Archive for the 'Science' Category

Response to Evolution indoctrination at OU

gommo February 12th, 2009

I saw this posted on http://www.tulsabeacon.com/?p=1358 It’s so horrendous that I had to respond.

Evolution indoctrination at OU

What is the difference between education and indoctrination?

Education = Showing someone how to think

Indoctrination = Telling them what to think

The line between conveying information with an open mind and a mindset that parallels religion is being crossed this year at The University of Oklahoma with a 12-month celebration of the 200th birthday of Charles Darwin.

While devoting huge resources to a campaign to “prove” that evolution is not a theory, the scientific brain trust at OU will virtually ignore parallel theories of the origin of man - including Creation Science and Intelligent Design.

Science does not ‘prove’ anything. I suggest you get some ‘education’. Proof is the realm of mathematics, that is all. Science gives us theories to understand the observed facts. A theory is testable and falsifiable, which is what Darwin’s theory is, please tell me how I could test and falsify Creation Science and/or Intelligent Design???

OU will trot out Oxford professor Richard Dawkins, author of The God Delusion, to try to convince students and the public that there is no God and science has all the answers.

Darwin became infamous 150 years ago when he wrote The Origin of Species. He speculated that all life evolved from lower forms and that men were derived from the apes.

We aren’t ‘derived’ from apes, we are apes. We share a common ancestor with all apes. The evidence is there, its in the fossil record as well as our DNA. I suggest you look at your own Chromosome #2. Again, sir (or madam, you fail to put a name to this filth), I suggest some education

His unproven theories were all that the humanist movement needed to attack the Bible and any belief system that hints at the existence of a supreme being.

There you go again with ‘unproven’. All theories are unproven in science. They are our best model at understanding the evidence.

OU has a website devoted to this worship of Darwin and evolution. It’s clear from the content of that website that organisers believe that evolution is a fact and that if other theories are mentioned, they will be discounted or ridiculed.

Evolution is a fact, things evolve, end of story. You say it below, ‘Do things Change? Certainly’ Therefore evolution is an observed fact. Darwin’s theory aims to explain that fact.

Do things change? Certainly. But species don’t evolve into other species. Dogs don’t turn into cats. Monkeys don’t turn into men.

Again, some education. There a numerous examples of speciation. It has been observed.

Dogs don’t turn into cats‘ - I’d hope not otherwise Darwin’s theory would be falsified.

Monkeys don’t turn into men‘ - Again, stop with these straw man arguments, you will never find an evolutionary biologists suggesting so. We share a common ancestor! Your argument is like saying that you don’t believe you are related to your cousin because you have never seen your cousin give birth to yourself.

In fact, even secular scientists are doubting the viability of evolution concerning the origin of life.

Please give me a name of an evolutionary biologist who doubts the evolutionary concept of common descent? You can’t! Stop lying you disgraceful ignoramus. Have you heard of the 10 commandments?

concerning the origin of life‘ - Evolution says nothing about the origin of life. Again again, get an education. Repeat after me, EVOLUTION HAS NO POSITION ON THE ORIGIN OF LIFE!!!! It is concerned with the complexity of life, Abiogenesis is the category of theories for the origin of life. Nothing to do with Darwin

The laws of thermodynamics and common sense tell us that things don’t get better - they deteriorate.

Education again, please. Don’t use big words you have no understanding about. By your logic above nothing gains in complexity it always deteriorates. So a baby growing to an adult is deterioration is it? The laws of thermodynamics require a closed system, our earth is anything but a closed system you dimwit.

The biggest case against Darwin’s evolution is the fossil record. There are no viable transition fossils when there should be millions if you buy into his theory.

Where is the missing link? There isn’t one in the fossil record.

Explain what fossil you would like to see? Fish with legs? We have them? Whales with legs? Yep got them too. Every fossil we see is transitional? What else can it be? We are all linked on the great big tree of life? If you don’t agree, or think there is some major barrier that differentiates species, then please explain what is that barrier? What mystical force defines one species from another? Species are a convenient abstraction we place on living organisms to categorise them. Just like we categorise stages of growth (toddler, teenager, adult). Please show me where you have observed a toddler turning into an adult?

Evolution science is not really science but a religion. That is why it cannot stand honest scrutiny or tolerate other views. It takes more faith to believe that men came from monkeys or a primal soup struck by lightning than it does to believe that God created the Earth and mankind in seven days.

Too many things to shoot down there. Science is based on evidence, it is falsifiable and testable. It makes predictions. Religion is based on faith, which is a way of belief that involves not requiring evidence. Some people can live with that, others can’t. I choose to demand evidence as that has worked very well in the last few hundred years. I’m typing on this computer, using the Internet, sitting in A/C, wearing glasses and just took a headache tablet.

Religion in 19 years of following it, gave me nothing.

Simply show me Australopithecus or Kenyanthropus fossils in Australia and you will convince me of the error in common descent. I on the other hand could not produce any evidence that would convince you that your faith is wrong. That is because it does not rely on evidence. Common descent however, demands evidence, has mountain loads of it, and lists potential falsifications that would destroy it in a heart beat. However, no such evidence has been forthcoming.

Both are religious beliefs. Oklahoma students should be exposed to both theories (including Intelligent Design). Instead, the public school system in Oklahoma has bowed to the pressure of secular humanists and insisted that there is only one theory to explain the origin of man - evolution.

ID is not a theory as I mentioned above, and has also been proven as such in a court of law. So stop your whining.

Incidentally, the origin of life cannot be proven by the scientific method, which requires observation and testing. No one was around when life began and no scientist - no matter how many degrees he or she has - has been able to recreate life in the laboratory.

There you go again, jumping between origin of man and origin of life as if they are the same thing. Lucky science is not so casual with its methods.

Here’s the worst aspect of this story. State tax dollars are going to support the celebration of a mad scientist who infected the world with a new religion that teaches that God cannot exist.

OU has stacked the deck for humanism and against other religions. Creationism and Intelligent Design should get equal time in this huge “celebration” of Charles Darwin.

There is a God and that belief is held by the vast majority of Oklahoma taxpayers. Withholding that truth from our students does them a disservice and damages our society.

‘There is a God’ - Please show us the evidence? Also, is that God you refer to, a Christian God? Are you so lucky to have been born in a country that happens to primarily believe in the real God. What about Zeus, Thor, Ra ? How do you know your version of God is more valid then any other culture’s version of God? Please, again, show us the evidence

When we tell our college students that they are nothing more than animals, why do we act surprised when they act like animals?


Get off your pedastool.
So people never behaved badly before Darwin? Stop pushing your responsibility as a human being onto everyone else. Oh that’s right, I forgot, your a christian, and that means always after a scapegoat. If it isn’t Jesus it’s Satan, anything to prevent taking responsibility for your own actions. Pathetic.

Creationism Is Revolting - Please Wake Up USA

gommo January 31st, 2008

I’ve been reading a few news articles in the past year about the creationist museum in the US. This latest blog post on BadAstronomy though has bought it all back to me.

Here’s the video BA is talking about

Words can’t describe the lunacy of this. I am ashamed that I once was a christian at all. I can’t recall ever believing in a literal 7 day creation though, thanks to my more liberal bringing up and interpretations of the bible. However, to think the most powerful country on earth is filled with crackpots who believe this stuff is just down right scary.

What can be done about this? We need to make people who make claims like this, or attempt to pass laws passing creationism off as science, sit down and understand why they are deluded. To me, it all comes down to a basic misunderstanding of the scientific method and terminology. It’s appalling that a US presidential candidate can pass off evolution as just a theory. (So is our understanding of gravity, light, magnetism etc.. etc.. etc..) Theories are what explain REALITY BITCH!! Theories are testable by your peers! Theories can adapt and change! Theories are falsifiable! Everything in science is based on theories! But you don’t question them when you drive your car, fly in an airplane or use the Internet!

Theories don’t come from dusty books written by primitive societies who hate women and love slaves!

What on earth will save us from these people!!??!!

Huckabee in my bonnet

gommo January 18th, 2008

Ok, I’m getting sick of this! Why can’t religion stay far away from politics and science.

This is what Huckabee says, “The Bible was not written to be amended. The Constitution was,…” and “That’s again the logic of the Civil War - that slavery could be okay in Georgia but not okay in Massachusetts. Obviously we’d today say, ‘Well, that’s nonsense. Slavery is wrong, period..’”

Well mate, let’s check out your ‘un-amendable’ bible shall we?

Slaves, obey your earthly masters with respect and fear, and with sincerity of heart, just as you would obey Christ.”

“And masters, treat your slaves in the same way.”

Slaves, obey your earthly masters in everything; ”

“All who are under the yoke of slavery should consider their masters worthy of full respect, so that God’s name and our teaching may not be slandered.”

“Teach slaves to be subject to their masters in everything, to try to please them, not to talk back to them”

etc.. etc… I could go on. The bible totally condones slavery. Of course, I wouldn’t expect any baptist minister to have ever read the bible. (Sabbath is a Sunday?? Since when?)

Obviously we had to ‘amend’ our morals so we could undo the damage bible bearing crazies have done to the world in regards to slavery. Huckabee’s intentions are nothing more than an attempt to keep holding on to backward views of the world and our universe.

Come on USA! Wake up, get an education and VOTE these lunatics into oblivion. Unfortunatly the democrats have their eye’s shut on things like nuclear power but that can stand up for itself. Scientific truths will always win in the end.

Arrgghh :( Vomit

Penn Says

gommo January 14th, 2008

A funny site I stumbled upon from Penn (of Penn & Teller) - http://crackle.com/c/Penn_Says


Pro-Nuclear Vid

gommo December 30th, 2007

A fairly good video I think, although I don’t necessarily agree with his political views ;)

Sagan - A great man

gommo December 20th, 2007

On the 11th year of his passing, a good video to remember his legacy

POWER TO SAVE THE WORLD

gommo October 30th, 2007

Science tells us that climate change is real. ‘Word on the street’ seems to suggest that most people are acknowledging this. That same science tells us that we have a real solution to climate change. It’s unfortunate that respectively, most people don’t acknowledge, or at least are unaware, that we have that real solution at hand.

Here’s an excellent video to explain how nuclear power can save our world.

Some interesting excerpts…

images.jpg

Here’s how much spent fuel you would create if all the electricity in your life was produced via nuclear fission. If you don’t think humans have the mental capacity to store this amount, I feel sad you have such little faith in human ingenuity.

Radioactive exposure due to living next to a nuclear fission reactor in an ENTIRE YEAR, would be slightly LESS than eating ONE banana :)

The Oconee Nuclear Station in South Carolina can produce 500 MILLION (500,000,000) Mega Watt Hours of electricity. Enough to power the households of South Carolina for 20 YEARS!
This produces 25 tonnes of high level spent fuel, which fits in the back of a Ford F150 pickup truck (or similar truck)