ENCOURAGED BY Governor Bobby Jindal’s recent signing of the so-called Louisiana Science Education Act, which authorizes local teachers to use unspecified “supplemental materials” (wink, wink) for teaching evolution, there are undoubtedly many teachers eager to exercise their new authority as soon as the new school year starts.
We’ve found what may be an early sign of this creationist reawakening. At the website of HoumaToday, the online presence of the Houma Courier, a newspaper for a small town (daily circulation 19,700) near New Orleans, we found this article: Is it possible to live 900 years?
We’re not familiar with that newspaper. This article appears in their “Living” section, but so do items about church events. In any event, it doesn’t seem to be the usual small-town paper’s report on what was said in church on Sunday. This appears as a straight informational item. The author, Rev. Randy M. Bourgeois, is pastor of First Baptist Church of Raceland (not far from Houma).
Some excerpts:
Have you ever wondered about the longevity of human life mentioned in the Bible book of Genesis? “So all the days of Adam were nine hundred and twelve years, and he died” (Genesis 5:11).
Some will say that those were not literal years, just as they will say that the days of creation were not literal days. Sorry, I am one who believes that when the Bible said day, it was a 24-hour day, and when it said year, it was 365 days.
The question remains however, how could people live so long? And since people do not live that long anymore, what changed?
Okay, we’re interested. What changed? The article continues:
In 1994, I had the privilege of traveling to Glen Rose, Texas, for the purpose of visiting the work of Dr. Carl Baugh. Baugh is noted for his extensive research in the area of creationism. Along with other environmental scientists and medical scientists, Baugh has presented some very convincing findings to what the pre-flood environment was like.
Whoa, baby! The reverend is talking about Carl Baugh, one of the old-time, hard-core, young-earth creationists. According to Wikipedia, Baugh’s doctorate is of dubious authenticity, and even Answers in Genesis has distanced itself from this guy. Here is Baugh’s own website: The Creation Evidence Museum.
What did the good reverend learn from “Dr.” Baugh during his 1994 visit? We read:
The flood event brought cataclysmic change to the earth’s environment. It had never rained until that time. The biblical record states that God had a firmament separating the waters below the earth from the waters above the earth (Genesis 1:6-7). At the time of the flood, God released the water above the firmament — allowing it to plunge to the ground for 40 days and 40 nights. During the time of the pre-flood environment, the waters above the firmament provided a global shield of protection from the harmful rays of the sun, encapsulating a very different environment than we experience today. In this environment, it is believed that the earth had 30 percent more oxygen, and double the atmospheric pressure. This was an environment where storms were nonexistent.
The Wikipedia article we linked above gives information about some of “Dr.” Baugh’s books, and so does Baugh’s own website. Perhaps his work will be used as “supplemental materials” in the science classes of state-run schools in Houma, Louisiana.
If Baugh’s books are considered too primitive, the folks of Houma could always select from those listed here: Discovery Institute: Their Recommended Reading List.
6 responses so far ↓
Check out this cartoon « The Great Dinosaur Mystery and the Big Lie // 26-July-2008 at 5:40 pm
[...] comes to science and the federal government (who approve Intelligent Design to be taught in schools such as in Louisiana), this cartoon certainly reveals how science and the government supporting Intelligent Design [...]
bsharp55 // 28-July-2008 at 4:41 pm
50% oxygen eh? Interesting. There must have been some dynamite forest fires.
Just how easy would it be to ignite human fat (including that between the ears) at that concentration?
Spontaneous combustion anyone?
It didn’t rain before then? That too is interesting. I guess the only place plants would be successful would be near all those spring fed rivers and streams.
Just how much light would a plant receive through all that water in the canopy plus the inches of dust on the leaves?
Each dumb assertion they make requires dozens of other nonsensical claims in support.
Even the simplest of lies can branch out into a complex web of farcical explanations.
Creationists can’t even lie well.
Rev. Randy M. Bourgeois // 12-February-2009 at 1:36 pm
Thanks for presenting a portion of my article on your web.
Pastor Randy M. Bourgeois
The Curmudgeon // 12-February-2009 at 1:45 pm
It was my pleasure. But I suggest that you let me edit your comment to remove your phone number. It’s considered unwise to put that kind of personal information on the internet. You never know what trouble it may cause. However, if you want it to remain, that’s fine.
Rev. Randy // 12-February-2009 at 2:43 pm
Please remove phone number
The Curmudgeon // 12-February-2009 at 2:54 pm
Done.