Monday, March 31, 2014

Washed Away

Where do the faithful go with stuff like this:

You go to the magical ceremony to wash away your sins and you get a bonus! YOU get washed away as well and apparently suffer a scary and horrible death.

God has one sick sense of humor!

No more words necessary. The irony is pungent!

Sunday, March 23, 2014

Evolution Deniers

During the methodical march of science since the time of Galileo we’ve simply followed the evidence. We throw out things that don’t fit the data and revise our new ideas and test them with more observations and experiments. The only agenda in science is the search for truth...testable truth. Ego and politics go on in meetings and behind the scenes to be sure. But the only thing that wins the day is truth...testable truth.

And in that time we’ve established the laws of mechanics, electricity and magnetism, plate tectonics, DNA, the entire periodic table, quantum mechanics, special and general relativity, the big bang, vaccines, fundamental particles that build all atoms, fission and fusion which powers the sun. Oh, and we went to the moon.

This is of course a partial list but within all of that there is not a murmur from the religious right (ok maybe the Big Bang).  But somehow they feel that the basic procedure that is the underpinnings of all science and has led to the list of discoveries above is somehow faulty when it comes to evolution. Evolution - probably the most successful theory, the most unifying theory in all of science. It explains e v e r y t h i n g we see in the living world.

Do they not have any perspective. Can they not take one tiny step back and think, “Maybe I need to re-evaluate MY position”. It would be laughable that they cannot except for the fact that they prey on the ignorance of their fellow citizens and get themselves elected to school boards, congress, county boards, etc.

I’m not asking them to drop their faith. But maybe just an adjustment. Did people of faith not adjust when it was shown that it was the sun and not the earth that was the center of the solar system? Did they not adjust when the mind bending distances involved in the universe were revealed and thereby showing that heaven is probably not up in the clouds. The clouds - the unreachable place where the gods must live.

You learn pretty early on that to dig in your heels and ignore the facts no matter what is never a good course. It doesn’t take you anywhere and it sure as hell doesn’t take US as a civilization anywhere. Being stubborn is not all together bad. Being skeptical is not bad either. It’s a requirement of a reasonable society. But to not listen to reason NO MATTER WHAT, to beat your drum just because you like your drum is to simply demonstrate your own ignorance. The fact that you have have sizable numbers of people with you means nothing but it is depressing.