It's like the history revisionists that deny the Holocaust ever happened trying to debate actual bona-fide historians, trying to present an "alternate" view of events.
Mind you, we still have people around that lived or were eyewitnesses to it. What will happen in 100 years? Anyone can challenge anyone else's assertions regardless of the historical record.
Creationists, and I would guess more than a few people still confuse the scientific theory term with the normal definition of the word theory - stating often times that "it's just a theory." Given this belief in the Bible, which is claimed to be the absolute truth (thus, there really is no debate for believers. It is because God says it is, it says so in the Bible), I don't see what good is there in this event. Faith, according to some, has no need for science.
Why legitimize their position with a debate? It will just make people think that there's actually is another side to the story, when there isn't.
It baffles me to meet very well educated technologists who nonetheless believe (or claim to do so) that the Earth (nay, the Universe) is less than 10,000 years old, that dinosaurs walked alongside men, or that the fossil record was planted by "the devil."
I think it's fine for people to believe in a higher power, but why force that on everyone else, why make children at school "learn" about alternate theories ("Intelligent" design.) I hear a lot of these folks lecture on how oppressive some Muslim non-secular governments can be, how there's no freedom of, well, anything, how they impose their beliefs on their poor people. What about this? The government (in the form of school boards, representatives, even governors) dictating what is taught in school, regardless of fact, but based purely on belief.
Not sure if I can post links, as this is about my fifth time commenting ANYWHERE in 20 years, but here goes: http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2014/01/02/2013-was-a-terrible-year-for-evolution.html
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It's like the history revisionists that deny the Holocaust ever happened trying to debate actual bona-fide historians, trying to present an "alternate" view of events. Mind you, we still have people around that lived or were eyewitnesses to it. What will happen in 100 years? Anyone can challenge anyone else's assertions regardless of the historical record. Creationists, and I would guess more than a few people still confuse the scientific theory term with the normal definition of the word theory - stating often times that "it's just a theory." Given this belief in the Bible, which is claimed to be the absolute truth (thus, there really is no debate for believers. It is because God says it is, it says so in the Bible), I don't see what good is there in this event. Faith, according to some, has no need for science. Why legitimize their position with a debate? It will just make people think that there's actually is another side to the story, when there isn't. It baffles me to meet very well educated technologists who nonetheless believe (or claim to do so) that the Earth (nay, the Universe) is less than 10,000 years old, that dinosaurs walked alongside men, or that the fossil record was planted by "the devil." I think it's fine for people to believe in a higher power, but why force that on everyone else, why make children at school "learn" about alternate theories ("Intelligent" design.) I hear a lot of these folks lecture on how oppressive some Muslim non-secular governments can be, how there's no freedom of, well, anything, how they impose their beliefs on their poor people. What about this? The government (in the form of school boards, representatives, even governors) dictating what is taught in school, regardless of fact, but based purely on belief. Not sure if I can post links, as this is about my fifth time commenting ANYWHERE in 20 years, but here goes: http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2014/01/02/2013-was-a-terrible-year-for-evolution.html