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Neil DeGrasse Tyson Explains His Christmas Tweet
140Mandak262Jamuna writes Neil DeGrasse Tyson tweeted on christmas day what appeared to begin as a tribute to Infant Jesus, but ended up celebrating Isaac Newton. Apparently this was retweeted some 77000 times, far above his average of 3.5K retweets and caused many to be angry. He doubled down on it by tweeting about people being offended by objective truths. Then wrote a fuller explanation.
When you feel the need to "explain" something to the masses, you've lost. Tyson essentially gave in to criticism. I'm disappointed in him for doing that.
"On this day long ago, a child was born who, by age 30, would transform the world. Happy Birthday Isaac Newton b. Dec 25, 1642"
The only thing offensive is that some people continue to belief that their religious beliefs should be accepted as "universal truth".
"Transparent" is a shit show that trades on every stereotype going. A man in drag is NOT a transsexual.
He has no idea about science.
Everyone has the right to mock, and everyone has the right to be offended. Some mocking is silly, and some offense-taking is silly. As a dispassionate third party observer, I'm having a hard time deciding why I should care about this episode.
But still, never forgiving him for Pluto. Next time pick on a planet big enough to fight back, tough guy.
It must be nice to be the most powerful political force in the world and still be able to bang the drum about how persecuted you are.
The only people offended are the religious people who dont really know anything about their religion.
Your hair look like poop, Bob! - Wanker.
Okay, I get that there is a vast difference between science and religion (as their should be!) - that said, Neil, dude - there's also a difference between posting verifiable objective truths and, well, being a dick about it.
I know, downmod me if you don't like it, but think for a minute first... there are 7 billion humans on this planet, so don't you think we should, you know, at least try to get along, to show some consideration and kindness? I'm certainly not going to bust into any of Dr. DeGrasse-Tyson's celebrations and go out of my way to tell him why the reason he celebrates it is bullshit - even if I had verifiable fact to provide in support of my doing so.
All I'm saying is this: Dude, show some frickin' *tact* next time.
Quo usque tandem abutere, Nimbus, patientia nostra?
Some conservatives seem to hate him just for being a smart black guy who is associated with science. He's not even really an outspoken liberal or anything. He's just a smart black guy and it drives them CRAZY.
Democracy Now! - your daily, uncensored, corporate-free
outspoken popular black science man uses internet to tell people something fascinating and true that really happened. Outraged and offended group who tell people something bombastic and farcical condemn black science mans refusal to adhere himself instead to their thing they tell people, which is absurd and not science. In response, infuriating white television man who 'cant explain that' demands action and protection from imaginary war on pagan shopping holiday. When asked, average American man became furious that neither group were offering a deep fried food he was never promised.
Good people go to bed earlier.
What is funny is so many people will just not get it.
It doesn't matter if he is right which he isn't since that day means different things to different people.
He has just alienated a large number of people for no good reason. His tweet will change no a single mind. All it will do is get praises from his fans.
That is not good science, education. or frankly good manners.
See my blog http://ilovecookes.blogspot.com/ for light hearted technical information.
I mean, after he dies, people are going to wear WWNDGTD bracelets. If they aren't already. I'm enlightened! I worship a different guy than you do!
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Plowing commentary into the miasma of the general public is tantamount to asking for ludicrous criticisms like this. All religion - whether the organized kind that made the world miserable when I was a kid and is now rather toothless, or the commonplace secular humanism of today - is a rote set of rules and propaganda that absolves people from actually thinking. Which is good, because most of the adherents lack the capability for critical thinking and are simply human cattle, marching along a path set by their masters that leads directly to the grave. Say a single thing that violates their catechism, and the knee jerk howls of indignant rage surprise you?
Yet supposedly intelligent people keep doing this, expecting minds to change or something.
HBI's Law: Frequency of calling others Nazis is directly correlated with the likelihood of the accuser being Communist.
Damn that Pope Gregory XIII. He should have left the calendar as it is. It would prevent any alchemists or astronomers born on January 4 from being praised on their birthday when it gets shifted to December 25. What was he thinking! So much for papal infallibility.
Why on earth people are so infatuated with Neil DeGrasse Tyson or Brian Cox (UK) is beyond me. What's next? People magazine, science edition?
"Newton was a deeply religious scientist, and wrote extensively on it -- even more than he wrote on scientific questions. The University of Sussex's Enlightening Science explains:
Isaac Newton (1642-1727) was a deeply religious person who wrote far more words on religion than he did on science. [...] By far the most systematic theological research undertaken by Newton concerned the field of prophecy, in which he wrote over 2 million words (which still survive). He wrote in one place that he had been chosen by God to offer an explanation of these texts to his contemporaries, though any plans in this direction were presumably thwarted by their radical nature.
Indeed, we still have a copy of a sermon Newton preached against idolatry. To be sure, Newton wasn't inerrant on either science or religion, and his Trinitarian views are confused, at best. But he's a great reminder that one need not choose between being a great scientist and a devout follower of Jesus Christ."
http://www.enlighteningscience.sussex.ac.uk/learning_objects/student/science_and_religion/isaac_newton_on_religion
Also, Tyson should probably stick to being a celebrity instead of writing about topics with which he's unfamiliar.
http://catholicdefense.blogspot.co.uk/2011/11/jesus-and-mithras-debunked.html
For those that know of him, they probably already know he is an atheist. For those that don't, a little internet searching on his name will lead to that conclusion. I know I don't care what most people think about religious stuff one way or the other. It doesn't bother me that they think that way, only when they try to get laws and such changed based solely on their religious beliefs does it bother me. Sure, he goes out of his way to keep his name in the public eye, but I don't think this tweet was intended as a lobbying effort, so who cares? If you don't like what he says just ignore him and pray for his soul; be sure to send him a note that you are doing so.
He knew or should have known the reaction his tweets would generate, especially because he so deliberately worded them with the express purpose of offending half of the global population. He obviously intended to marginalize the importance of Christmas to half of the global population, and to be willfully ignorant of the tradition of giving gifts to be representative of the three wise men who came bearing gifts to the manger in celebration of Jesus' birth.
It is the enormous greedy corporations that have turned Christmas into a commercial holiday, not Christians.
So yeah, Neil, I was a fan until this. Now that you've betrayed your obvious ignorance and bias, you can go fuck yourself.
Yes I get the religion sometimes gets in the way of proper science.
Yes I get a lot of people who call themselves religious will be very vocal about disproving of the science because it doesn't match up with what is in their book.
However he hasn't came up with a proof that can be tested to show that God doesn't exist or every aspect of religion is wrong. Science is about observations of the natural world... How do you apply it to the idea of Supernatural?
However if his goal is to teach science. He really needs to stop being enemies of religion. Because his is just turning these people off, where otherwise they would be really good scientists. They are a lot of religious scientists out there. Just as long as the person doesn't take what is in their holy text as word for word truth, they can usually open their mind to allow both to coexist without conflict.
I don't like religious nuts who push their religion onto others using faulty logic to explain their point of view. I also don't like it when atheists just bash religion, just so they can push their personal view, using equally faulty logic.
If something is so important that you feel the need to post it on the internet... It probably isn't that important.
Tyson's life work is education, when he explains something to the masses and someone learns something, he wins. You, on the other hand, want him and others to be losers. This says a lot about you.
It is Ironic that the Dr. used Sir Isaac Newton as a put down of Jesus Christ since Isaac Newton was a Christian and a member of the Church of England. Quite ironic that a leading agnostic uses a Christian in an attempt to refute Christ. Bad tactic and bad strategy. If that's all you have, you haven't much.
Well it is him and it's not him. He baited religious folks on social media and there were ramifications for it. Whether or not he was understood isn't the point. The point is you either believe in your convictions and your right to express them or you fold by catering to the whims of people who don't agree with you. In this case he folded "ohh I have to explain that maybe other people have birthdays that are on Dec 25 and that some are famous." Blah. Shame on the retards who have no grasp on that concept.
Harrison's Postulate - "For every action there is an equal and opposite criticism"
I'm pretty sure it's a reference to The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy. Do you know where your towel is?
Get free satoshi (Bitcoin) and Dogecoins
I challenge anyone to show me where in the Bible it gives the exact birthdate of Jesus.
putting the 'B' in LGBTQ+
And his explanation post: https://www.facebook.com/notes...
This whole thing reminds of the Back to the Future movie. I was 10 or 11 or so when it came out and I distinctly remember seeing that movie with a kid raised in a fundamentalist baptist household. When Doc Brown said "so do you want to see the birth of Christ" and then set the time machine to Dec 25 0000 I laughed quite hard. The other guy asked me why I thought that was so funny and I spent about 45 minutes trying to explain it to him after the movie. He never got it and was somewhat offended that I found it so funny. After another couple of days discussing this and other things (like creation in 6 days etc.) I finally realized how deeply misinformed people become by being taught about literal interpretation of the bible. I was absolutely amazed at that understanding of the world and it was my first real exposure to this insanity. Up to that day I had always understood bible stories as being just stories (I was raised mildly Catholic but my family was really just going through the motions). It actually makes me very sad to think back to that experience.
Some claim the USA is a Christian nation, compelling me to wonder which assault rifle Jesus would choose: the AR-15 or AK-47.
The AK-47 is well-known as the choice of sand people. He'd definitely pick the AK-47.
I like Neil Degrasse Tyson but his goal was obvious from the first tweet; he comes off like he had a chip on his shoulder and was looking to get a rise out of people. He posts a tweet that amounts to flamebait and then defaults to the usual tactic of criticizing those he sought to offend. In contrast to what he claims in a later tweet, people are offended by the obnoxiousness of his tweets, not the mundane nature of their truths.
Guess what? The world is comprised of a diversity of ideas and beliefs and many of those probably won't fit your particular worldview. This is the kind of nonsense you'd expect from a petulant teenager lashing out at the world.
That said, he's entirely free to say whatever he wants. He just has to accept the fact that the rest of the world is also free to criticize him.
Come on Christians, are your beliefs so weak they won't withstand a little good-natured ribbing? I'm not kidding when I say that I think Newton's scientific work will, in the long run, turn out to have a more observable impact than Jesus' teachings, especially since most of his so-called followers don't know those teachings.
Jesus Christ was not born on December 25th
It just happens to be a day that mopst western Christians celebrate His birth.
Like USians celebrate Washingtons birthday on a monday
And some in the commonwealth celebrate the Queen's birthday on the 1st monday in June, and others on the 2nd monday in June, her actual birthday is April 21 which has significance to another Religion
Why was she offended?
It isn't even the supposed birthday of Jesus.
It's the day that the party is held.
So what was offensive to your wife about it?
The same christians that mock the muslims for their defense of Mohammad are the ones going ape-shit over Tyson's tweet...
Tyson's explanation (s) are growing evermore into the idiocy of his logic and his painful attempts to explain that he really is a "smart" guy.
His failed logic starts with his first tweet, [paraphrase] "Today the World celebrates the birth ... bla bla bla .. of Isaac Newton." He tweeted his banality on December 25.
WRONG! A few days ago, here in the US, western Europe, Australia parts of Asia, South America and Africa was December 25 of the Gregorian Calendar.
At the time of Isaac Newton's birth England used the Julian Calendar, i.e. Newton's birth happened on January 7.
Ref. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Julian_calendar
Tyson may have been a Ph.D. graduate, at one time.
Tyson may have been an Astrophysicist, at one time.
Tyson may have been a TV Presenter, at one time.
Today, everyone knows that Tyson IS a fucking idiot.
Any scientist that is absolutely OK with pissing off uneducated rabid republicans is a hero in my book.
Carl Sagan and others had no problems calling the uneducated what they are. And none of the best human beings on this planet backed down in the face of religious stupidity.
Just Ask Galileo and Giordonano Brunio what it was like to be imprisoned by a bunch of idiots in power.
Do not look at laser with remaining good eye.
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He needs to find Jesus
https://idne67.files.wordpress.com/2014/01/have-you-found-jesus.jpg?w=708
Apparently this one is black, and a scientist.
Why on earth people are so infatuated with Neil DeGrasse Tyson or Brian Cox (UK) is beyond me. What's next?
So we should aspire to be a snarky hipster like yourself?
He's doing important work explaining science in a comprehensible way to a lot of people who aren't scientists. People make important decisions based on whether they understand science. Most of these decision makers are not scientists themselves. The more they know the better the odds that they will avoid stupid decisions. Would you prefer your doctor treat you based on mythology instead of science? A lot of science gets funding because the public supports and trusts science. Scientists in general are terrible at public relations so having some guys like NDGT who are actually good at it is hugely beneficial to all of us.
If you want to get out there and explain science to the masses and can do so with reasonable eloquence then please do. But if all you want to do is be snarky and act cooler-than-thou then please go elsewhere.
I think many people are forgetting that Newton and Christ do not share the same birthday...
Newton was quite religious and thought the mechanistic universe an expression of rather than rebuke to god’s design.
I agree with Newton. :-)
But he's a great reminder that one need not choose between being a great scientist and a devout follower of Jesus Christ.
That is technically true it typically means that the scientist is not applying the scientific method to all aspects of their life. A rational scientist would be expected to demand some tangible evidence supporting the assertions made in relation to Jesus. Since most of the "evidence" consists of claims in a book unsupported by credible historical evidence, observed laws of nature and logic, it shouldn't be surprising that scientists in general tend to not be theists. Blind faith and the scientific method are poorly compatible world views if you are disciplined about one or the other. While there are some scientists who are devout, it tends to be a willful blindness on their part.
Basically, just because Newton was smart and got some important stuff right, doesn't mean he was right about everything. You can figure out a lot of physics and still believe in myths and superstitions but it doesn't follow that doing so is rational behavior.
Seriously? How could you be so foolish as to be offended by someone stating that an actual person was also born on $DATE_OF_ALLEGED_DEITY_BIRTH? Lots of people are born on that day. Who gives a shit!? First off, you fuckers ninja-looted the holiday from the pagans. Secondly, jesus of nazereth might not even have been a REAL PERSON. Pretty much all of the fables in so-called "holy texts" are largely unsubstantiated by legitimate scientific proof, after all. Lastly, no one has any sort of right to NOT be offended! If you're offended by something someone says, that's YOUR problem and you might want to find a constructive way to deal with that. Like maybe, read a book. Try reading The Bible for fucks sake, i mean REALLY READ it. Chances are if you actually read it, you'll figure out it's all bullshit and fairy tales.
This happens all the time. Usually they're artists of limited talent who purse attention and fame by first displaying nasty religious bigotry and then retreating behind claims of artistic freedom and "Oh I didn't intend that." One example was "Piss Christ."
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Piss_Christ
Tyson was playing a similarly sleazy game. Offending and then claiming that he did not intend to be "anti-Christian." That's a lie, He deliberately intended to offend to get attention and then claimed to be only stating "objective truths" to finish out that scam.
Talk of "objective truths is also strange coming from him. Google "Tyson lies" and you'f get almost 3 million hits. One thing he's not into, whether the topic is history, philosophy, or even science, is objective truth. He's little more than a retread of long forgotten 19th-century freethinkers, with their claims that everyone before Columbus believed in a flat earth or that there was no evidence that Jesus ever existed.
A better headline to this story would be "Talentless Scientist Uses Tactics of Talentless Artists To Draw Attention to Himself."
You'll also notice that these artists almost always pick on Jews or Christians. They may be talentless and bigoted, but they have no desire to speed up their encounter with God by attacking Islam.
But publicly mocking other's religious beliefs = being an insensitive asshole. Whoodathunk?
A non-asshole would have tweeted something more like:
"Happy Birthday Isaac Newton b. Dec 25, 1642, your contributions to science helped transform the world!"
No reasonable person would have been offended by that and it would have still acknowledged and celebrated Newton's birthday without deliberately trying to be "clever" and belittle others.
I wasn't personally offended, but I can see how others would be, and it absolutely did lower my opinion of him. Maybe I'm just old fashioned but I don't think people should post mocking images of Mohammed or joke about "magic underwear" or imply that the Pope is gay or poke fun a Ganesha either. He has a right to say it, but that doesn't preclude him from being considered a jerk for doing so.
No, it's not.
Yes it is. He is director of the Hayden Planetarium which is part of a museum devoted to the natural sciences. The purpose of a museum and by extension its administration is in part to educate the masses. So yes, it very much IS his job.
It's no more his job to explain things to me than it is for some guy to just barge into my home and begin telling me how I should redecorate. I didn't ask him to, I didn't hire him to, I didn't indicate any desire on my part for him to do so.
Nobody is forcing you to listen to him. He is teaching and providing information to those willing to listen. If you wish to remain willfully ignorant that is your choice. If you are just disliking him because he is a public figure then you have issues you should really work out.
We're allowed to find fault with the man.
You certainly seem determined to do so. Not really sure why. I would suggest you lighten up and try to understand that he is doing a public service since scientists in general are rather bad at public relations and explaining what it is they do and why it matters. If you already know what he is saying then move along because he's not speaking to you.
Oddly enough Tyson's Tweet probably would have offended the very person he purported to celebrate. Newton did believe in God and did believe in Christ. I don't think anyone would believe that Newton was ignorant. There's nothing special about this time that make the existence of God more unbelievable except that certain groups of people want to believe in their own superiority to others and those that choose to follow them like, dare I say, sheep. This situation is neither unusual nor is it unique. Even in Christian beliefs you have groups who claim superior knowledge to others.
Whereas Tyson has decided to waste his talents deriding a group of people he considers less enlightened than himself, Newton thought he could see God in creation.
All in all, it's disappointing to see someone like Tyson stoop to baiting people with provocative statements. A "Happy birthday Newton" would have worked just as well without editorializing on other peoples' beliefs.
Luckily not all Atheists are as childish as Neil DeGrasse Tyson, which makes having a rational discussion with them possible.
sam
We can start by putting "Christ" back in "Christian". Cristianity is a religion of loving not only those like you, but also loving and forgiving those who would do you harm.
What Would Jesus Do about Tyson's tweets? I think he would chuckle.
We should declare Dec 25 a national holiday!
The birth of the man for whom the unit of mass was named.
I guess that was a bit forced.
It's funny, I can't think of ever meeting a person who doesn't understand that it's a celebration, not an anniversary.
I know quite a few people who think it is an actual birthday. A few get quite hostile if you suggest otherwise. These are not highly educated people but they believe what they are capable of understanding.
Are there any Christian denomination that has as dogma a fixed date of 12/25 (or any other date) as the birth day anniversary of Jesus? I can't think of any.
Probably but that kind of misses the point. I would suggest that a huge percentage (probably the majority) of the devout don't really understand a lot of the finer details of their faith. Much like math class, just because you sat in the lecture doesn't mean they comprehended what was said. I think a lot of people attend because of social pressure or due to personal insecurities rather than with the intent to really comprehend.
http://www.neildegrassetysonli... Pop science. A bit pricey in my town.
Did Newton personally force anyone to adopt Christianity?
Someone can condemn the enormity of the crimes Christians have committed against humanity in the name of their religion without condemning everyone who claims to be a Christian.
Martin Luther King Jr. shares a Birthday with Skrillex on January 15th.
I know who I'll be tweeting in thanks. /trollface
Tyson was no different.
Tweeting on Christmas day and starting your tweet as "On this day long ago, a child was born who, by age 30, would transform the world." is an obvious attempt at misdirection where most people (non-Christians included) would assume is is talking about Jesus. Then to suddenly reveal you are really talking about Issac Newton is a way of playing a joke on the reader.
Sounds like a creative way to inform people of a fact to me. Pretty funny and clever actually.
But instead he drew obvious parallels to Jesus in an attempt to misdirect, and bring up the topic of Christmas while making a point of ignoring it. This joke he played on the reader is why people are upset. It was a dick thing to do, and he should not be surprised that this upset some people.
I'm sure Mr Tyson is not entirely surprised at the reaction but I strongly disagree that it was "a dick thing to do". Why should he have to walk on eggshells around their faith when they don't even pay attention to the teachings of they guy they are trying to protect? Didn't Jesus preach something about turning the other cheek?
. . . he demonstrated a kernel of cleverness. He's a witch! We must burn him for upsetting the simpleminded villagers!
That is, an "apatheist" or someone who gives not one whit about what you believe or don't believe as long as you leave me the hell alone about it, too - and as someone who does like and respect NdGT, I was annoyed at his tweet.
Why?
For approximately the same reason that I get annoyed with people who insist on saying "Keep Christ in Christmas".
Christmas is a thing, okay? It's generally accepted to be celebrated on December 25 by the (at least US) public at large by taking the day off of work, having a feast with your family and exchanging gifts, and is anchored around the (factually incorrect) idea of a special child being born on that day.
If you take part in that, great. I am glad that you are enjoying the grand traditions of togetherness and giving.
If you don't, that's cool, too.
If you're somewhere in the middle, where you don't believe, but give gifts; or if you believe but don't like the materialism and put that aside, I don't fault you anything. It's all personal, and it's all relative.
Okay, now let's get to my problem here. And that's smug atheists.
Bear in mind, I fall into the crowd of cool atheists, who aren't cool because they're atheists, but cool because they're not smug douchebags about it. They don't judge with nasty, superior attitudes everyone who believes . They don't insist on turning every conversation into "why my lack of belief is awesome" or tee-hees over the Flying Spaghetti Monster or blah-blah-I'm-superior-cakes. They don't look for the opportunities to make themselves into a persecuted minority to throw in the faces of any perceived slight. They go along about their business as if this one small detail doesn't matter.
Here's the thing: Newton didn't build Christmas the holiday as we know it. The belief in Christ (and some fellow who started a tradition of giving gifts) did. Sorry that you want to take Christ out of Christmas (maybe NgDT doesn't, but there are plenty of douchebag atheists out there who re-tweeted the message as if somehow Christmas got OWNED or some crap like that). For the most part, people aren't going to shove Newton into Christmas because Mr.-Rockstar-Science-Guy made a connection.
Hell, I'm not. And I'm a freaking engineer! Some things, some traditions, they're fine. They don't need a Science Bonus tacked onto them because I don't really believe in the Son of God. I'm just happy for some relaxed time at the end of the year with family.
Besides, I'd hate for Newton to be what Jesus is: a sacred and untouchable symbol brandished (by certain individuals) to justify our own likes and dislikes.
But atheists wouldn't do THAT now, would they? I mean they never used science as a justification to look down on other people, have they?
hamstering
When a person or company tries to get out of a situation, by finding a loophole to get through, or coming up with some kind of bullshit excuse.
Much like a hamster tries anything to escape its cage.
and the smug, arrogant pathological liar will be retelling the anecdote to a hall full of his arrogant, smug liberal followers.
But, by then it will have become a tale of having to dodge bullets/RPGs/missiles/nukes fired at him by knuckle-dragging christianist Repugs.
Doesn't matter if he's black, doesn't matter if it he's a "science dude." A troll is a troll, and he just earned the title with a tweet specifically intended to provoke a reaction from "the other side" while making his "followers" feel all smug. Mission accomplished. Many folks (myself included) now think less of him.
We're talking about a guy that makes up facts and quotes that fit his 'message.' This has been detailed before
I am trying to understand this better, a scientist (who is an atheist), angers a few Christians for stating a fact.
OK for those of you about to argue that Isaac Newton wasn't technically born on Dec. 25th, neither was Jesus. There is plenty of research to back up the fact that Jesus was most likely born in September. The reason that Christmas is celebrated on December 25th is to put it in contention with other end of the year celebrations (religious and secular) like Hanukkah.
I also heard him say that the earth is more than 5 billion years old, and the universe is around 13.8 billion years old. Why aren't these people yelling at him about these scientific observations?
Some conservatives seem to hate him just for being a smart black guy who is associated with science.
I don't know anyone who feels this way. And I read a lot of conservative blog stuff, and none of the top conservative bloggers feel this way.
However, the top conservative bloggers have pretty much written Mr. Tyson off as a self-important troll.
His version of Cosmos seems to be as much about trashing religion as it is about science. Right in the first episode of his version of Cosmos there was a weirdly slanted retelling of a historical incident, as if he had to go out of his way to slam religion.
http://www.ncregister.com/daily-news/historians-of-science-poke-holes-in-new-cosmos-series
Just recently the blogs were mocking him for his tweet speculating that the Bill of Rights would probably have had 12 things in it if humans had 12 fingers. The actual history is so easy to check and clearly he didn't bother. (There were actually 12 Amendments proposed, and after the debate 10 of them got passed. Hey, maybe if humans had 10 fingers only 10 Amendments would have been proposed and 8 passed? Um...)
http://www.washingtonpost.com/news/volokh-conspiracy/wp/2014/12/23/if-we-had-12-fingers-i-wonder-whether-the-bill-of-rights-would-have-been-12-amendments-long/
But the thing that catapulted him to prominence and made everyone write him off as a troll was when a blogger started trying to track down the actual history of stories Mr. Tyson said had happened to him. In one story, he said that he was serving on a jury, and he smugly pointed out that the amount of drugs at issue in the case was listed as a trivially tiny amount; but worse was his claim that George W. Bush invoked astronomy in an effort to be religiously divisive. The blogger couldn't find any evidence that these stories actually happened, and found persuasive evidence that they were fabricated. Then, when he was called on this, Mr. Tyson doubled down. Finally, he issued a non-apology apology.
http://thefederalist.com/2014/09/16/another-day-another-quote-fabricated-by-neil-degrasse-tyson/
http://thefederalist.com/2014/10/02/neil-tysons-final-words-on-his-quote-fabrications-my-bad/
I must confess that before the above-listed events occurred, I considered myself a Tyson fan. Looking back, I knew very little about him, other than that he seemed to know a lot about science and seemed to be able to communicate it. Now, having read those stories, he seems to me more like a self-promoter who is using science as his "in" to make people pay attention to him.
P.S. If you have any actual evidence to support your claim, that some conservatives hate Mr. Tyson because he is "a smart black guy who is associated with science," please provide this evidence. URLs to hateful blog posts would be a good start. You get a gold if you can find a top conservative blogger (Drudge, Ace of Spades, Hot Air, Michelle Malkin, etc.) who holds this position; but I'll still give a bronze if you can find anyone.
I find it more disturbing that anyone would actually care that he made a joke out of it.
by TheSpoom (715771) Uncaring Linux user here. I have nothing to add to this but please continue. *munches popcorn*
Amendment 1 of the Bill of Rights (Freedom of Speech) states that separation of church & state means that there cannot be a state sponsored religion. Remember, most religious people that came to America did so because they were persecuted by the Church of England, and were not too keen on having that happen again. Freedom of religion is not freedom from religion.
is that he seemingly intended to offend. Let's not be idiots here. The wording was specifically chosen to draw reference to Jesus. The proof? Everyone got "the joke." Isaac Newton isn't a target of contempt with Christians. But this statement seems to be intentionally baiting, and most clever people will realize that before saying it.
Actually, Galileo backed down at the end. He learned an important lesson. Never underestimate how frightened religious people are of their gods, prophets, clergy, etc. They would never say anything irreverent about any of their religious icons or deities. They are frightened that they will be held accountable for allowing anyone else in the world for disrespecting what they fear. Even today, there are people who would burn you at the stake or stone you to death for saying that Jesus was not the Messiah, or that Muhammad was not a prophet, etc.
They will react with real hostility to the notion that "Your sacred cow makes great hamburger".
If you objected to DeGrasse Tyson's tweet, then be constructive and make a suggestion as to what he should have done differently.
Tyson and the rest of the world is making the assumption Christ was born on Dec. 25th. Last time I checked my Bible doesn't give a date. If his comments were twofold to make an incited up remark as well as jab/rib the Christians he missed his mark with me.
Interestingly I'd be curious if he takes to twitter for Muslim holidays to do something similar. I'm sure there would be some religious folks on that side who get equally (or dangerously) offended. LOL
Are either of us prohibited from celebrating because the other owns the day? Should we have checked our birth certificates for exact times, so that the earlier could claim the day and the later could never celebrate again? Oh dear, I bet we're not the only two humans born on that particular day; probably not even the only ones in our city, let alone the country, let alone the world. Maybe we should all get together to fight it out . . . or, better idea, we should all get together for a PARTY.
I'll throw my two cents worth into the noise. I am an Orthodox Christian clergyman, and I think Neil DeGrasse Tyson's tweet is humorous, as well as objectively true. I am at a complete loss why anyone would be angered by it. People are so quick to hate these days, for no reason whatsoever. Truly we are in the end times.
Proverbs 21:19
The news are flowing slow today.
It reminds me of this xkcd: http://xkcd.com/169/
Other ways he could have stated this:
We shouldn't forget that Isaac Newton's birthday is Dec. 25th, 1642. His work transformed the world. Happy Birthday!
or
Happy Birthday Isaac Newton, b. Dec 25, 1642. Thank you for the laws of motion, the universal law of gravitation, and calculus.
or
Happy Birthday Isaac Newton (b. Dec 25, 1642)! He did more before age 30 than most of us do in a lifetime. Thanks for transforming the world
Or so many others. If his point was just to alert people that Isaac Newton was born on Dec. 25th and we should celebrate that fact, he wouldn't have phrased it to intentionally mislead people.
What's even worse is that Jesus was born in the spring "while shepherds were watching their flocks by night." The actual date is unknown. The date was moved to December 25th to compete with the feast of Saturninus.
Actually, from what I read (in Frazer's Golden Bough) the nativity of Christ was first celebrated by early christians in Egypt in January, starting from the 2nd century BC. It was later moved to December 25th by the roman church to compete with the cult of Mithras, a sun-death-and-rebirth deity that was very popular in Rome at the time. The mithraists (if that is the word..) celebrated the birthday of the sun on December 25th, and this festival was popular to the point that Christians also participated in it. This happened sometime in the 4th or 5th century after Christ (if I recall correctly), and according to Frazer there are historical records from the time documenting the change and even the motivation for it.
People are upset that an aspie scientist lacks some basic social context ?
As a Christian, I personally find nothing offensive in any of these tweets. Even if it were somehow offensive, the reactions described are knee-jerk and unlikely to bring any change in outcome.
At what point did we start looking for things to be offended at?
I do not have to be a Christian to find the obvious undertones of hatred and intolerance in his tweet.
I do not see any reason to get that mad about it, but the tweet, even though it is without slurs and typically offensive language, is obviously aimed at diminutizeing Jesus. It is no coincidence that 100% of people would of though we was talking about Jesus up to the very end, because that was his purpose. The entire point of the tweet was an attack on Jesus, just because he is a smart well spoken guy that can pull it off without swear words does not change that fact.
So it is an offensive tweet, a tweet whose only purpose is to attack a specific group of people. But in the grand scheme of things is is really not a big deal.
Troll is not a replacement for I disagree.
Now for the punch line, Isaac Newton was very devote and believed there was all kinds of deeper meaning, including scientific, in the Bible. He ought be as much a hero of Christianity as Science. People need to take a chill pill.
He must have known his tweet was going to offend many people, as well as the many people who retweeted it. Shame on anyone who unnecessarily offends others, but even more shame on people so easily offended. Many stopped following Jesus because they were ''offended,'' and he asked his disciples if they would do the same, so it's pretty clear what his thoughts on the matter were
I am a Christian. I got a chuckle out of Tyson's post and I suspect many other Christians did as well. Good flamebait catches even those with a sense of humor.
The issue isn't whether or not Dec 25 is Jesus' b-day (it most certainly is NOT, scholars place that in the spring of the year).
The issue isn't whether or not Christians should have been offended or not.
The issue isn't whether or not Christians are all collectively hallucinating the existence of God.
What matters is that Tyson picked that particular day for a particular purpose, to troll the Christian community.
The tweet like previous tweets was a snarky comment meant as a dig against Christians. It annoyed me when I read it. His explaination is not an apology. Am I offended? At first I was but the Bible stresses us not to take offense.
While watching Cosmos I enjoyed most of it till he attacked Christianity now and then. Carl Sagan wasn't a Christian but he didn't attack Christianity. I mean if you are an Athiest why bother? Much of science is theory and only some of it can be proven. To attack and make fun of those who you consider fools only to raise yourself is not an admirable trait. I don't know what Neil's problem with Christians is but he's got a serious anger issue. He has a deep seated hatred for the Christian God. That is usually due to a deep loss of a loved one after spending a lot of time in prayer. It is for that reason I pity Neil DeGrasse Tyson. He carries a spiritual wound. Why else would he care so much what the Christians believe and why attack them? Same goes for those nativity scene attacks and the distorted belief in separation of church and state. Who cares if there's a nativity scene on the town square for a few weeks or if there's a Ten Commandments in the court house?
Neil was clearly mocking one of our most sacred holidays, Santa Claus day, where we lie to children about an imaginary omniscient, near omnipotent, and briefly omnipresent being who rewards good and gives evil a reminder of fire. Santa Claus, of course, is based on the real historical character Saint Nicholas. The rewards are presents placed under a decorated evergreen tree (no relation to similar trees used to celebrate the winter solstice**) and preceded by about a month of winter-themed songs (also no relation to the solstice) whose purpose is definitely not to remind grownups that they must be extra materialistic for a while.
Christians, of course, insist that this holiday is a celebration of the birth of Christ, a very-real-and-definitely-not-made-up-this-time-we-swear omniscient, omnipotent, omnipresent being who rewards good and punishes evil with eternal hellfire. Furthermore, he is so holy he can't forgive anyone without a human sacrifice, with the caveat that the sacrificed human must be entirely innocent. He is said to be very forgiving, though critics say he would die before he would forgive anyone of anything. This is also the historical figure Joshua*, who was miraculously conceived out of wedlock by the (hand?) of God and born from a virgin. Non-Catholic Christians frequently confuse the holiday (Christ's Mass) as being the anniversary of his birth. Christians celebrate Christmas in much the same way as non-believers, besides also going to church and getting upset at people who aren't Christmassy enough for them.
Anyhow, my point is that pretty much everyone disrespects Christmas, and it is extremely well-accepted to do so, at least in the traditional manner.
*Joshua, of course, is a more direct if less unique transliteration of the name, though if you prefer to transliterate first to Greek and then Latin you get Jesus.
** Grinches and cynics take note, it is advantageous to have celebrations around the time of the winter solstice to counteract the tendency toward depression caused by the record low light levels around this time.
Don't waste your vote! Vote for whoever you want, unless you live in a swing state it won't matter anyways
People start reading that tweet and their associations light up before they are through (cold, snow, shopping - Jesus) and they expect to read it's about Jesus but then suddenly - SNAP!
It ain't.
Then they realize at about the same time that what they are reading IS true and that their prejudice caused them to be wrong about such a trivial thing.
That's when the E (as in ego) comes in, and the following train of emotionally loaded thoughts rushes through their minds:
"That ain't fair. I WAS right. He changed the rules. It was SUPPOSED to be about Jesus. I can't be wrong! I'm smart and shit! He's making fun of me. But he can't be making fun of ME - cause I WAS right and I AM smart. HE MUST BE MAKING FUN OF JESUS!!!111eleven! HE'S CALLING JESUS AN ASSHOLE AND SAYING THAT CHRISTMAS IS BULLSHIT!"
They are not actually thinking all that.
It's purely an unconscious thing, with only the final result floating up to their conscious mind.
Their minds are offering them a way out of feeling embarrassed about their own fault, by being angry about someone else's perceived fault.
It's a defense mechanism.
It's the same thing as being angry at spilled milk (or the container it came in) instead of crying over being clumsy.
It hurts less when your problem is someone else's fault.
Mit der Dummheit kämpfen Götter selbst vergebens
He passes to Moses...
He shoots..
HE SCORES!!!
Yotube
Who the religious extremists are, Tyson reveals his scientism.
Christians just need to laugh a little and wait until Earth Day to poke fun at Neal's religion.
Hypocrisy is the life-blood of the famous, ego the oxygen.
#AllReligionsAreStupidExceptMine
If the tweet had referenced Karl Rove instead (another Dec 25 birthday), would they be as upset?
Or more generally - do the hard-core Christians seriously think that no-one else has ever been born on this day?