At 09:31 PM 3/1/00 -0600, James Mahaffy wrote:
>Now Glenn, if I am not mistaken, Ted Davis is a historian of science.
He is.
>If he says you should be VERY careful about quoting White when he talks
>about religion and science that sounds like a professional judgment that
>should be listened to. We should listen to Ted on this score as much as
>we listen to you cautioning us about someone who has a reputation of
>doing poor geology.
I don't doubt that White has some problems. I wouldn't disagree with Ted
there. WHat I am disagreeing with is the ability to cite a guy when I have
gone back to the original sources (a translation of it in this case) and
checked out what White said about Cosmas. If he is correct on that topic,
imo, then it is ok to quote him. WHat I object to is the blanket don't
quote him. The only reason I can see to do this to a person is if he is
absolutely 100% wrong on everything he says. I know that isn't the case
with White on Cosmas. I have read Cosmas' CHristian Topography and
everything White says is true. If Ted wants to show that I am wrong, point
by point on Cosmas, then go ahead. As anyone here know, I can be corrected
having had to acknowledge a multitude of errors on this list alone.
And by the way, I didn't find out about Cosmas from the Christian press. I
found out about him from a critic. That is one of the best reasons to read
and cite the critics, like White. An advocate for a given position, say YEC
or Christianity, is unlikely to publish about the crazy uncle who lives in
the attic who is an embarrassment. The tendency is to hide those crazies
that are on ones side. Cosmas is an embarassement, but he illustrates what
faith can do to knowledge.
He took a verse from Hebrews and really believed that it was to be applied
to the universe. The earth was like the Hebrew temple--same ratios of
dimensions.
This is what YECs do. THey take their interpretation and say that anyone
who doesn't beleive what he says isn't a christian or is unfaithful. Cosmas
beleived that anyone who believed in a spherical earth was not a real
believer.
glenn
Foundation, Fall and Flood
Adam, Apes and Anthropology
http://www.flash.net/~mortongr/dmd.htm
Lots of information on creation/evolution
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