This, sadly, is another example of Christian apologists not doing their job
and not listening. Jim Foley posted the letter below to Talk Origins. The
unfortunate thing is that it is Marvin Lubenow who makes the mistake. The
reason that is unfortunate is that in 1998, Marvin sent me a couple of his
papers which he was preparing (not for review but to show me what he was
doing). I saw that he was using the Discover article as a serious
reference. I rarely call people on the phone as I am too cheap. But I
called Marvin and told him personally that this was an April Fool's Joke. He
thanked me and told me that he would check it out. (For those who think I
am a heartless critic of YEC and ID pay attention that I tried to help him).
But he didn't listen and now ICR has succeeded in getting Christian
apologetics laughed at.
Here is Jim's post to Talk.Origins:
ICR suckered by an April Fool's Day joke
In April 1997, Discover magazine ran a short article about the discovery
of a number of Neandertal musical instruments. These included a tuba
made from a mammoth tusk, a bagpipe which the Neandertals might have
played through their noses, a xylophone, a cave painting of marching
musicians, and a skull.
Needless to say, it was all an April Fool's joke. At least, it should
have been needless to say it, but on September 9 2000, what do we hear
but the very same finds being touted by the ICR as "overwhelming
evidence" of musical talent by Neandertals! (You can find the broadcast
at
http://www.icr.org/radio/rad-0009.htm)
The finds were made by a Dr. Oscar Todkopf of Hindenburg University.
"Todkopf" is a concatenation of the German words for 'dead' and 'head'
(maybe the Neandertals were Grateful Dead fans!), and the Hindenburg was
the hydrogen-filled airship which burnt catastropically in 1937 (maybe
there's a connection between flaming gasbags and the ICR ...)
For more details, and a copy of the original article from Discover,
check out
http://www.talkorigins.org/faqs/homs/aprilfool.html.
*end of letter*
glenn
see http://www.flash.net/~mortongr/dmd.htm
for lots of creation/evolution information
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