VeganMom...stumbling through life: Help save science (or Louisiana goes to hell in a handbasket)!!

Friday, June 20, 2008

Help save science (or Louisiana goes to hell in a handbasket)!!

For my fellow atheists and agnostics, let's take action on this. Check out the post (and comments) from my favorite science blog: pharyngula.

2 comments :

Anonymous said...: It is unfortunate that the freedom in this country doesn't extend to everyone. The so-called science of evolution is not science, it is religion. Intelligent design & evolution are both 'theories'. Neither is observable or repeatable. Some assumptions have to be made in establishing the same facts both theories are base on. For one, the assumption that supports carbon 14 dating is based on is inaccurate and they know it. But the erroneous dates support their theory so they stick with it. MRB; 6/21/08, 6:02 AM
VeganMom said...: Absolutely wrong. I have read authors on BOTH sides of the issues, not just one side. In addition to extensive quote mining and faulty arguments, the case is actually laughable, when you fairly research the science they blatantly lie about and misrepresent. Evolution is NOT a theory, and that is the most ignorant, damaging thing a creationist can say to undermine their own argument. Evolution can be illustrated on a regular basis. Evolution is NOT the parallel to intelligent design--again a statement which allows the scientific ignorance of the adherents to shine. The theory that is in "competition" or parallel to 'intelligent design/creationism' is the big-bang theory. That explains the biogenesis portion of the argument. That is a currently unsubstantiated theory, which is always presented as such. It is always stated very clearly that they don't know that it is correct, but it's currently considered the most likely. The scientific community itself is not in agreement on this and is very comfortable and honest about saying so. The same can't be said of the other side, who have repeatedly lied, surpressed, and falsified evidence. Why? Scientists have no ulterior motive. They can explore these topics with no greater motivation than simply to find the truth. Science and non-pharmaceutically-owned scientists don't have multi-billion dollar empires to maintain. The creationists, however, have everything at stake. The 'sheep' in the flock would be hard to control and collect money from if the very premise of how they got her turned out to be false. That is a HUGE vested interest. That is one that makes it necessary to examine everything coming from this camp with a microscope. Evolution is an undisputably proven process which occurs and can be observed. The fact that it can be observed, measured, predicted, recreated, is what allows a theory to be substantiated. If you really want to go there, read anything by Richard Dawkins. Hell, even read the Gospel of the Flying Spaghetti Monster (I have it). It basically extrapolates every single argument used by creationists, applies it just as logically to the flying spaghetti monster, and by doing so, points out the ridiculousness of taking a concept of personal faith and trying to call it any type of science. Freedom in this country extends to those of us who wish to be free from the indoctrination of religious bullshit sold as science. It extends to those who wish to see our children honestly educated with respect to the hundreds of years that science has benefitted us and improved our lives. We wish to have our children learn this correctly and respect this time-tested principles. NOBODY (in this country) has ever tried to take a christians right away, as far as their right to practice and worship on their own and in their churches. We simply wish to protect ourselves from the fairy tales that we don't choose to lean on. I won't get into this with you on your turf, but my blog, my freedom still allows me to defend an attack on science. While I will personally fight for your right to worship and believe in something I believe to be an absolute detriment to the individual and society as a whole, I have never and will never see the same support from christians. Because of people like us, xtians still have the rights they like to use to try to shut our freedoms down. I will also, fight to the death for my and everyone else's freedom FROM religion. Again, the religious right doesn't extend the same freedom to me and wishes to shove it down everyone's throat. It has NO business in schools, governement, or ANYWHERE outside of a personal home or church! Oh, carbon 14--not going to get into that, but that's yet another example of the xtian community being fed simplistic and blatant lies. You do know that carbon 14 is NOT the only type of dating that is done. It's not acurate beyond a few thousand years. Science knows this and uses other extremely reliable methods of testing. It is so very hard to argue science with those who willingly don't understand it. :(

If you want to seriously understand these topics or at least be able to argue realistically and have a thorough knowledge of the science involved, check out pandasthumb.org or read more of the pharyngula blog that I linked. I have additional sources that I have purposefully withheld from all of you, because I feel certain that if you actually read and researched to verify to yourself the legitimacy, you and Michael would no longer be able to believe in religion, and that seems just mean beyond necessity. I don't wish to deprive anyone of their religion, again, as long as it's not remotely imposed on me or my kids anytime, anyplace, in any way!; 6/21/08, 10:48 AM