Posted on 02/19/2009 9:16:25 AM PST by GodGunsGuts
Religion-Free Group Says to 'Praise Darwin'
by Christine Dao*
How much sense does this make?
An organization that bills itself as a promoter of “freedom from religion” posted billboards bearing the words “Praise Darwin: Evolve Beyond Belief” in several U.S. cities to coincide with the British naturalist’s 200th birthday. Cities where the Freedom from Religion Foundation (FFRF) placed the advertisements include Dayton, Tennessee, and Dover, Pennsylvania—homes of the 1925 Scopes “Monkey Trial” and the highly politicized 2005 Dover Trial, respectively.
The Wisconsin-based foundation, which put up a Grinch-like sign next to a nativity scene in the Washington State Capitol during the 2008 Christmas season,1 has apparently mistaken the meaning of the word “praise” in the same way as it misunderstood the historical significance and application of the phrase “separation of church and state.”
The Greek verb for “praise” is aineō, which in the New Testament always refers to the praise of God. This definition predates the word’s Latin derivative from which English gets “price” and “prize.” In essence, to praise something is to ascribe a great deal of value to it. It’s a term often used synonymously with “worship,” the reverent honor and homage paid to God.
So why is a group of “freethinkers” inviting everyone to pay reverent homage to a man who was by no means a god, especially when it acknowledges no god or religion in the first place? The billboards’ stated purpose is to mitigate evolution’s “bad rap” in the United States.2 Forget about what the scientific evidence says regarding evolution’s lack of proof.
Darwin, as careful an observer and prolific a writer as he was in his day, created not one law or physical attribute in nature. He never endured the scourge of the 39 lashes or spilt his blood on a Roman cross for the sake of his people. As far as we know, he’s still buried in Westminster Abbey, not seated bodily at the right hand of God interceding on our behalf. And he hasn’t promised to return to right all wrongs once and for all.
So, for what should we praise Darwin?
References
1. Dao, C. Atheists Get ‘Shared Time’ with Nativity Scene. ICR News. Posted on icr.org on December 8, 2008, accessed February 18, 2009.
2. Freethought Group Posts Wherever Darwin Vs. Dogma Battle Rages: “Praise Darwin” Billboards Go Up in Dayton, Tenn., & Dover, Penn. Freedom from Religion Foundation press release, February 10, 2009.
ping!
Thanks for the ping!
Because man is their god, even if they won’t come right out and say it. Just ask Feuerbach.
It seems to me there is no inherent difference between science and religion - If you want to see God's miracles, just look around you. The miracles exist no matter the process. JMO.
They claim to be “intelligent” and are even more close-minded then the most entrenched cultist. How does Earth’s natural history tell us anything about what is beyond the universe? I would much sooner listen to what an atheistic physicist has to say.
So basically they are worshiping Darwin. Great way to be free from religion you bunch of geniuses.
If they said “honor Darwin” than that would be a very different matter.
LOL!
Also they vent all of their anger at Christians. Don’t Jews share the Old Testament? And what of Muslims?
In the end, if you believe in God as creator, you believe in “creationism” (not giving any argument to “young earth” or any of the rest of those variant beliefs, just stating that either God created the universe or else God sprang forth from the same random event and must’ve been surprised by the whole shebang or God doesn’t exist).
Quite simply, the Temple of Darwin is a cult. But now that the evidence is forcing the Evos to abandon the HMS Beagle, they are now (frantically) searching for a new God-denying evolutionary ship. Indeed, just the other day, I read an article in the New York Times (of all places!) titled something like “Darwin must die, so evolution can live.” It was full of flowery praise for Darwin, but make no mistake, all those flowers were meant for Darwin’s funderal.
And yet, somehow, they say that Darwin has made it possible for them to become “intellectually fulfilled” atheists. Go figure.
ROTFLMAO. 'Highly politicized' only because it exposed ID as creationism is a pseudo-scientific wrapper.
They want freedom from religion.
I’d like freedom from hip hop but I’m not about to insist that all who disagree be forcibly silenced.
Uhh, hate to break it to you guys, but you do believe in a religion, whether you know it or not.
As a creationist myself, I’m here to tell you ID and Creation Science are not synonymous. Creation Science starts with the Bible, ID simply looks for evidence of design in nature without any headstart from the same. Indeed, Uncommon Descent just banned a famous creation scientist (Jonathan Safarti) for essentially being a creationist. Both sides are, however, united in exposing Darwood’s fanciful creation myth (not to mention all the Evos who are being forced by the evidence to abandon the HMS Beagle in search of a new God-denying evolutionary ship).
Yes, we do. As does the Temple of Darwin.
With all due respect, creation scientist is a contradiction in terms. IMHO, of course.
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