Re: anti-evolutionists booted out

From: Stephen E. Jones (sejones@iinet.net.au)
Date: Thu Aug 03 2000 - 19:36:51 EDT

  • Next message: Chris Cogan: "Macroevolution vs. ID theory"

    Reflectorites

    On Thu, 03 Aug 2000 16:05:14 -0500, Susan Brassfield Cogan wrote:

    First things first. On Wed, 26 Jul 2000 I wrote:

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    [...]

    BTW what does this mean:

    On Mon, 17 Jul 2000 11:43:52 -0500, Susan *Brassfield Cogan* wrote:

    Are congratulations in order?

    [...]
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    I apologise if I missed a response.

    SB>In case there's anyone left who hasn't heard this:
    >
    >http://www.wichitaeagle.com/news/elections/docs/boe0802web_txt.htm
    >
    >And of course I can't resist the opportunity to say to Stephen:
    >
    >TOLD YOU SO!!!

    Told me so what? Did I ever say that I thought that the YECs would win? I
    thought it was an outside chance, but unlikely given that YEC is a minority
    position among the general public.

    All along I have shared the ID movement's position that *more* (not less)
    should be taught about evolution, namely its underlying philosophical
    assumptions, and its many problems

    So from that perspective, this is the best possible result for *ID*,
    even if it is bad for YECs.

    Now the new Board will have to implement the proposed standards *in
    full*, and that will expose in full view to the public gaze, what
    macroevolution really is, and will permit a full public debate on the
    evidence for it, the controversies even among evolutionists about the
    mechanism(s), and the materialistic-naturalistic assumptions underlying it.

    And that will bring the ID movement to public attention even more! So
    Johnson's prediction is coming true:

            "The Darwinists themselves have changed that comfortable
            situation by demanding that the public schools teach a great deal
            more "about evolution." What they mean is that the public schools
            should try much harder to persuade students to believe in
            Darwinism, not that they should present fairly the evidence that is
            causing Darwinists so much trouble. What goes on in the public
            schools is the public's business, however, and even creationists are
            entitled to point out errors and evasions in the textbooks and
            teaching materials. Invocations of authority may work for a while,
            but eventually determined protestors will persuade the public to
            grant them a fair hearing on the evidence. As many more people
            outside the Biblical fundamentalist camp learn how deeply
            committed Darwinists are to opposing theism of any sort, and how
            little support Darwinism finds in the scientific evidence, the
            Darwinists may wish that they had never left their sanctuary."
            (Johnson P.E., "Darwin on Trial," 1993, p.146)

    Steve

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    "In the early days of evolutionary paleontology it was assumed that the
    major gaps would be filled in by further discoveries, and even, falsely, that
    some discoveries had already filled them. As it became more and more
    evident that the great gaps remained, despite wonderful progress in finding
    the members of lesser transitional groups and progressive lines, it was no
    longer satisfactory to impute this absence of objective data entirely to
    chance. The failure of paleontology to produce such evidence was so
    keenly felt that a few disillusioned naturalists even decided that the theory
    of organic evolution, or of general organic continuity of descent, was
    wrong, after all." (Simpson G.G., "Tempo and Mode in Evolution," [1944],
    Columbia University Press: New York NY, 1949, Third Printing, p.115)
    Stephen E. Jones | sejones@iinet.net.au | http://www.iinet.net.au/~sejones
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