D. James Kennedy thinks that "evolution" is finished.

[Maat]

D. James Kennedy, of Coral Ridge Ministries in Florida, and of the Center for Reclaming America, is most most likely amember of the Arlington Group, a radical hardturn religious right organization. Falwell, Bauer, Perkins, and Dobson are also virtually certainly members of this group.

http://headlines.agapepress.org/archive/2/12005e.asp

"AgapePress) - The founder of the Center for Reclaiming America says although the theory of evolution has influenced virtually every school district worldwide, there are signs that its influence is waning.

Dr. D. James Kennedy says the recent announcement by renowned philosophical atheist Dr. Anthony Flue that he now believes in a "creator" poses a major problem for evolutionists. Kennedy, addressing hundreds of people at the "Defending the Faith" conference in Fort Lauderdale this week, said there is a heightened interest in creationism. And evolution, he stated, is losing favor with many people as scientists cannot explain the complexity of the human body.

....


It is Kennedy's opinion that Christians who embrace evolution are compromising their faith. He describes evolution as the most destructive idea ever to enter the mind of man, and a concept that has killed more people than all religions that ever existed."

Oh, yeah, these guy are grounded in reality ...

(And I say that as a person of faith.)

Thoughts?

[WI_DEM]

1. Where's Clarence Darrow when you need him?

Maybe some of these fundies will get evolution banned from schools again and we can have another "monkey trial."

[Ian David]

6. Clarence Darrow lost the case, by the way

[SaveElmer]

10. Lost the case...won the war...

At least until now!

[Maestro]

2. I don't know what to say to this freak.

Evolution threatens religion? How? In what way? No one knows for sure how God works so how can we be so bold to think that evolution as described is not from God? These people are effin nuts, delusional and just plain stupid.

[Maat]

14. Couldn't have said it better, Maestro.

This is just my little project, for myself (since I'm a law student studying for the CalBar). I kind of monitor what they are up to.

[Maestro]

21. Thanks. -nt

[CindyDale]

3. I can't figure out what he's talking about

Maybe he has evolution confused with abortion?

Just kidding. He's a fool, though.

[shoelace414]

4. allow me to point out it's 2005.

[Roland99]

5. One way to stop these idiot fundies...force them to read some TRUTH

instead of the fiction known as the Bible:



Who Wrote the Bible?
Richard Elliott Friedman
http://search.barnesandnoble.com/booksearch/isbnInquiry.asp?userid=fm6Aipv9vE&isbn=0060630353&itm=1


From Jesus to Christianity: How Four Generations of Visionaries and Storytellers Created the New Testament and Christian Faith
L. Michael White
http://search.barnesandnoble.com/booksearch/isbnInquiry.asp?userid=fm6Aipv9vE&isbn=0060526556&itm=10


That would stop at least some of the brainwashed sheep from spreading the fiction.

[Salviati]

11. It won't work...

Their "brains" have developed immunites against facts.

[renaissanceguy]

24. They believed the earth was created in literally 6 days

which, as any informed human knows, is a myth. Even without evolution, science has estimated that the earth is about 4.5 billion years old.

Didn't I hear somewhere that Dick Cheney doesn't believe in gravity?

http://www.cafepress.com/liberalissues.14741193

[Maestro]

19. Thanks for the links. -nt

[Ganja Ninja]

7. It might be finished in Amerika as we slowly slip back into the...

dark ages. The rest of the world is a different story. They might be able to get the whole rightwing cult here to drink their Koolaid but it isn't going to happen in other countries.

[SaveElmer]

8. Typical way RW'ers frame issues...false choice

Belief in a creator does not also preclude a belief in the "Fact of Evolution" (I refuse to call it a theory).

It's a false choice, but one designed to appeal to the non-thinkers who don't want to hear the truth.

And it works for them, because blind faith and ignorance is always easier than questioning and thought!

[Maat]

15. Well-put, SaveElmer.

I'm a Religious Scientist, and that's the point. Ernest Holmes, the founder, wanted people to understand that religion and science are compatible.

They're up to something - they probably want to keep the money flowing in -FROM the ignorant.

[Maestro]

20. Cool

I'm glad that I am not the only thinking this way on my spiritual journey. Sometimes I just want to say I don't believe in God and be done with it, but something inside me tells me I can't. My life would be much easier without Him, but I can't let go even with my doubts and my "radical" beliefs trying to find how science and religion can live together.

[SaveElmer]

22. You have to let go...

of the artificial limits organized religion tries to impose on your beliefs.

My favorite saying is the "God is to big for one religion"

[Maestro]

23. Yeah

No one can convince me that the only saved peoples are Christians. There are far too many good people who aren't Christians that could not be condemned by any good God.

[sui generis]

9. ha hah ahahahahahaha, idiot

they love to find an "ultimate authority". Gosh I've never even heard of this Anthony Flue, and more importantly could give a crap what he thinks or doesn't think.

Addressed "hundreds" of people at that conference. Gosh, sounds like it was standing room only in the stadium. Is he on a world tour or something?

Sounds like ticket sales are lagging a bit. Poor delusional slob.

[classof56]

12. I too am a person of faith and I've never liked Kennedy.

He was a favorite, though, of my Mom's, a sweet lady who was released from this earth's bonds almost two years ago shortly after her 96th birthday. Just relating that because she was typical of those who give Kennedy credence--people of such absolute faith they never question anything that "men of God" tell them and really do not want to check things out for themselves. Kennedy is playing to that crowd (along w/Dobson, Falwell, Robertson, et al), and it's made him very wealthy. I'm not judging his standing before God, not my place to do that. But I certainly take issue with his and the others' manipulative methods designed, IMHO, to keep people from thinking for themselves and make them feel guilty when they (horror of horrors) question what's being spoon-fed them by his ilk. Like Bush, Kennedy et al are creating their reality and those of us who don't agree are supposed to change ours to fit theirs.

They're nuts, and I can no longer stand to watch or listen to any of them. Maybe Dr. Kennedy would like to document his statement about evolution killing more people than all religions that ever existed, but I'm guessing he wouldn't know where to start.

Tired Old Cynic

[Maat]

16. Well put.

I have a senior friend who is just like your Mom (God rest her soul - may she be at peace).

[classof56]

17. Thank you, Maat.

No one deserved to be at peace more than my Mom. I was very sad to lose her, but I do believe she's there. Needless to say, when she was gone her regular contributions to Dr. Kennedy stopped. Took a long time for him to stop sending her his "America is doomed send me money" solicitations. I just shook my head in dismay. Funny thing, though, as I think about it, he's right. America could well be doomed, but not for the reason he thinks!

Take care!

[Maat]

26. Exactly.

n/t

[longship]

13. "...vastness of the universe..."

From the cited article:

Christian author Dr. R.C. Sproul, Jr., is one of the featured speakers at the three-day conference. The editor of Tabletalk, a Bible study magazine, says believers need to emphasize God's sovereignty as shown through creation. The vastness of the universe, he said, points to a creator.

Sproul's claim that the vastness of space points to a creator is a very interesting take on the issue--one that I've not heard before. But the size of space fairly screams "the universe is old". Many ID proponents who are young-earth creationists (YECs) won't be very comfortable with this as an old universe is inherent with large size.

If the vastness of the universe points to a creator, the creation could not have happened in the last 12 billion years. Some recent facts point to a universe substantially older than that. I can't think that YECs would be comfortable with this statement. (But then again, since when do right wing religious wackos worry about inconsistencies, equivications, or illogic?)

I'm often in awe at the number of fronts that the right wing is battling. That they can win on so many of them is incredible. If they win battles on this front, the USA will become a backwater in science.

[CindyDale]

18. Actually he may be right but not in the way he thinks he is!

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ISBN%3D0395690013/103-7797710-4447830

Our violent genes came from our ancestors.

I don't think suppressing a scientific theory will stop violence. The killers will come up with other theories they will use as an excuse to kill people. The killing is for political reasons, and it doesn't matter what nonsense people make up about why. Religion is a good excuse to kill, too. Anything will do in a pinch.

Look at how good we're getting at it. We don't need evolution as our excuse.

[davidinalameda]

25. that's all fine and dandy

but which creation story are you going to accept

of course, he's pushing for the Judeo-Christian one but what about other religious beliefs

[MountainLaurel]

31. I like the one

About the world on the turtle's back. Or was that a flood story?

[sans qualia]

27. "Anthony Flue?" Idiots.

Antony Flew. And as I understand it, all he believes in is a "first cause." That's not god. The first cause could just as easily have been a miniature giant space hamster. Flew still considers himself an atheist.

[Trajan]

30. Bertrand Russell ....

"If everything must have a cause, then God must have a cause. If there can be anything without a cause, it may just as well be the world as God, so that there cannot be any validity in that argument. The idea that things must have a beginning is really due to the poverty of our imagination."
-- Bertrand Russell, Why I am not a Christian

[argexpat]

34. Russell Rocks!

I read Russell's "Why I Am Not a Christian" in college, and he single handedly rescued me from my sophomoric atheism and introduced me to agnosticism (the thinking man's non-religion). Then I read Joseph Campbell and the transformation was complete: We can't know if there's a God or not, and besides, it's all symbolic anyway.

God bless you Bertrand and Joseph!

[toddaa]

28. Appeal to Authority

Sheesh, it's so frickin' easy to tear apart the logical fallacies in fundy arguments. Anthony Flew didn't even come close to supporting the Christian Supremists' ID campaign. All he said was that he's not sure about First Cause.

[distantearlywarning]

29. Can someone name a war that has been fought over evolution????

I can't.

"A concept that has killed more people than all religions that ever existed."

????????????????????????????

WTF? Did I miss the Darwinian Revolution?

[MaineYooper]

33. it's a bizarre train of thought, but

I'll give it a whirl:

The basis of the idea that he's putting forth (and that I've heard from other virulent anti-evolutionists) is that belief in evolution reduces man to "nothing more than another animal", therefore there is nothing special about man, therefore there's no prohibition against killing if man is nothing special.

In short, evolution says humans aren't special, so evolution says it's okay to kill, so evolution as a concept is responsible for all of the killing in the last 146 years since The Origin of Species was published.

(Sheesh, it makes my head hurt just repeating that crap)

There are so many logical rebuttals available to this, that it makes the head spin. Personally, I don't find anything terribly denigrating in the idea that we're not really different from the rest of the animals, but then again, I'm just a heathen scientist, so what do I know?!?

[seaj11]

32. I'm in Biology right now.

"scientists cannot explain the complexity of the human body"

Oh yes they damn well can to a great extent! Kennedy, wake up and smell the science.

[argexpat]

35. If you don't believe in evolution, you just don't believe in science.

Why stop at evolution? Evolution is the product of the scientific method. If these "creationists" have a problem with evolution, then they have a problem with science. Yet they don't question TV broadcasting when they're pandering for money, or the medical technology that makes the "miracles" they pray for come true.

They accept the products of science when it suits them, and reject it when it doesn't. This is not only fatuous obscurantism, but blatant hypocrisy!

[FM Arouet666]

36. Ignorance is bliss

The one point I found interesting was regarding Dr Anthony Flue. Religious people often think that science functions in a similar manner as religion. Namely, that the opinions of authority figures carry some special weight. Believers often quote Einstein or Darwin in a way which seems to support a religious belief. The implication being that, if such learned members of the scientific community believe, than science must be weaker than religion in explaining life's mysteries.

What they fail to realize is that science functions on empiricism, experiment, supporting of disproving hypotheses etc. In other words, reality. If Darwin had made a death bed confession supporting religion and disavowing evolution, it would not have made a difference. Science would have continued, as it continues despite Dr Flue's recantation.