From: John W Burgeson (jwburgeson@juno.com)
Date: Tue Nov 11 2003 - 13:58:53 EST
First of all, I see on the Texas Freedom Network site (www.tfn.org) that
after all the flak in Texas about the biology textbooks, the
"responsible" side (i.e. my position <G>)" prevailed -- on a unanimous
vote -- to certify 14 texts which DO NOT include the teaching of "the
fallacies of evolution."
Some of my conservative friends are a bit unhappy, it seems.
The site above is a good source, BTW, for what is going on in Texas.
Contrary to reports, some of the inhabitants thereof are quite rational
people.
Anyhow -- here ae the four items. Any of them might be a takeoff point
for an interesting discussion:
The first is from a U of Texas professor, and makes pretty good sense to
me. But some here may think that certainty -- absolute certainty -- is
attainable. Does anyone wish to argue that position?
"I think absolute certainty is dangerous. I have moral and political
convictions and respect others who do, but I think people should be open
to the possibility that their belief system could be just a bit off or
maybe all wrong. That is something that philosophers and scientists (at
least the good ones) agree on."
--University of Texas journalism professor Robert Jensen, explaining in a
column why "absolute certainty" of one's own particular religious beliefs
is problematic.
http://www.dallasnews.com/opinion/viewpoints/stories/102203dnedijensen.9f
726.html
<http://64.4.18.250:80/cgi-bin/linkrd?_lang=EN&lah=27849396d4fbb3eead25dd
a709177dba&lat=1068569763&hm___action=http%3a%2f%2fwww%2edallasnews%2ecom
%2fopinion%2fviewpoints%2fstories%2f102203dnedijensen%2e9f726%2ehtml>
The 2nd is from Richard Dawkins, and, again, makes sense.
"Imagine that there is a well-organised and well-financed group of
nutters, implacably convinced that the Roman Empire never existed.
Hadrian's Wall, Verulamium, Pompeii Rome itself are all planted fakes.
The Latin language, for all its rich literature and its Romance language
grandchildren, is a Victorian fabrication. The Rome deniers are, no
doubt, harmless wingnuts, more harmless than the Holocaust deniers whom
they resemble. Smile and be tolerant, just as we smile at the Flat Earth
Society. But your tolerance might wear thin if you happen to be a
lifelong scholar and teacher of Roman history, language or literature.
You suddenly find yourself obliged to interrupt your magnum opus on the
Odes of Horace in order to devote time and effort to rebutting a
well-financed propaganda campaign claiming that the entire classical
world that you love never existed."
--Oxford Professor of Zoology Richard Dawkins, drawing an analogy to the
intelligent design community's assault-campaign on evolution.
http://www.spectator.co.uk/article.php3?table=old§ion=current&issue=2003-
10-25&id=3647
<http://64.4.18.250:80/cgi-bin/linkrd?_lang=EN&lah=d430d87472f886558f261b
17fd72a111&lat=1068569873&hm___action=http%3a%2f%2fwww%2espectator%2eco%2
euk%2farticle%2ephp3%3ftable%3dold%26section%3dcurrent%26issue%3d2003%2d1
0%2d25%26id%3d3647>
The third points out who is bankrolling a fight against a certain
Episcopal priest. The interesting issue here is not the cause, but how
some political / religious fights are financed. And who does them.
The movement fighting the consecration of an openly gay Episcopal priest
as bishop is bankrolled by a select few far-right groups and individuals,
including Howard F. Ahmanson, Jr, a major donor to the Discovery
Institute as well as an organization promoting Christian
Reconstructionism.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A9022-2003Oct23.html
<http://64.4.18.250:80/cgi-bin/linkrd?_lang=EN&lah=60c1185af0847ff2af84c0
e31358a1fa&lat=1068570011&hm___action=http%3a%2f%2fwww%2ewashingtonpost%2
ecom%2fwp%2ddyn%2farticles%2fA9022%2d2003Oct23%2ehtml>
The fourth is the hardest one. Here is a speech writer explaining Bush's
view. I don't for a minute think that George Bush holds this view in a
Christian sense -- that is -- I fully believe he holds any human life to
be equally valuable with his. But in a pragmatic sense, perhaps the
speaker has a point to make.
"To put it simply, it's a fairly radical belief that a child in an
African village whose parents are dying of AIDS has the same importance
before God as the president of the United States"
-- Michael Gerson, chief speechwriter for President Bush and an important
White House policy adviser who is a born-again Christian, explaining the
president's view on worldwide human rights issues.
(http://www.nytimes.com/2003/10/26/politics/26RELI.html?hp
<http://64.4.18.250:80/cgi-bin/linkrd?_lang=EN&lah=f74e82be1ab3c62eb41d9c
3c72160d53&lat=1068570068&hm___action=http%3a%2f%2fwww%2enytimes%2ecom%2f
2003%2f10%2f26%2fpolitics%2f26RELI%2ehtml%3fhp>)
Peace to all who disagree with me.
Burgy
www.burgy.50megs.com
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