Texas 2023 Creationism Bills — Dead

There’s good news today, dear reader. Another creationist bill has gone down in defeat. We first wrote about it back in January: More Crazy Legislation — This Time in Texas.

Today’s news comes from our friends at the National Center for Science Education (NCSE), written by Glenn Branch, their Deputy Director. His post is titled “Strengths and weaknesses” bills die in Texas. Here are some excerpts, with bold font added by us for emphasis, and occasional Curmudgeonly interjections that look [like this]:

When the Texas state legislature adjourned sine die on May 29, 2023, a pair of identical bills that would have harmed science education, House Bill 1804 and Senate Bill 2089, died in committee. If enacted, the bills would have amended the state education code to require that instructional material adopted by the state board of education “present a scientific theory in an objective educational manner that: (i) clearly distinguishes the theory from fact; and (ii) includes evidence for both the scientific strengths and scientific weaknesses of the theory.”

Nice going — the dumb things just died in committee. Glenn says:

Clause (i) appears to reflect a common misconception about facts and theories. “In scientific terms, ‘theory’ does not mean ‘guess’ or ‘hunch’ as it does in everyday usage,” as the National Academy of Science explained in its publication Science and Creationism, second edition (1999). “Scientific theories are explanations of natural phenomena built up logically from testable observations and hypotheses. Biological evolution is the best scientific explanation we have for the enormous range of observations about the living world. … [S]cientists can also use [“fact”] to mean something that has been tested or observed so many times that there is no longer a compelling reason to keep testing or looking for examples. The occurrence of evolution in this sense is a fact.”

Well, you can’t expect creationist to know what they’re legislating about. Glenn also tells us:

Clause (ii) betrays the intention of the bills. As The New York Times editorialized of the phrase “scientific strengths and scientific weaknesses” in 2008, “This is code for teaching creationism.” Employed by proponents of “creation science” and “intelligent design” alike, the phrase appears in antievolution laws enacted in Louisiana in 2008 and Tennessee in 2012.

Indeed — the legislation was hopelessly stupid from the start. Glenn’s post ends with this:

House Bill 1804 was sponsored by Terri Leo-Wilson (R-District 23), who previously served three terms on the state board of education (as Terri Leo) where she continually sought to undermine the treatment of evolution in the state science standards and in textbooks submitted for state adoption [obviously a genius]; Senate Bill 2089 was sponsored by Brandon Creighton (R-District 4). Both bills received committee hearings, during which public comment was heard and amendments were proposed, but neither bill came to a committee vote.

That’s pretty much the whole story for state legislation this year. But there are legislatures still in session, and there’s no shortage of idiotic legislators. One never knows what might happen tomorrow, so stay tuned to this blog!

Copyright © 2023. The Sensuous Curmudgeon. All rights reserved.

The Theory of Evolution Is Totally Demolished

This is a very long article, and it’s loaded with creationism. We found it in the Augusta Press of Augusta, Georgia. It’s titled FAITH: Problems with Evolution, and it was written by Rev. Bill Harrel, pastor of Abilene Baptist Church in Martinez, GA for over 31 years.

The rev’s article is far too long for us to deal with adequately, so we’ll just excerpt maybe 20% of it for this blog. Here are those excerpts, with bold font added by us for emphasis, and occasional Curmudgeonly interjections that look [like this]:

Ever since Charles Darwin wrote The Origin of the Species, there has been a long discussion about evolution over against creationism. I don’t expect this treatise to solve an ongoing argument, but I do hope and anticipate that it will make people think a little more and somewhat deeper into the subject at hand; evolution. While studying and praying, the Lord impressed something upon my mind and spirit that I want to share with anyone who is interested in this subject. What I will seek to reveal to the readers of this article is what God showed to me on a quiet evening while I was reading the great Biblical book of Romans.

This stuff came to the rev from a divine source, so pay attention, dear reader. He says:

I want to approach the subject of evolution from three different perspectives: Biblical, physical and spiritual. This article will, of necessity, be rather extensive but if one is truly interested in the subject at hand, they should be patient and read the whole thing. In the end it will tie together in a common-sense way which will speak to the average citizen. I think it would be helpful for it to be restated that the Theory of Evolution is just that…. a theory. [Gasp!] Theories have not been proven. [Egad!] When and if it becomes fact, then it is no longer a theory. We should not put our trust in something that is a theory and which remains unproven but only surmised. Educational institutions should not teach a theory as fact but that is what is happening in our schools and institutions of higher learning today.

This is amazing! After that bombshell, the rev tells us:

If we are going to put our trust in the words of a book (The Origin of the Species), this writer thinks it should be a book which has authority as one of its virtues. So, instead of trusting the book of Charles Darwin, I suggest we put our trust in the Bible which has an author we can trust; God Himself. So, with that in mind, let’s look at what God says about the situation. … As the old saying goes; “A book is known by its cover.” And, God’s Word is known as the “Holy Bible.”

Isn’t this amazing? The rev continues:

The Bible is very clear in Genesis that God created man and woman, male and female. We find in Genesis 1:26-27 the basic statement by God about His intention and that was to make man and woman, male and female. … If the evolutionist believes that man came from some primordial “soup” that was struck by lightning, then is he saying that the Son of God came into being by chance. They are completely straying away from what the Word says.

Great stuff! Let’s read on:

The Biblical stance on the creation of man is that God made man in His own image. The word “made” is a Hebrew word that means that something was created from nothing while evolution presumes that there was something in existence that evolved and resulted in man over millions of years. God spoke everything into existence, and it didn’t take him millions of years to complete His creating sentence. We “make” something from a pre-existing substance and we form whatever we want to make from that raw material. God took of the dust of the earth that He had already spoken into being, and formed Adam. … The Bible makes the creation of man all very simple while Charles Darwin’s book confuses the issue of the origination of man to the ultimate degree. But, just look at what man, who is at war with God, has chosen to believe and teach. Anyone who believes the Theory of Evolution has surrendered their intellect and reason. Man would rather believe a lie than the truth. In fact, he will search out a lie to believe rather than simply believing what God has to say.

Good stuff, huh? Another excerpt:

Evolution came from man’s intellect. These statements from scripture I have employed originated from God. Now, who carries the most authority; God telling us something He did or man proposing a theory to try to circumvent God in the creation process. Man wants us to believe something like evolution which sprang from his own intellect. God did! Man imagines!

Here’s more:

Scientists say that given enough time, the raw elements could naturally come together to form man. They propose that many billions of years gave time for man and all other life forms to emerge just as we see them today. I am going to make a few observations which will show just how ludicrous it is to believe the Theory of Evolution over against what God created. It will only take a few examples to make it undeniably clear.

This is already way too long, and there’s an ark-load we haven’t touched yet. Here’s just one of the rev’s examples showing how ludicrous it is to believe evolution:

Think about this: All creatures have the same basic systems. They have a digestive system, a muscular system, a circulatory system, an endocrine system a nervous system, a skeletal system, a respiratory system. All animals have a mouth, an esophagus, a stomach and a digestive system which gathers nutrients from food and then expels the waste from the body. Question: How did all animals happen to develop the same systems for life. You mean to tell me that evolution with all of it varied possibilities over billions of years just happened to produce all the same systems for life in all creatures whether on land, sea or air. One would have to abandon all of their intelligence in order to favor evolution over a designed order by a superior being known as God. … Just think; evolution requires one to believe that for things to be the way they are that one has to accept that it all took place at the odds of trillions and trillions to ONE. I believe that one who touts this theory has forfeited their intelligence and common sense!

After skipping far more than we’ve excerpted, we now come to the end — or rather, our last excerpt:

At the crux of the matter is the denial of God. People who ask others to substitute the Theory of Evolution for the fact that God created all things are really asking those people to join them in their lunacy and rebellion against God. They are really telling people that God had nothing to do with the creation system at all and that the Bible is not true.

So there it is, dear reader — a great article explaining why, if you’re a Darwinist, you’re a hell-bound fool!

Copyright © 2023. The Sensuous Curmudgeon. All rights reserved.

Hambo Explains the Origin of Absolutely Everything

This one is the most thrilling post we’ve ever seen anywhere, and we found it at the blog of Ken Ham (ol’ Hambo) — the ayatollah of Appalachia, the world’s holiest man who knows more about religion and science than everyone else. It’s titled Genesis — It Explains the Origin of Everything!, and it was written by ol’ Hambo himself. Here are some excerpts, with bold font added by us for emphasis, and occasional Curmudgeonly interjections that look [like this]:

The meaning of anything depends on its origin. [Really?] And did you know that the book of Genesis gives us an account of the origin of all the basic entities of life and the universe? [Wow!] Let’s start listing them:

What follows is a huge list, one item below the other. We’ll change the format to save space, but here’s the list:

The origin of space, matter, and time. The origin of the earth. The origin of water. The origin of the atmosphere and hydrosphere. The origin of light. The origin of plants. The origin of the sun, moon, and stars. The origin of the universe and solar system. The origin of land animals, flying creatures, and aquatic creatures. The origin of man. The origin of man’s dominion over the creation. The origin of why man has to work hard. The origin of woman. The origin of marriage. The origin of the family. The origin of evil. The origin of sin. The origin of death. The origin of clothing. The origin of man’s need for a Savior. The origin of the sacrificial system. The origin of thorns. The origin of languages. The origin of government. The origin of cultures. The origin of people groups. The origin of nations. The origin of the chosen people.

Wow — that’s an ark-load of origins! Then he says:

Yes, Genesis explains the origin of everything! Genesis is a very important book as it provides the foundation for the rest of the Bible, for our Christian worldview, for all doctrine, and, in fact, for everything.

Okay, the point has been made. After that he tells us:

To understand the meaning of marriage, we need to understand its origin. Sadly, many Christian leaders who compromised Genesis with evolution and millions of years haven’t taught this foundational history to coming generations. Even many conservative Christian leaders have been so intimidated by secular scientists and compromising Christian academics that they have not taught Genesis as literal history. But if people don’t have the foundation in Genesis concerning the origin of marriage, one can understand how they might be easily influenced by the LGBTQ worldview. [Gasp!] This, sadly, is happening to many young people even from the church. Many don’t really understand Christianity as they should and can’t explain what Christians really believe and how to defend the Christian faith.

Fascinating! He continues:

Let’s also consider the gospel. How can a Christian explain the gospel without explaining where man came from, why we are accountable to God, what sin is, why we die, why we needed a Savior, and why Christ died and rose again, without the foundational history in Genesis?

Okay, okay — the point has been made. Everything depends on Genesis. Let’s read on:

The above is just a tiny glimpse of why Genesis is so important and why it is vital that Christians take it as written — as literal history. … Satan knows if he can cause people to reject the literal history of Genesis, then the foundation of the whole Bible, of all doctrine, of the Christian worldview — of everything — is undermined. That’s why Genesis has been so attacked in our day.

Ah yes, that explains so much! Here’s another excerpt:

And that’s why Answers in Genesis exists — to provide resources to equip the church with answers to stand boldly on the authority of the Word of God from the very first verse.

Isn’t Hambo wonderful? He rambles on a bit more, but our post is already long enough, so we’re going to end it here. If you want to read all of Hambo’s post (and who wouldn’t?), just click over there and wallow in it.

Copyright © 2023. The Sensuous Curmudgeon. All rights reserved.

Self-Published Genius #137: Evolution Is False

Today we have a new addition to our series about Self-Published Geniuses. This is where we bring you news of authors with a vanity press book in which the author claims to have made paradigm-shattering discoveries, and announces his work by hiring a press release service. We learned about this book from one of our clandestine operatives. This one is so well-placed and valuable that he doesn’t even have a code name.

The title of today’s press release — they all have huge titles (and this one has a glaring typo) — is Bruce Roger Matson’s Continues Crusade for Creationism with Book “From Goo to God”, and it was written by WebWire. Here are some excerpts, with bold font added by us for emphasis, and occasional Curmudgeonly interjections that look [like this]:

Despite continuous criticisms from mainstream science, faith-based educators like Bruce R. Matson continue to dispute the theory of evolution, and he’s even taken the fight worldwide. [Ooooooooooooh! He’s so brave!] His book, “From Goo to God,” [Great title!] has joined the ranks of books exhibited at international book fairs and festivals. He hopes the exposure will give his fellow creationists spiritual support while exposing uncomfortable facts for evolutionists suppressed by the mainstream scientific community.

Exciting, huh? Then the press release says:

Since the day Charles Darwin’s theory of evolution became accepted fact, many Christian groups and churches have been fighting an uphill battle in their rejection of it. This appears most prominent in the discourse of American education. Creationists continue to protest the teaching of Darwin’s theory without including the numerous [numerous!] scientific facts that go against it or the well-known scientists that don’t agree with it. These exclusions make the teaching of evolution indoctrination, not education.

Yes, it’s indoctrination! After that the press release tells us:

Today, another Christian educator steps up in the crusade. [How wonderful!] Bruce R. Matson has spent over 30 years teaching students from kindergarten to 8th grade. He has also served as a coach, athletic director, and even principal. Yet, he became inspired to defend Creationism as a result of surviving stage four non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma. This humbling experience compelled him to publicly expose the falsehoods of evolution and the belief human life is just a product of mere happenstance.

Why did surviving lymphoma inspire him to battle evolution? Anyway, the press release continues:

That is why he published “From Goo to God: A Science-Based Defense of Creationism vs. Evolution,” his personal treatise against the theory of evolution and how its core premises are both flawed and dehumanizing. The title itself is an abbreviation, with Goo representing the Godless Ocean Origins described in the theory of evolution, while God stands for Grace Ordained Designer.

Very clever! Let’s read on:

Matson’s book illustrates examples of intelligent design throughout the universe [Gasp!] and in biological systems that are too complex to attribute to random natural processes. For people of faith, Matson shows with fact after fact that we don’t have to fear science because the science is on our side. Recently, the book was well received while exhibited at the London Book Fair.

Isn’t this exciting? So we looked for the book at Amazon — and we found it! It costs only $9.70 in paperback, and the book has 76 pages! Wow, what a deal! And yes, Amazon has a “Look Inside” feature.

But wait! We have the book, and we have the press release, but what about the publisher? A quick look at the press release tells us that the publisher is Trilogy Christian Publishing. So we went to their website. They describe their deal like this:

Highest Royalties in the Industry – Author keeps 100% of revenue until investment [Undefined] is recovered, then a 70/30 split with author receiving 70% of all revenue

What a deal! And the book definitely qualifies for our list.

Okay, dear reader, we’ve given you all the information we can find, and it looks great. Go ahead and buy the thing — and tell ’em the Curmudgeon sent ya!

Copyright © 2023. The Sensuous Curmudgeon. All rights reserved.