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Bill Nye Speaks Out

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SEE:  http://www.wptv.com/dpp/news/world/bill-nye-creationism-video-the-science-guy-goes-viral-warns-of-creationisms-effect-on-mankind


I must say, I am impressed with the statistics in this article, if not so much with the video...I see this as both helpful and harmful to people of different belief groups...He predicts the end of Creationism--I am not so certain that is going to happen...Thoughts?

Comments

James said…
I'm not so sure that "the denial of evolution is unique to the United States." I seem to recall that my son Todd encountered fundamentalists in China who did so. I'm betting some of the Christian groups I met in Zambia did likewise, and I know that during Darwin's own day there were Irish Christians who disagreed. I see nothing helpful for Christian groups in denial. Ultimately, I think it's symptomatic of an anti-intellectualism that is very destructive. And I think Nye is right that Creationism will not survive--not if Galileo is an appropriate model. On the other hand, literalism as an hermeneutic is still going strong, not just in Christianity. This suggests the possibility that Nye's prediction will not come true.
September 28, 2012 at 4:52 PM
TheGreatDialogue said…
I think Xtians "deny" evolution because of the apparent conflict with Genesis...and because total adherence to evolution as a concept is in conflict with God's sovereignty [e.g., no need for God with evolution]...I do not think that will change...one can be willing to wait for the answers to these conflicts [God will explain all one day] so there is no need to ignore evidence [from one's spiritual experience or from science] and also no need to just "accept as fact" something one does not believe in...Why not entertain ALL sources of evidence and wait for enough to be able to make a solid decision?
Mr Nye is actually saying something kind of inflammatory--"if you teach your children of your idea of creationism you will hurt them and society." I don't think that is true.
September 29, 2012 at 7:47 AM
Colleen said…
I agree with with you, Jim, that anti-intellectualism is rampant - it must be if, as the linked article claims, 46% of Americans today believe in Creationism apart from evolution in any form. When one goes to such an extreme as to call in to question scientific findings that have been corroborated over many decades as lies, and insists that God cannot be sophisticated enough to use these mechanisms to achieve the processes so elegantly distilled (for B.C. minds) in the chapter of Genesis, this is indeed anti-intellectualism. I also agree with Wayne that some Christians, rather than actually doubting science, feel pressure to eschew it in order to be a good believer. This destructive climate within the Church will not, unfortunately, just go away, I think; there is (and rightly so, to some degree) an attitude of "we must be very cautious how much modern thought we allow to influence our teachings." If we could have dialogues, among fellow believers and among the population in general, in which enlightenment and not debate is the order of the day, I think we could make progress.
September 29, 2012 at 5:21 PM
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