Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article

Skip to comments.

Challenged by Creationists, Museums Answer Back
The New York Times ^ | 9/20/2005 | CORNELIA DEAN

Posted on 09/20/2005 7:02:45 AM PDT by Right Wing Professor

ITHACA, N.Y. - Lenore Durkee, a retired biology professor, was volunteering as a docent at the Museum of the Earth here when she was confronted by a group of seven or eight people, creationists eager to challenge the museum exhibitions on evolution.

They peppered Dr. Durkee with questions about everything from techniques for dating fossils to the second law of thermodynamics, their queries coming so thick and fast that she found it hard to reply.

After about 45 minutes, "I told them I needed to take a break," she recalled. "My mouth was dry."

That encounter and others like it provided the impetus for a training session here in August. Dr. Durkee and scores of other volunteers and staff members from the museum and elsewhere crowded into a meeting room to hear advice from the museum director, Warren D. Allmon, on ways to deal with visitors who reject settled precepts of science on religious grounds.

(Excerpt) Read more at nytimes.com ...


TOPICS: Culture/Society; Extended News; US: Colorado; US: Nebraska; US: New York; US: North Carolina
KEYWORDS: creationuts; crevolist; crevorepublic; enoughalready; evobots; evonuts; museum
Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first 1-2021-4041-6061-80 ... 1,261-1,272 next last
How to deal with mobbing behavior by creationists. And a big bump for my University of Nebraska colleague Judy Diamond, who is helping train museum staff to deal with the behavior.
1 posted on 09/20/2005 7:02:47 AM PDT by Right Wing Professor
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | View Replies]

To: PatrickHenry

Ping for the list


2 posted on 09/20/2005 7:03:52 AM PDT by Right Wing Professor (Intelligent Design is not a scientific theory - John Marburger, science advisor to George W. Bush)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Right Wing Professor

But I thought that science should not be taught as dogma. That's what's happening here.


3 posted on 09/20/2005 7:04:01 AM PDT by thulldud (It's bad luck to be superstitious.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: thulldud
But I thought that science should not be taught as dogma. That's what's happening here

If visitors challenge the presentations, the explainers are instructed to listen "and then explain the science and the evidence."

How is that dogma?

4 posted on 09/20/2005 7:05:41 AM PDT by Right Wing Professor (Intelligent Design is not a scientific theory - John Marburger, science advisor to George W. Bush)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 3 | View Replies]

To: Right Wing Professor

I'm guessing that it all started as the creationists say, then went on, as the evolutionists say...


5 posted on 09/20/2005 7:06:59 AM PDT by stuartcr (Everything happens as God wants it to.....otherwise, things would be different.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Right Wing Professor
From the article: "It is no wonder that many biologists will simply refuse to debate creationists or I.D.ers," she said, using the abbreviation for intelligent design, a cousin of creationism. "It is as if they aren't listening."

Well, this is a big "DUH!"

6 posted on 09/20/2005 7:07:58 AM PDT by Aracelis
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Right Wing Professor
...ways to deal with visitors who reject settled precepts of science...

s/settled precepts of science/dogma/ig;

7 posted on 09/20/2005 7:09:08 AM PDT by thulldud (It's bad luck to be superstitious.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 4 | View Replies]

To: Right Wing Professor
I sure hope they use that Spaghetti Monster in their seminars.
8 posted on 09/20/2005 7:09:27 AM PDT by Just mythoughts
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: thulldud
I thought that science should not be taught as dogma

Religion is taught as dogma.

Science relies on observation, evidence, and testing of hypotheses. A very clear distinction.

9 posted on 09/20/2005 7:09:47 AM PDT by Aracelis
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 3 | View Replies]

To: Right Wing Professor
Creationism and Evolutionary theory are NOT MUTUALLY EXCLUSIVE CONCEPTS!

Evolution has NOTHING TO SAY about the "creation" of life.

10 posted on 09/20/2005 7:09:55 AM PDT by bikepacker67
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Right Wing Professor

I don't see the conflict. It is after all a museum and natural history should be expected. I don't expect a natural history lesson from a church.


11 posted on 09/20/2005 7:10:28 AM PDT by cripplecreek (Never a minigun handy when you need one.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 4 | View Replies]

To: Aracelis
Well, this is a big "DUH!"

Read the context. It's clear she means it's the creationists/IDers that aren't listening.

..and so, of course, I agree. Duh!

12 posted on 09/20/2005 7:11:37 AM PDT by Right Wing Professor (Intelligent Design is not a scientific theory - John Marburger, science advisor to George W. Bush)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 6 | View Replies]

To: thulldud

I'm sorry, but the docent in a museum is not "teaching dogma." She's there to present what the museum exhibits. Period. If creationists have an issue with what the museum exhibits, harrassing volunteer docents isn't the way to express it. These jerks are no better than left-wing "activists" in their approach, and these tactics will not do anything to further their cause.


13 posted on 09/20/2005 7:12:21 AM PDT by DGray (http://nicanfhilidh.blogspot.com)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 3 | View Replies]

To: Right Wing Professor

Gee, I always thought that creationists belived in the literal meaning of The Book of Genisis whereas MOST people who don't believe in Darwin's theory advocated Intelligent Design, but why bother making that distinction?  They're all just a bunch of crazy Bible thumping fundamentalists who want to take us back to the 1700's, right?

although almost half believe that Darwin has been proved right, slightly more disagree.

Sure he was proven right!  It's not like his finches have hybridized from 14 to 6, right?  Oh, they did?  Well, at least we have fosil evidence that traces man back to apes.  We don't?  Oh...  Well, at least there's evidence of one species evolving from another and that by logical extention- oh, we don't have that either?  Well, let's just shout them down then.

Owl_Eagle

(If what I just wrote makes you sad or angry,

 it was probably sarcasm)

14 posted on 09/20/2005 7:12:38 AM PDT by End Times Sentinel (In Memory of my Dear Friend Henry Lee II)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: The Ghost of FReepers Past; ohioWfan; Tribune7; Tolkien; GrandEagle; Right in Wisconsin; Dataman; ..
ping


Revelation 4:11Intelligent Design
See my profile for info

15 posted on 09/20/2005 7:14:04 AM PDT by wallcrawlr (http://www.bionicear.com)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Owl_Eagle

"Well, let's just shout them down then."

Lots of that from both sides of the argument. I don't have any use for any of those folks.


16 posted on 09/20/2005 7:14:17 AM PDT by cripplecreek (Never a minigun handy when you need one.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 14 | View Replies]

To: Right Wing Professor

Surely even the evolutionists on this forum can agree that this is a waste of our tax dollars. If anything, we should all be against the evolution of big government.


17 posted on 09/20/2005 7:14:26 AM PDT by sheltonmac (QUIS CUSTODIET IPSOS CUSTODES)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Right Wing Professor
Read the context. It's clear she means it's the creationists/IDers that aren't listening. ..and so, of course, I agree. Duh!

Geez! Too much caffeine this morning, Doc? I'm on your side!

18 posted on 09/20/2005 7:14:54 AM PDT by Aracelis
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 12 | View Replies]

To: Right Wing Professor
Museum of the Earth

19 posted on 09/20/2005 7:15:37 AM PDT by eastsider
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: thulldud

I find it interesting that when creationists want to imply that an idea is worthless trash, they call it religion, and when ID advocates want their ideas to appear respectable, they call them science.


20 posted on 09/20/2005 7:16:32 AM PDT by js1138 (Great is the power of steady misrepresentation.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 3 | View Replies]


Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first 1-2021-4041-6061-80 ... 1,261-1,272 next last

Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.

Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article

FreeRepublic, LLC, PO BOX 9771, FRESNO, CA 93794
FreeRepublic.com is powered by software copyright 2000-2008 John Robinson