From: Darryl Maddox (dpmaddox@arn.net)
Date: Tue Sep 30 2003 - 09:27:53 EDT
----- Original Message -----
From: Dick Fischer
To: ASA
Sent: Monday, September 29, 2003 11:56 AM
Subject: What Would Jesus Do?
Darryl wrote:
I love satire as much as the next person but I don't find things such as this humerous. I certainly disagree with these peoples' science and as a scientist I will be critical of their science but as a person I will not ridicule them as people or as a group. As a Christian I can't feel good about doing so and as a scientist I can't see any way it would facilitate any attempted conversation with them for them to know I made such statements when talking about them to others - and if the statements are made they will find out.
Based upon their misinformed Bible interpretation, these creationist organizations (ICR, AIG) sow seeds of mistrust in scientists. They undermine belief in things that can be verified and substantiated with solid data and evidence, the age of the earth being the prime example. This is deliberate on their part. What they try to do to science is reprehensible.
I agree, but I still will not insult them personally or make fun of the name of their organizations. When I do so I loose my own selfrespect and I can't see that it does anything to further my side of the argument to those who are ill informed or undesided on the issues.
For hard-working Christians attempting to reach the lost with the gospel message, it's worse. Essentially ICR and AIG defecate in the water we evangelists must tread in our efforts to bring new followers to Christ. Many well-educated people reject the entire Bible thinking that it is all a fabrication. What these creationist organizations try to prove is that scientific findings are unreliable because of what the Bible "clearly" says. Instead they "prove" the Bible inept because of its shoddy science.
In my humble estimation, you play footsy with these organizations at your peril.
I don't play "footsy" with anyone except my wife. When asked I present YEC views as best and as honestly as I can; but I also agrue every point of error of omission or comission that I find. And I argue on a purely scientific basis. The YECs chose to play the game on the field of science so that is where I play. IF they had stayed on the field of religious belief I would have had no arugment with them. But I will neither ask nor give any quarter on the field of science. Data is data and logic is logic. If we use anything else to come to conclusions then by what critieria do we determine physical reality? I am not the best geologist nor even the best informed geologist in this area or any other and there is little I can do about; but I can control the way I play the game. Aside from how I play the game I can only hope, and leave the rest to God, that the evidence I present is deemed adequate to thwart YEC scientific arguments by those to whom it is presented and that they way I present it does not cause them to think ill of me or to find fault with me as a Christian, though I have a lot more to learn about being a Christian than I do about geology.
Many people have been running around the past few years askings "What would Jesus do?"
Jesus cast out the money changers. That's my example. Do we have the same courage?
Dick Fischer - Genesis Proclaimed Association
Finding Harmony in Bible, Science, and History
www.genesisproclaimed.org
We have to have courage, but courage without honor is savagry. If we are percieved as savages in our zeal to teach good science what happens to our effort to bring salvation to those who walk away from us?
Darryl
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