> I understand your gripe. My main gripe is that Christian geologists,
> biologists and science teachers are too willing to leave the job of
> discrediting YEC to atheists and agnostics, rather than generate any
> discord by tackling this issue within the Christian community. It would
> seem to me that YEC's who are convinced by atheists or agnostics that YEC
> is unsustainable are much more likely to become atheists or agnostics,
> than YEC's who are convinced by OEC's or TE's. Yet it continues to be the
> likes of Dawkins and Gould who are the loudest, most persistent and most
> published voices against YEC.
Glenn Morton wrote a long reply to this but I can't resist adding my
0.02 cents. I'm finishing up a Ph.D. in geology and I've been fairly
active in refuting YEC arguments on several forums. I ended up leaving
a church because they started "officially" endorsing YEC from the pulpit
(and made me feel like a pagan even though my beliefs are "mainline"
evangelical).
I don't think you realize that the reason many evangelical Christians
don't speak out against YEC is because they do suffer for it by becoming
ostracized, being treated condescendingly by other Christians ("Well, he
must not be a "real" Christian if he doesn't believe the Bible is 100%
true"), and some (at Christian colleges or in ministries) do stand a real
chance of losing their jobs.
After I graduate, I'd love to get a teaching job at a Christian school
where I could integrate my faith with my teaching but since I'm not a
YEC I'd seriously think twice about it.
- Steve.
-- Steven H. Schimmrich Callsign KB9LCG s-schim@uiuc.edu Department of Geology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign 245 Natural History Building, Urbana, IL 61801 (217) 244-1246 http://www.uiuc.edu/ph/www/s-schim Deus noster refugium