity would lead people to do a little research on their own, like checking several independent sources. I don't believe in Astrology, but I at least examined it thoroughly before I rejected it.

You were asked to give a testable, falsifable prediction of "creation theory". The above is not a testable, falsifiable prediction of "creation theory". Until a testable, falsifable prediction of "creation theory" is presented, it is impossible to examine it in the same way that actual scientific theories are examined.

[balrog666]

Which came first, the mountains or the mollusks?

Mollusks come first in my dictionary. And in my history book.

[js1138]

Why haven't we found fossils of modern cows, horses, and people?

Interesting question.

[Dimensio]

You have forgotten the fundamental rule of debate with creationists: creationists define all of the terms. They define what is meant by "Christian", they define what is meant by "science", they define what is meant by "evolution", and you are not allowed to challenge them on any of these definitions. Moreover, they do not have to tell you what these definitions are until they want to beat you over the head with them, and they are allowed to change the definitions (without warning) at will.

[js1138]

I don't believe in Astrology, but I at least examined it thoroughly before I rejected it.

Was that really necessary? I mean, a couple years ago a bunch of guys drank cyanide in hopes of hitching a ride on a passing comet. Do things like this need examination in detail?

[Doctor Stochastic]

However, they never define: "kind"!

[orionblamblam]

> the fundamental rule of debate with creationists: creationists define all of the terms

Indeed. Very... Kerry-esque. "War criminal" one day means "war hero" the next...

Based on the "arguements" often used, I suspect that more than a few of the louder Creationists are actually DUers, here to disillusion reasonable people with the Conservative movement. Make Conservatives look like... well, like Creationists, and you might not win people over to the Dem side, but you might drive people away from the Republicans. And that's good enough.

[orionblamblam]

> a couple years ago a bunch of guys drank cyanide in hopes of hitching a ride on a passing comet.

Evolution in action.

[PatrickHenry]

Do things like this need examination in detail?

You have no evidence against the Heaven's Gate theory of advancing to the next stage by hitching a ride on a comet. It's a good theory. As good as creationism. It should be in the schools. Let the children decide. Why are you afraid of open debate? Isn't your faith in satanic science strong enough?

[Junior]

There was a comet in the sky at the time, and the Heaven's Gaters are no longer with us -- ipso facto, they were right.

[Dimensio]

However, they never define: "kind"!

I had one creationist attempt to define "kind" to me. Basically, a "kind" is a range of genetic mutations that can occur within a breedin population. It's the defined range for the limits that creationists assert exist that prevent microevolution from ever becoming macroevolution. Of course, this is just fuzzy language, as it still completely avoids giving a precise definition of the term, because a creationist can just say that any mutations that we've not observed are the limits to "kinds".

[Dimensio]

Hey man, like I said, it's the creationists that have driven me to vote for Nader instead of Bush.

^{And, like I said before, I was joking, so don't hurl heavy things at me}

[orionblamblam]

> a creationist can just say that any mutations that we've not observed are the limits to "kinds".

You have almost assuredly come across those who claim that the Neanderthal, Homo Erectus , etc. skeletons are signs not of different species of humans, but of genetic variation in "normal" humans. You know, just like all those *other* Nenderthals and Homo Erecti we see walking around all the time.....

[orionblamblam]

In all seriousness... only 50% or thereabouts of those who can vote do. One does not ened to drive many people into apathy in order to effect the outcome of an election...

[Dimensio]

I never asked him about Neanderthal, Homo Erectus or the others. He had already stunned me with his utter ignorance by asserting the "six kinds of evolution" as described in the Chick tract "Big Daddy" (asserting that I was ignorant for not "knowing" that the theory of evolution covers the formation of the cosmos) that I knew that he was too stupid to be trusted with the bigger details.

[jennyp]

That's a bunch of really impressive-looking links, jenny. Whatcha gonna do now?

RUN AWAY SCREAMING!!!

[orionblamblam]

> I was ignorant for not "knowing" that the theory of evolution covers the formation of the cosmos

You know, that raises a point: Creationists complain that evolution is taught in school. But clearly it isn't, when peopel beleive that dribble.

How about we *actually* teach kids what evolution is, not some weird, mutant definition of the word?

[Aquinasfan]

“(Darwinism) is a theory as dogmatic as the one which says God created the first man,” Colic told the daily Glas Javnosti.

Yup.

[Michael_Michaelangelo]

Dogmatic placemarker