Re: Racism and YEC (WAS:Four items of possible controversy)

From: Michael Roberts (michael.andrea.r@ukonline.co.uk)
Date: Tue Nov 18 2003 - 17:28:12 EST

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    That is probably a fair comment on Morris being influenced by his society
    rather than YEC but then one could probably argue that much Anglo-Saxon
    racism comes from the mores of the society of the time rather than an
    out-working of evolution. The miners I worked with simply were prejudiced
    against Africans and were unaffected by any evolutionary theory. Also many
    of the racial stereotypes of the Victorian era were pretty much in place
    before 1859 , consider Hugh Miller. If I had time to think this through
    properly I suspect that much racism looked to evolution as a rationale
    rather than was derived from evolution. (Ted will be better placed than me
    to confirm this as my reading on it has been incidental and haphazard.)

    The main thing is to be aware of slick answers and to be very aware that
    much of our personal heritage of culture, religion and science contains much
    to be ashamed of. I could give a long catalogue of Anglican misdemeanours on
    race for a start and a long catalogue of their good behaviour on
    race.Getting on a moral high horse may be good for propaganda purposes, but
    that is all. The trouble is that moral honesty of both our virtues and vices
    is no match against a propaganda based on a virulent and strident moralism
    which considers winning an argument more important than truth

    Michael
    ----- Original Message -----
    From: "gordon brown" <gbrown@euclid.colorado.edu>
    To: "Michael Roberts" <michael.andrea.r@ukonline.co.uk>
    Cc: <asa@calvin.edu>
    Sent: Tuesday, November 18, 2003 9:23 PM
    Subject: Re: Racism and YEC (WAS:Four items of possible controversy)

    >
    >
    > On Tue, 18 Nov 2003, Michael Roberts wrote:
    >
    > > The main problem is that recently "evolutionists " have not been racist
    but
    > > the founder and doyen of YEC has. It is fair to judge him and his
    movement
    > > in the same way as they condemn us, but with a modicum of Christian love
    and
    > > charity which is frequently denied to us apostate Christians who accept
    that
    > > earth is more than 10,000 years old.
    >
    > I think that Morris grew up in the South at a time when segregation was
    > the norm there. If so, I find it easier to believe that that, rather than
    > YECism, was the main influence on his racial views.
    >
    > Gordon Brown
    > Department of Mathematics
    > University of Colorado
    > Boulder, CO 80309-0395
    >
    >



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