Clash of the Titans, or something similar anyway

Can we be good without god?

This just came to my attention and I am sorry to say with the late notice I cannot attend. If anyone is able to attend I would enjoy hearing how it turns out.

Apologies for the Previous Post

Thinking about and writing that last post irked the hell out of me. Here's something to make us all feel better....




Been a fan of Birdland since I first heard it. Plus my brother and I grew up on alto and tenor sax (with a modicum of soprano thrown in), so that always hits a heartstring.

Enjoy

Bride of the Creationist "Science" Fair

This is science education?

Yes, its that time of year again, when creationists homeschoolers show off the results of their child abuse. (For the record, I believe that systemic lying to children about reality is child abuse.)

I commented on this religious fair last year. I will try to go again, but I am not sure I have the fortitude. Why might I skip out? Well, this religious fair is advertised as being about science, however the truth is clear from the TCCSA website...

The Scientific Method and Home School Science Fair procedures
....Im skipping ahead here...
VII. Science Fair Day. You as the presenter are the key to a great Science Fair Day.
Five things to remember:
1. Know your material.
2. Be Confident.
3. Communicate well.
4. Be thorough.
5. Pray your exhibit will witness to non-Christian visitors.

That is one of our main goals at the Science Fair.
(adapted from: The Complete Handbook of Science Fair Projects, Bochinski, 1996)

First of all, there is no THE scientific method. There are approaches and methods that are scientific, but there is no one true scientific method. See the real point is not science, not doing science, not communicating science. Nope, its main purpose is to convert non-christians to your religious perspective. Think I might be overstating it? Keep reading

7. Approximately 3rd Weekend in February: our science fair presentation at Har-Mar Mall in a public-secular setting for three reasons:
1) To promote home schools,
2) To show that Homeschool students can do good science.
3) To present our science fair project to non-Christian people. This should be a great Gospel outreach.

In reality, this fair should only promote that these home schools lead to close minded indoctrination. If it shows some good science, it will be in spite of, not because of the viewpoint of the TCCSA. Finally, these knobs need to look up what secular means, its seems to me they are confusing secular with atheistic. Science should not be great gospel outreach, that's like saying our history fair should really promote lollipop consumption (at least lollipops taste good).

But why do this?

We heard about one lady who saw the Science Fair displays at the Mall. She began to read some of the verses on the displays and was convicted to start attending church and get right with God. There are probably other stories like this we have not heard but it shows the power of God's Word through our program.

See, its not demonstrating what you learned or how you have used science, its to bring in more customers. The "science" was just a way to get those unsaved pitiful souls to approach until the trap could be sprung, the unsuspecting wretch sees the bible verse and voila! SAVED! Personally, I am not convinced by self-serving hearsay, but then Im a scientist.

To be clear it gets better (and by better I mean worse).

See here is the introductory premise to scientific religious education written by Russ McGlenn (aka Sir Bunghole). Right from the start....

The fear of God is the beginning of knowledge. Proverbs 1:7

Hey Sir Bunghole, finish the verse or have you no shame? Nevermind, just finish the verse.

The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and discipline.

First, god/lord just depends on the version of the bible you use (although Im sure Sir Bunghole believes his version is the one true version written in the original english language). Now Sir Bunghole, see that little smudge at the end of your sentence? Its not a period, its supposed to be a comma. I can see making that mistake, but what happened to the rest of the clause? I mean your point is to make your god out to be a bully, which is fairly simple to do without distorting the bible. Science is hard and requires deep study and real work (both of which require discipline and leads to wisdom). I wonder mostly about the motive of distorting this passage, since virtually all of those looking at the website will be Christians terrified that their child may learn something the parents personally disapprove of, these are people who will parse any verse to fit their preconceived notions anyway, so why distort?

I think Proverbs 1 is an interesting choice here, because essentially it is set up to warn against rejecting knowledge and wisdom. If I skip ahead a bit...

20 Wisdom calls aloud in the street, she raises her voice in the public squares;
21 at the head of the noisy streets she cries out, in the gateways of the city she makes her speech:
22 "How long will you simple ones love your simple ways? How long will mockers delight in mockery and fools hate knowledge?
23 If you had responded to my rebuke, I would have poured out my heart to you and made my thoughts known to you.
24 But since you rejected me when I called and no one gave heed when I stretched out my hand,
25 since you ignored all my advice and would not accept my rebuke,
26 I in turn will laugh at your disaster; I will mock when calamity overtakes you-
27 when calamity overtakes you like a storm, when disaster sweeps over you like a whirlwind, when distress and trouble overwhelm you.
28 "Then they will call to me but I will not answer; they will look for me but will not find me.
29 Since they hated knowledge and did not choose to fear the LORD,
30 since they would not accept my advice and spurned my rebuke,
31 they will eat the fruit of their ways and be filled with the fruit of their schemes.
32 For the waywardness of the simple will kill them, and the complacency of fools will destroy them;
33 but whoever listens to me will live in safety and be at ease, without fear of harm."

I would argue this argues pretty strongly that avoiding knowledge and ignoring information is considered bad in god's many eyes. I know, I know, this could be argued the opposite way as well, that's the joy of reinterpreting ancient vague texts. Back to the website....

This is a list of questions kids have asked in our brain storming sessions for science fair topics. These are the raw questions as I have not had time to clean them up or rephrase them in a statement for a hypothesis.

It was written in April 2008? Not had time over the last 9-10 months?

We need to train our students and ourselves to ask the right questions.

Anyone know how the "right" questions are determined?

Evolutionists ask this question:
How can I prove that evolution is true (and God does not exist). This may not be stated in this way, but is inferred by their writings. Darwin and others have said that if evolution is true, there is no need for God.

How many inaccuracies and/or logical fallacies can you find in that proceeding set of sentences? I found 4. Can you find more?

Creation scientists need to ask this question:
What can I learn about myself, God, and God's plan for the universe as I study His creation today. I believe true science is a way to learn more about God and ourselves. It is a living class room in which God is the Instructor and we the students. Jesus used common things in nature to illustrate his principles as he taught.

And so if Jesus used simple things to illustrate general principles to illiterate and fairly simple people, we can use simplicity to uncover the intricacies of the universe. You know, this does accurately summarize the approach creationists take to biology.

The Bible says, "The fear of God is the beginning of knowledge." God will not honor scientist's work if they do not honor Him. Some of the greatest scientific breakthroughs and discoveries were made by Christian men and women.
The following is a partial list of great scientists who were Christians seeking to understand God through His creation as well as the Bible. Sir Isaac Newton began his search for the laws of gravity and motion with this idea: God is a God of order, therefore His must have laws that govern the universe. Kepler discovered the formula for the orbit of planets around the Sun. Faraday developed many of the laws of electromagnetism. Maxwell invented color photography and discovered laws governing the distribution of molecules in gas. Lord Rutherford has been called the father of nuclear physics. Sir John Thomas discovered the electron. Petr Beckmann, a Polish professor who defected to the U.S. during the Cold War, has raised serious questions about Einsteinian physics and has shown that science based on solid experimental data is superior to many of Einstein's theories. These stories and more can be found in Science and Biblical Faith, a science documentary, by Thomas Barnes, 1993.

Some of the greatest serial killers, pedophiles, murderers, rapists, thieves were Christians too. What is the point you are making here? Simple logic is not that tough people. (How much you want to bet Sir Bunghole thinks Sudoku is a demonic ritual?). By the way, thanks Christians for coming up with the number 0. Wait what? Does that mean there will be a bunch of converts to Islam now?

Check out the website for 115 "ideas" for potential projects, I cant list them here because it isnt worth the electrons. However this is currently my favorite: 72. What is God made of? Good luck with that.

I don't know. Im not sure I can subject myself to the subtle undercurrent of hatred that permeates these events this year. Maybe Ill stay home and play with my son.

A Strong Step Forward

Without going into detail, I think the children, and citizens, of Minnesota received a strong step forward today in their science education. More details to come when appropriate....

Thanks to all those involved!

Your American civics acumen in 33 questions

This is kind of fun....

Civics Quiz

You answered 31 out of 33 correctly — 93.94 %
Average score for this quiz during January: 74.2%
Average score: 74.2%

You can take the quiz as often as you like, however, your score will only count once toward the monthly average.
If you have any comments or questions about the quiz, please email americancivicliteracy@isi.org.
You can consult the following table to see how citizens and elected officials scored on each question.

Where to from here?

Answers to Your Missed Questions:

Question #31 - A. an increase in a nation’s productivity
Question #33 - D. tax per person equals government spending per person

31) International trade and specialization most often lead to which of the following?
A. an increase in a nation’s productivity
My choice B. a decrease in a nation’s economic growth in the long term
C. an increase in a nation’s import tariffs
D. a decrease in a nation’s standard of living

I could take this test again and I would still get this wrong. Well I wouldn't now, but my thoughts (incorrect based on the answer) led me to answer B and would again. Clearly, I need to obtain more education in economics.

33) If taxes equal government spending, then:
My choice A. government debt is zero
B. printing money no longer causes inflation
C. government is not helping anybody
D. tax per person equals government spending per person
E. tax loopholes and special-interest spending are absent

This one was a case of identifying an answer that looked good and not reading any others carefully. If I thought about the answers I would have answered this one correctly, trust me.

More fun, check out the website to see how people do based on a variety of criteria. I particularly like that those who identify as being in politics do worse than the general public.

H/T Sandwalk

Inaugural Address

The entire transcript is here.

A couple of highlights in my estimation:

1. That we are in the midst of crisis is now well understood. Our nation is at war, against a far-reaching network of violence and hatred. Our economy is badly weakened, a consequence of greed and irresponsibility on the part of some, but also our collective failure to make hard choices and prepare the nation for a new age. Homes have been lost; jobs shed; businesses shuttered. Our health care is too costly; our schools fail too many; and each day brings further evidence that the ways we use energy strengthen our adversaries and threaten our planet. These are the indicators of crisis, subject to data and statistics. Less measurable but no less profound is a sapping of confidence across our land — a nagging fear that America's decline is inevitable, and that the next generation must lower its sights. Today I say to you that the challenges we face are real. They are serious and they are many. They will not be met easily or in a short span of time. But know this, America — they will be met.

YAY!!! Data as something meaningful!

2. We remain a young nation, but in the words of Scripture, the time has come to set aside childish things. The time has come to reaffirm our enduring spirit; to choose our better history; to carry forward that precious gift, that noble idea, passed on from generation to generation: the God-given promise that all are equal, all are free, and all deserve a chance to pursue their full measure of happiness.

First Corinthians 13:11 When I was a child, I spake as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child: but when I became a man, I put away childish things. You know the discourse in this country is pretty well stated in the first part of this verse.
However, where in the bible/koran/other religious text would I find the idea that "all are equal, all are free, and all deserve a chance to pursue their full measure of happiness?" More of a Declaration of Independence feel to me.

3. Time and again these men and women struggled and sacrificed and worked till their hands were raw so that we might live a better life. They saw America as bigger than the sum of our individual ambitions; greater than all the differences of birth or wealth or faction.

This, I find, is a strong rebuke to the isolationist anti-other mind-set of the last 8+ years.

This is the journey we continue today. We remain the most prosperous, powerful nation on Earth. Our workers are no less productive than when this crisis began. Our minds are no less inventive, our goods and services no less needed than they were last week or last month or last year. Our capacity remains undiminished. But our time of standing pat, of protecting narrow interests and putting off unpleasant decisions — that time has surely passed.

Narrow interests? In a country that voted in 2004 for Bush-Cheney in large part because gays were gonna steal our weddins?

Starting today, we must pick ourselves up, dust ourselves off, and begin again the work of remaking America.

Suck it GW

4. For everywhere we look, there is work to be done. The state of the economy calls for action, bold and swift, and we will act — not only to create new jobs, but to lay a new foundation for growth. We will build the roads and bridges, the electric grids and digital lines that feed our commerce and bind us together. We will restore science to its rightful place, and wield technology's wonders to raise health care's quality and lower its cost. We will harness the sun and the winds and the soil to fuel our cars and run our factories. And we will transform our schools and colleges and universities to meet the demands of a new age. All this we can do. And all this we will do.

Well said sir.

5. For we know that our patchwork heritage is a strength, not a weakness. We are a nation of Christians and Muslims, Jews and Hindus — and non-believers. We are shaped by every language and culture, drawn from every end of this Earth; and because we have tasted the bitter swill of civil war and segregation and emerged from that dark chapter stronger and more united, we cannot help but believe that the old hatreds shall someday pass; that the lines of tribe shall soon dissolve; that as the world grows smaller, our common humanity shall reveal itself; and that America must play its role in ushering in a new era of peace.

Read that again "christian nation" proponents, actually read that 100 times. Hell, everyone read that again, it is beautiful prose to say the least. BTW thanks Mr. President, for allowing a non-believer to part of this great country again.

6. This is the source of our confidence — the knowledge that God calls on us to shape an uncertain destiny.

I actually found this an important point. President Obama is a Christian with a deep faith. However, unlike many of the unthinking masses that feed from the trough of the local pastor, President Obama has a thinking rationale faith (in many ways it seems analogous to our founding fathers). Here is a statement that directly points to his placement of his god at the center of our existence (in a tangential way, not that the earth was created as is 6000 years ago). However, this is not an exclusionary statement to me. "...calls on us to shape an uncertain destiny." The future is uncertain, and it is dependent on us what that future will be. If the future sucks, its on us. If the future rocks, we rolled. Here god is an amorphous concept, not a specific deity begging for our adulation to get over his self-esteem issues. God as used here is a sense of right-and-wrong, justice, fairness. While President Obama's may believe in a specific god in a specific way. Here, I find he is using god conceptually and inclusively, a nice change from the "my god or the highway" approach of the Bush years.

What Science Is and What Is Not Science: via Youtube

This is an excellent little ten minute video. Get a cup o' coffee, sit back and enjoy.



H/T Evolving Thoughts