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Monday, November 24. 2008
Rerun: One Reason I’m Glad Obama Won
This is funny. Due to unwelcome circumstances, I have to share a place with a guy who is Christian. Talk about irony. Not just claims to be Christian, he actually listens to Christian radio exclusively. Actually, I don’t think he really believes it, not all of it, but he’s adrift on an ocean of spiritual and philosophical doubt.
So, at night, like tonight, I can hear his radio, over his snoring, blaring Christian music and Christian sermons on everything from how the Gospel can explain a guy killing members of a church, to Dr. Mel Mulder, author of the self-published book, Beyond Intelligent Design.
Dr. Mulder, a retired surgeon, is of the firm belief that the Earth is no more than a few thousand years old and was created exactly as depicted in the Book of Genesis. He claims that real science, true science, must fall in line with the teachings of the Bible and that Intelligent Design is inadequate because it doesn’t begin with the main theme of the Biblical “God” as the Creator, that it tries to make “God” comprehensible; does not address good and evil, the perfection of Biblical Creation or the nature of the soul, and — God forbid — allows ID adherents to embrace evolution!
Despite the fact that the primary proponents of Intelligent Design state their goal is to bring science in line with believing in a Christian view of a supernatural being called “God.” Not just a Christian view, but one compatible with conservative Protestant Evangelicals. For more on that, look up the Discovery Institute, the heart of the Intelligent Design movement.
Mulder rejects even that unsavory group. The upshot is, Mulder uses many of their arguments to support his views on the creation of the universe.
One of the tenets of the Intelligent Design movement, co-opted by Dr. Mulder for his purposes, is the concept of irreducible complexity. “What’s that,” you ask? It’s the notion that there are certain “things” in nature that are so complex, yet so elemental to life (human or otherwise) they can only be explained as having been directly designed by a supernatural being, and what the hay, let’s call that being “God.” Generally biological systems, most of the examples — well, all the examples I’ve found — having to do with certain bits of the human form.
You have to admire Mulder’s chutzpah; he denounces Intelligent Design and its proponents but uses their philosophical arguments to support his view that Genesis is scientific.
The ID crowd, as well as Dr. Mulder, use the notion of irreducible complexity to promote their two differing views despite that fact — FACT — irreducible complexity has been refuted by the scientific community around the world, not based on opinions, as the notion of “IC” itself is based, but by peer-review investigation in the laboratory.
Intelligent Design started in the previous decade when a bunch of scientists, a handful really, decided they believed in “God,” the Christian version, and got together in … geez … up the coast in Half Moon Bay I believe, to figure out a way to bring their belief in “God” into line with science. Or … maybe bring science into line with their belief in “God.” Either way, the little get-together had less to do with science than philosophy … well, nothing really to do with science other than to talk about it … and that’s when this group of scientists came up with the notion of Intelligent Design and eventually Irreducible Complexity.
Thankfully, the scientific community is large and worldwide and once this group of scientists began publishing their philosophy as science, curious members of the scientific community at large immediately looked into it and … refuted all their claims.
But that doesn’t deter Dr. Mulder. There’s no fact of science and reality that can’t be explained away as a tool or act of Satan. Unless he can twist it to support his view that the Book of Genesis is the only true science related to the formation of the sun, moon, stars and Earth.
Wonder if he secretly believes the sun, moon and stars orbit the Earth? As the people who formed the Old and New Testaments did when the Bible was first put into written form.
Therein lies the rub of believing such ancient texts to be literally true. In Leviticus we are told we (men) can sell our wives and children and the price of each is set. A boy is worth five shekels and a girl only three. Might explain why diamonds are a girl’s best friends. Slavery is okay, although the definition of slavery in Ancient Judea differs from what we know to be slavery. Male slaves, after six years, are to be released from bondage with a little care package. Female slaves … well, they’re slaves for life.
Ah … it’s crazy. Crazier still is the number of people in this country, a nation considered to be educated, who actually believe as old Dr. Mulder believes. In his “Religion Speech,” written to woo the hard-core and extremist Christian fundamentalists, Mitt Romney bemoans the lack of religious fervor in Europe that is found here in the U.S.
“I have visited many of the magnificent cathedrals in Europe. They are so inspired ... so grand ... so empty. Raised up over generations, long ago, so many of the cathedrals now stand as the postcard backdrop to societies just too busy or too 'enlightened' to venture inside and kneel in prayer. The establishment of state religions in Europe did no favor to Europe's churches. And though you will find many people of strong faith there, the churches themselves seem to be withering away.”
Maybe the people of Europe are kicking aside the superstitions of the past, such as religion. But, thanks to the likes of Dr. Mulder and his ilk, we still debate the reality of evolution, as if the Book of Genesis actually has some scientific merit. Three of the Republican candidates for president, Mike Huckabee, Tom Tancredo and Sam Brownback, have said the don’t believe evolution is real. Well, Brownback has quit his quest for the White House, so that leaves Tancredo and Huckabee. Would you want a president who is so out of step with reality?Well, if you listen to or read Dr. Mel Mulder, you do.
As long as this blog is the work of Satan: My friend Danielle was featured in a Cyber Girl XTra on Playboy’s Cyber Club web site last December. Thought I’d keep the pic!
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