Editorial Supports Hambo on School Field Trips

We found a totally crazy editorial in the Tulsa Beacon, a weekly newspaper in Tulsa, Oklahoma. They don’t have a comments section. The editorial is titled Atheists target school field trips. Here are some excerpts, with bold font added by us for emphasis, and occasional Curmudgeonly interjections that look [like this]:

A group of atheists [Gasp!] is trying to prevent school children in Kentucky from visiting the Ark Encounter and Creation Museum. They sent letters to some schools surrounding the museum with a warning that they shouldn’t take students on field trips there because all public school events should be “secular.” They want students to be taught that only the theory of evolution – that man evolved from ape-like creatures [Oh no!] – be taught and that schools have no Christian influence.

We recently wrote about the field trip controversy — see Hambo’s War on the Constitution. Hambo was complaining about a letter claiming that public school field trips to the Ark Encounter or Creation Museum are unconstitutional violations of the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment. He insisted that separation of church and state is nonsense. Now he has support in Oklahoma. The editorial says:

They [the hell-bound atheists] ignore the U.S. Constitution, which allows students to explore differing viewpoints. [Huh?] Ken Ham, the CEO and founder of Answers in Genesis, said children already get “evolutionary and atheistic indoctrination … five days a week for the whole school year.”

Then the editorial tells us:

The only way that a public school would violated the Establishment Clause of the Constitution would be if teachers told students that this is the only true interpretation and that they must accept Jesus Christ. In other words, there is nothing wrong with a visit to the museum but it is an exceptional educational and cultural experience.

BWAHAHAHAHAHA! The teachers don’t need to say anything. Hambo’s museum and Ark replica make that claim for them. The editorial continues:

It is a parallel principle to the teaching of the Bible in public schools, which is completely constitutional even though school boards and administrators all over the nation forbid it.

Yes, it’s “completely” Constitutional. Let’s read on:

This is a bullying tactic by the secular humanists (atheists) who want students to be indoctrinated – not taught – only the “facts” that they adhere to.

Ooooooooooooh! Insisting that public schools should adhere to the Constitution is a “bullying tactic.” Why — Oh why — do they oppose theocracy?

Another excerpt:

The rate of Biblical illiteracy in America is getting worse. When the United States was founded, the Bible was the primary textbook. Our legal system is based on principles from the Bible.

BWAHAHAHAHAHA! See Is America a “Christian Nation”? And now we come to the end:

The field trips should continue unhindered.

Hambo must be thrilled to be supported by such a brilliant editorial. So let the buses roll!

Copyright © 2018. The Sensuous Curmudgeon. All rights reserved.

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Discoveroids: Science Is Oogity Boogity!

This may be the boldest post ever from the Discovery Institute. It’s titled Scientist as Shaman — Seeing Through the Sham. It was written by David Klinghoffer, a Discoveroid “senior fellow” (i.e., flaming, full-blown creationist), who eagerly functions as their journalistic slasher and poo flinger. Here are some excerpts, with bold font added by us for emphasis, and occasional Curmudgeonly interjections that look [like this]:

Ira Berkowitz is ID the Future’s Jerusalem correspondent. In a new podcast he talks with Rabbi Moshe Averick about the shamanistic role that our culture recruits scientists to fill.

ID the Future is a series of Discoveroid podcasts, which they crank out instead of doing publishable science research. We’ve never listened to any of them, and we’re not going to start now. Regarding the “shamanistic role” that science plays in our culture, Klinghoffer gives an example:

Think, for example, of the late Stephen Hawking and how his fevered pronouncements in his final years were received.

Yes, Hawking was nothing but a crazed witch doctor. Then Klinghoffer tells us:

It’s a wonderful discussion. [Hee hee!] Averick is the author of [Who cares?] Be sure to listen to the end for an awesome story about a sage who foresaw, in the 1920s, how the choice between destructive modern technology and its alternative, the ancient project of teaching human beings to be humane, would play out in decades to come.

Undoubtedly it’s another pitch to bring back the good old days — see Discovery Institute: Enemies of the Enlightenment. He continues:

Download the podcast or listen to it here.

BWAHAHAHAHAHA! We won’t soil our blog with that link. You wanna listen to that stuff? Go ahead, click over to Klinghoffer’s post and find the link for yourself. Meanwhile, Klinghoffer goes on:

This exaggerated respect given to scientists in all matters, treating them as “high priests,” is obviously relevant to debates about biological origins. These debates often incorporate philosophical assumptions, not derived from scientific data, that in turn drive our understanding of what the data mean.

The Discoveroids sound more and more like ol’ Hambo every day. Another excerpt:

It’s only because of the sham role of the scientist as “medicine man” that we don’t see these assumptions for what they are — including, as Evolution News [the Discoveroids’ creationist blog] mentioned earlier today [link omitted], “the arbitrary rule of methodological naturalism.”

Regarding the Discoveroids’ dislike of methodological naturalism, which is the essence of the scientific method, see Bring Me An Angel Detector!

Here’s how Klinghoffer ends his brilliant post:

Recognizing that arbitrariness is an important step toward deflating the power of such a rule, with its great potential to corrode human dignity.

Yes, dear reader, until you recognize the shamanistic nature of science, you’ll always be a fool! Meanwhile, Klinghoffer’s human dignity is intact.

Copyright © 2018. The Sensuous Curmudgeon. All rights reserved.

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Creationist Wisdom #904: Evolution’s Catch-22

Today we have a column that appears in the The Lion’s Roar, the student newspaper of Southeastern Louisiana University. It’s titled Higher power makes more sense, and they have a comments section.

Because the writer isn’t a politician, preacher, or other public figure, we won’t embarrass or promote her by using her full name. Besides, she’s still a student, and from her picture, she seems to be a sweet young lady. Her first name is Maiah. Here are some excerpts, with bold font added by us for emphasis, and occasional Curmudgeonly interjections that look [like this]:

I believe that evolutionism is a pretty faulty doctrine with holes like a block of Swiss cheese. Even though this is my belief, I do not find it necessary to parrot that oft-repeated evolutionism vs. creationism debate in its most typical form. … No, for that old debate has been reiterated so many times and in so many ways, the witness simply yawns to endure it again. That is why, though it is tempting for me to poke holes in the evolutionary theory, I would choose to better direct my time explaining why I am a candidate of creationism.

That’s fine with us. She says:

To be frank, one of the reasons that I firmly support creationism is because it makes sense. The thought of some “power,” or “existence,” that had superior foreknowledge and foresight to diversely create, is far more believable to me than “chance,” trillions of adaptations as the evolutionary theory insists.

Yes, that makes a lot of sense. Then she tells us:

According to the abstract theory of evolution [Abstract?], it is in a constant state of gradual mutational flux. I am convinced that such thing as a genetically “stable” population, not to mention community and biosphere, would be almost, if not entirely impossible.

The biosphere is always in flux, but beyond that, Maiah doesn’t believe in mutations. She explains why:

This can even be viewed in nature: If a black bear has only one cub as opposed to the usual two or three, then she will simply abandon it. If a bear is willing to abandon her cub just because it did not come in a pack of three, then what does this mean for other species who notice that their offspring is beginning to grow an additional appendage?

Hey, good point! Let’s read on:

This leads me to my second, parallel point: evolution does not make sense. Not that the concept is hard to understand, but that it is simply absurd. [Yeah!] With the sheer complexity and order of life and biology, even in something so basic as a single molecule of DNA, I cannot for a moment wrap my mind around it all “evolving” based on chance. I cannot, with any trace of sincerity, consider that the only distinction between me and an earwig is a couple of branches on a top-heavy, phylogenetic tree.

Maiah ain’t no kin to a creepy insect! She continues:

Moreover, the idea that mankind evolved from apes is simply preposterous. [Right!] I mean, if man really did evolve from apes, wouldn’t we have some sort of transitional stage of ape-man with us today? After all, we have the ape. We have the man. Where then, is the ape-man?

They’re extinct, but we have evidence that they once existed. Maiah should look at the Wikipedia article Homo.

She goes on and on, but that was the best of it — except for the way she ends her article. It was the source of our title:

Interestingly enough, although some scientists seem to look down upon the thought of a higher power, they themselves insist upon the fact that man is the best and brightest of all preceding evolutionary achievements. If man is the best and brightest, the most evolved and logical of all species, then why is religion one of the distinguishing factors of mankind? Does this not imply that awareness of a deity is now a new tier of evolutionary intelligence? I challenge the evolutionist to counter this Catch-22. [Her logic is undeniable!] As for me, my convictions are solid.

Face it, dear reader. Maiah is more evolved than you are.

To be fair to the student newspaper, they have another column with the contrary point of view: Evidence or faith as our model of origin. It’s definitely worth a look.

Copyright © 2018. The Sensuous Curmudgeon. All rights reserved.

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An Amazing New Discoveroid Book

We don’t write much about Michael Denton, a Discovery Institute “Senior Fellow.” At their article on him, Wikipedia says:

Denton’s most prominent book, Evolution: A Theory in Crisis, inspired intelligent design proponents Phillip Johnson and Michael Behe.

The Discoveroids have a new post about him today at their creationist blog: Denton’s Children of Light Forthcoming; Join Us at Seattle Book Launch! It has no author’s by-line Here are some excerpts, with bold font added by us for emphasis, and occasional Curmudgeonly interjections that look [like this]:

Have you ever considered how our tiny corner of the universe somehow cradles fragile mankind? [No, not really.] In the newest book in his Privileged Species series, Dr. Michael Denton explores the convergence of properties of visible light that allow intelligent life to flourish on earth.

Ooooooooooooh! Visible light makes our life possible! The Discoveroids say:

Children of Light: The Astonishing Properties of Sunlight that Make Us Possible builds on previous titles by Denton.

Here’s the book’s Amazon listing. The price is only $14.95 in paperback, and for that you get 166 pages. It’s published by the Discovery Institute — which means it’s essentially a vanity press book. There are no reviews yet at Amazon.

The Discoveroids tell us about Denton’s earlier works:

In The Wonder of Water (2017), he examined how water is specially equipped to allow life to flourish on our blue planet. Its unique properties allow it to fill countless roles throughout the biological world — forming the matrix of our cells, regulating the temperature of our planet, and so much more.

Ooooooooooooh! They continue:

Fire-Maker (2016) hones in on one particular aspect of our planet’s special fitness for humans: the ability to make and harness fire. From computers to airplanes to life-giving medicines, the technological marvels of our world were made possible by humanity’s use of fire. This ability to harness fire, Denton argues, was itself made possible by an array of features built into the human body and the planet.

Actually, Denton has a point there. If Earth were just a water world, something like intelligent octopi might possibly evolve, but they couldn’t develop much technology. There may be lots of worlds like that in the galaxy, but we couldn’t detect their intelligent inhabitants from afar. Let’s read on:

Sufficiently intrigued? [Oh yeah!] Children of Light is forthcoming in October. Join us for the book launch at Seattle Pacific University on October 2nd to hear Michael Denton present on his new title, and answer questions from the audience.

Wowie — what an opportunity! Another excerpt:

The book will also be available for a discounted price, and you’ll have the opportunity to have it signed by the author himself! [Gasp!]

Here’s the best news:

This event is free [Whoopie!], but space is limited and registration is required. You can register at this link.

We’re omitting the registration link, but if you want to attend this amazing event — and who wouldn’t? — you can click over there to find it for yourself. We’re outta here!

Copyright © 2018. The Sensuous Curmudgeon. All rights reserved.

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