Sunday, April 16, 2006

fact versus fiction

i thought that it was time to post this entry because of all the recent science news: 9,000 year old dentistry tools found, clue as to how planets form, new dinosaur bones found, fossils shed light on transitions, etc. you get the picture. the reason i wanted to write about this stuff is because it is almost time for my good friend sam fantuzzo to write another letter to the editor about the godless, heathenistic scientists who are turning america into a modern day sodom and gomorrah. sam is a regular writer to the press and sun bulletin and each of his letters is filled with wonder and scorn for anyone who doesn't believe in the bible as a literal truth. anyway, you will get a feel for his writing style because i am going to post his original letter and my rebuttal. i attempted a direct link to the newspaper- but apparently the local rag only archives staff-written articles. here goes:

original letter posted on 8/3/05

listen to what the bible says

"according to the internet, scientists claim that the earth is 4.5 million years old. their views seem to change from time to time.

allow me to bring out what the genealogy of the king james version of the bible records to be the age of the earth. in the old testament, from genesis to malachi is approximately 4,000 years. in the new testament, from the birth of christ to our day is approxiamtely 2,000 years. this brings the age of the earth to about 6,000 years.

the age of the earth will be shocking to most people, but the concept of a young earth is accepted by the creation research institutions, many clergy, and numerous christians. we can accept what the bible has to say or we can continue to accept fluctuating scientific predictions. since there are so many variables in science, let us adhere to what is recorded in the bible."


ok- i know that there are several things wrong with this line of thinking and i am not going to state them all- i will let the reader have his/her own thoughts. here is my reply:

original post 8/12/05

take bible in context

"this is in response to an aug. 3 letter suggesting it is better to stick with the unchanging bible instead of the variable science community. i would ask the writer or the creation research institute or the many clergy to explain how the remains of the oldest human found to date in ethiopia date back approxiamtely 160,000 years- if the earth is indeed only 6,000 years old?

isn't it possible that science is variable because there are new findings that change and add to already existing information? isn't it possible that the bible was not meant to be taken literally and that the seven-day creation could have actually taken millions of human years?

god gave humans the curiousity and intelligence to explore their universe and humans have made remarkable advances in science- forensics, medical, space exploration, anthropology, etc. all of this is based on the scientific model of experimentationand fact finding- not believing blindly in a static and unchanging book that was meant to be taken in context."


now, i only had 250 words or less to make a point or i would have pointed out that carbon dating and other forms of dating are used to get as accurate a date as possible. more than one type of dating is used for that reason- not because they are so inaccurate that scientists are fudging the results (as another of his letters to the editor suggested). anyhoo- i am 'looking forward' to reading the next installment of fiction that sam is working on.

for further enjoyment check it out: "creation research institutions"
also, apparently, i am not the only one dissing this guy- check out this site: atheists

i came across an article written by david horton that i think sums up the attitude espoused by sam and his minions. i really think that the right wingers do believe that the earth is young and vibrant and therefore we can exploit it to the fullest with no regard whatsoever for the future. not only that, but jesus is coming any day now- the antichrist has arrived (no they don't believe that it is george bush or dick cheney), and shit is happening in the middle east- all signs in revelation that we are in the end times, true believers.

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