Tuesday 22 January 2013

La la la - not listening


I have always thought that Born-Again Christians are simple folk, but they are as nothing when compared to a full-blown Creationist.

One of these Creationists was interviewed on the radio this morning, and it transpired that the sole motive for his search for 'truth' in all things was a deep fear that parts of his soul will be 'burnt away' on Judgement Day, when he is due to stand before God and expose himself for the last time. Being 81 years old, he does not have long to wait, I suspect.

I also suspect that there could well be at least one person reading this who veers toward the Creationist view of life, death and everything else, so I am hoping for a bit of contention to boost my ratings today.

Scientists like Galileo died for the sake of the truth when they modestly (and suicidally) suggested that the Earth may not be the epicentre of the Universe, and I wonder if God burnt them to ashes, simply because they reported their observations to the public at large, as seen through the end of a two-inch refracting telescope which would be shamed by all the crappy 6 inch ones given to children every Christmas?

Of course, it was not as simple as it seems from the outside - something that Creationists (being about as simple as it is possible for any human being to be) still devoutly refuse to accept, after all these years of scientific advancement.

The reason that Galileo was punished for telling the truth was because it flew in the face of the Papal doctrine of the time, and - as we all know - the Pope is infallible, and he had not got around to changing the doctrine in time for the publication of Galileo's paper. Galileo had, in fact, committed the heresy of accusing God of making a minor mistake - a mistake which would eventually be rectified, in the form of a pardon a few hundred years later.

The Creationist said that all his studies inevitably lead to God, which - funnily enough - is exactly what most top physicists have been saying for the last 50 years or so. Many of these scientists also started out as atheists, but have been forced into acknowledging the existence of a more general, inhumanly complex and mysteriously paradoxical intelligence, purely as a result of the application of mathematics, and nothing to do with 'faith' at all.

The Creationist's sincere motivational belief is, however, based on one irrefutable truth. His mistakes, intellectual impurities, stupidity and downright lies will be burned out of him at the moment of his death, no matter what god he finds himself standing before on Judgement Day.

18 comments:

  1. Lady M was at a dinner party recently where, towards the end of the evening, a man stood up, declared that he was a born again Cretin, and rushed off before anyone could give him a good thrashing. I was ill in bed; how I'd loved to have been there!

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    1. I know someone who calls them 'Born Yesterday' Christians.

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  2. It can be perversely entertaining, as well as somewhat frustrating, to listen to some of these people explaining their beliefs. What is shocking, however, is when someone you always thought was intelligent and thoughtful is won over. This happened to a friend of my youngest son at the age of about 25. He tried valiantly to try to convince all of us that the earth was indeed created in 7 days and was no more than 6,000 years old. As I'd known the lad since my son met him age 4 I listened to what he had to say and even -- out of curiosity-- visited a website that he was convinced would convince me. I couldn't believe what I was hearing... It convinced me that there was no point even trying to convince them of the error of their thinking...

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    1. There are seven days, and there are seven days...

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  3. I wonder if how often converts think their way out of the tunnel.

    But...tell me about the ratings contest.

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  4. I was listening to that programme, trying to remember what a Creationist is, when the radio turned itself off and I couldn't be bothered to turn it back on. It all sounded like a load of tosh anyway.

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    1. Turned itself off? Does your fridge allow you to get food out?

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  5. Whenever I get dogmatic, a Quaker friend of mine reminds me that (her words)"everyone has to find their own way."

    However, I do think Creationism is less to do with biblical truth and more to do with power. An evolved mind is a free mind - freer even than its owner, as who knows how the mind will evolve in the future? A created mind, on the other hand, is constrained to think in the terms the thinker believes God created it to think in. This is not an argument for or against God but for or against a certain way of thinking about existence.

    I've always felt very drawn towards the Quakers and were this older version of myself a "joiner" I'd probably jump in.

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    1. I have always felt repelled by Quakers. There are various ways of expressing disapproval of others, and I prefer my way - the way which is likely to get you into a fight.

      An evolved mind - to my mind - is one which knows when it is beaten. Sometimes the reality of existence is relieved by a little less thinking, especially for those with faith.

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  6. Everybody to their own. That Creationist blokie is entitled to his opinions even if they are a million miles away from mine. Perhaps people believe what is most comfortable to them - I know I do.

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    1. Just when I feel most comfortable, something creeps into my mind which upsets it. That's when I put on the Harry Potter DVD, and sit back to a little alternative reality.

      Prince Harry has just admitted to killing Taliban from his attack helicopter. Time will tell as to whether or not this has altered his idea of entering the Kingdom of Heaven, if and when he becomes Protector of the Faith/s.

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  7. "Born Again Cretins"...love that one! (from Cro

    If you guys ever want to visit a place where 75% of the population SERIOUSLY believes in hardcore creationist theories...just take a trip to South Carolina one day! You'd be shocked, I suspect. It's tough to live here and be such a minority (a rational thinking person).

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    1. It must be like living in a madhouse. How do you cope?

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  8. Just remembered; I once heard a BAC say 'If humans are all descended from apes, how come there are still apes?' I expect he had a pocket-full of one-liners, but I rather liked the above!

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    1. They have recently discovered that Neanderthal Men and Women are still thriving in many parts of the world. This - believe it or not - is true. One lot did not die out altogether.

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  9. I still remember my middle son's incredulity when he found out that his good friend didn't 'believe' in evolution. He (then about eight years old) took a book to school to try and convince his friend but it didn't work.

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    1. Sometimes, the whole thing comes full circle, thanks to the previously mentioned paradoxes. When you start messing about with the concept of time, it becomes quite possible that God created the world in 7 days (if you count the Sunday off), and time ceases to be linear. That, however, is none of our business until Judgement Day, in my opinion.

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