left biblioblography: Are These People COMPLETELY Clueless?

Friday, March 23, 2007

Are These People COMPLETELY Clueless?

(Cross-posted at God is for Suckers)

Thanks to St. Gasoline, my blood pressure has risen considerably.

These brain-dead assholes use every...single...trick in the book. All of which are just that - smoke 'n mirrors.

It begins with the usual crapola: the claim that Darwin was concerned with the origin of life (quick note - the title of the book was the Origin of Species, along with the Descent of Man - and again the abiogenesis=evolution meme is brought into play).

So it blatters on about molecules organizing through...three guesses, yep, you got it - RANDOM CHANCE! Interspersed with pictures of cute kids and the occasional baby seal (go for the cutesy angle), somehow this video drags in the atheistic angle - "Hey, since we're all just primordial batter, that's it! You die, you're gone!" Little subliminal hints - a clock floats by a floating head on a colored pedestal. "Some people think that evolution replaces God."

"Life results from the non-random survival of randomly varying replicators." - Dawkins

More crap - "Scientists refer to the theory of evolution as fact, even though in science, theories can never be proven."

Last time I dropped something, it fell. It'll fall over and over again. Black holes bend light, due to their gravity wells. All that's pretty good, for just a theory. Likewise, a mushroom cloud speaks volumes for the theory of relativity.

Obviously, these dimwits don't have a clue. Quotes Hawking, that "even a single repeatable observation can destroy even the most grandiose theory."

He (Hawking) is also on record as saying, "We are just an advanced breed of monkeys on a minor planet of a very average star. But we can understand the Universe. That makes us something very special."

It blathers on about accidents a whole lot in this video. Why can't scientists create life from 'dead matter', you know the whole routine.

It runs the usual crap about fruit flies being bombarded by radiation. "Even though hundreds of mutations occurred, no new species were created."

Dipstick obviously doesn't understand what the term 'species' means at all, a demand for some bizarre chimera.

Also, it claims that 'scientists' are grudgingly 'admitting' there had to be some creative force behind the Big Bang, that the universe isn't eternal (no, but energy most likely is). Of course, there's considerable evidence that it's actually a Big Bounce, and that the universe was contracting prior to it.

There's a lot of dishonest quote mining in this...'scientific' video. It quotes Jerry Coyne as saying "We conclude - unexpectedly - that there is little evidence for the neo-Darwinian view...its theoretical foundations and the experimental evidence supporting it are weak."

Strangely enough, the Wiki entry quotes Coyne as saying this :
"Intelligent design, or ID, is the latest pseudoscientific incarnation of religious creationism, cleverly crafted by a new group of enthusiasts to circumvent recent legal restrictions. [1]

"Coyne argues that Darwin's evidence "destroys the creationist notion that species were created in their present form and thereafter remained unchanged".

"Coyne goes on to make the theological argument that "A creator, especially an intelligent one, would not bestow useless tooth buds, wings, or eyes on large numbers of species."

"He also criticizes Icons of Evolution:

"Jonathan Wells' book rests entirely on a flawed syllogism: ... textbooks illustrate evolution with examples; these examples are sometimes presented in incorrect or misleading ways; therefore evolution is a fiction. [2]"

Of course it vomits up that stale staple of creationism - the 2nd law of thermodynamics. "Everything tends towards disintegration and disorder" - Umm, this idiot might want to look up the zeroth and 3rd law.

And of course, another re-tread refrain of the 'transitional fossil' nonsense. It mentions the 'aquatic animals to land animals' as if there's no such fossil (umm...hello? Whales?).

It misquotes Gould (oh, whadda surprise!): "The extreme rarity of transitional forms in the fossil records persists as the trade secret of paleontology."

What were the actual quotes?
"Transitions are often found in the fossil record. Preserved transitions are not common -- and should not be, according to our understanding of evolution ... but they are not entirely wanting, as creationists often claim." - Stephen Jay Gould, "Evolution as Fact and Theory" (1983)

"But paleontologists have discovered several superb examples of intermediary forms and sequences, more than enough to convince any fair-minded skeptic about the reality of life's physical genealogy." - Stephen Jay Gould, Natural History, May 1994

It goes over the Cambrian Explosion. Then it quotes Hugh Ross as per the Goldilocks effect.

It even quotes Isaac Asimov - known evolutionist and atheist. Followed by Michael Behe (he of the debunked irreducible complexity and mousetrap fame).

It devolves rapidly into the Watchmaker theory. And all the pictures of cute little kids.

I keep hearing from people that religion is supposed to make people better somehow. But I just ain't seeing it.

For folks what claim the higher moral ground, they sure do seem to enjoy wallowing in the mud on the valley floor.

For your viewing pleasure, the Commander-in-Thief teaching creationism in class - and the consequences: >

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6 comments:

beepbeepitsme said...

I am not even ging to read what they said in the links. My blood pressure doesn't need raising. I just spent a day out with a friend and her 4 year old son.

I think my blood pressure is high enough after that.

Krystalline Apostate said...

BBIM - I was indulging in a bit of hyperbolic rhetoric. I do tend to gnash my teeth at these folk, though.

Anonymous said...

It's very sad indeed and frustrating as hell when one sees ignorance and stupidity being disseminated by such idiots.

I always wish there was something I could do or say that could get through to them, to educate them or try to get them to see another side to things.

But then I remember what my father always told me: You can't tell a dumbshit that he's a dumbshit. And that's just so true of these folks. They're dumbshits and will always be dumbshits and you can't tell them anything. Take comfort in knowing that you're not. :-) Have a great day!

Krystalline Apostate said...

lorraine - your dad's a wise man.
The only way I see it, is that by telling other people it's idiocy, is the best way to counter it.

Anonymous said...

My dad was a pretty smart guy and had to deal with lots of incredibly stupid people every day. (He was career Air Force) Don't know how he did it 'cause I know I would have blown an artery pretty quickly.

I'm glad that you've got the energy and willingness to point out the idiocy to these people. I've given up trying but do enjoy it when others, such as yourself, are able to point it out so effectively. :-) Thanks very much!

Krystalline Apostate said...

Thanks lorraine.
I hold by Lucretius' maxim:
"The drops of rain make a hole in the stone, not by violence, but by oft falling."
I guess that'd be called rhetorical erosion? ;)