| Creation & Evolution Forum for the discussion of this important topic. This forum is open to non-believers. There is a Christians-only forum in the Christians-only section too. |  | | 
12th November 2003, 12:26 AM
| | Senior Member
 | | Join Date: 10th November 2003 Location: From parts unknown
Posts: 954
Blessings: 91,249
Reps: 183 (power: 0) | | | Conspiracy Theory??????? Do the Young Earth Creationists (YEC) out there really believe that the scientific community is conspiring to promote an old earth model so as to undermine scripture?
Do YEC's believe that real science is being done in the creationist realm and that mainstream science is deliberately ignoring and/or sabotaging it so it doesn't get journal approval by the peer review process?
Isn't this hard to believe in light of the competitive nature of science and the recognition one gets if you refute existing theory and provide a new and better theory.
How do YEC's respond to the accusation that the only 'science' you see from the creationist organisations is considered by mainstream scientists (of which I am one) as either laughable or even fraudulent?
Why is it that most of the creation scientists seem to be engineers and medical doctors with no training and/or education in the fields of geology/physics/astronomy/biology. That is they are laymen. As a physicist the physics arguments I see often seem to lack even an understanding of high school level physics which makes it kind of hard to take the same person seriously when they start discussing more advanced topics. For example vapour canopy arguments seem to have forgotten 10th grade science. | 
12th November 2003, 12:30 AM
|  | Senior Veteran 27 
| | Join Date: 27th July 2003 Location: Apopka, Florida
Posts: 3,393
Blessings: 91,261
Reps: 2,759 (power: 0) | | | Look for some posts by Jhessel if you want an answer. | 
12th November 2003, 12:39 AM
|  | Senior Veteran 24 
| | Join Date: 13th July 2003 Location: California
Posts: 3,189
Blessings: 90,776
Reps: 1,385 (power: 0) | | Originally Posted by the_malevolent_milk_man Look for some posts by Jhessel if you want an answer.
Hahahah good one | 
12th November 2003, 01:28 AM
|  | WinAce > cdesign proponentsists 32 
| | Join Date: 24th June 2003 Location: Chiark
Posts: 18,443
Blessings: 125,874
Reps: 16,712 (power: 43) | | | no, posts by Jhessel end up with you believing in lizard men and things like that.
__________________ MSci MSc ARCS DIC PhD..... yes, I am bragging. | 
12th November 2003, 04:11 PM
|  | Veteran
 | | Join Date: 19th July 2003
Posts: 1,081
Blessings: 90,079
Reps: 113 (power: 0) | | Originally Posted by Chi_Cygni Do the Young Earth Creationists (YEC) out there really believe that the scientific community is conspiring to promote an old earth model so as to undermine scripture?
Do YEC's believe that real science is being done in the creationist realm and that mainstream science is deliberately ignoring and/or sabotaging it so it doesn't get journal approval by the peer review process?
Isn't this hard to believe in light of the competitive nature of science and the recognition one gets if you refute existing theory and provide a new and better theory.
How do YEC's respond to the accusation that the only 'science' you see from the creationist organisations is considered by mainstream scientists (of which I am one) as either laughable or even fraudulent?
Why is it that most of the creation scientists seem to be engineers and medical doctors with no training and/or education in the fields of geology/physics/astronomy/biology. That is they are laymen. As a physicist the physics arguments I see often seem to lack even an understanding of high school level physics which makes it kind of hard to take the same person seriously when they start discussing more advanced topics. For example vapour canopy arguments seem to have forgotten 10th grade science.
I've actually gotten in my first real debate on the theistic evolutionist side the other day. It's true. People that barely passed their science classes think that they know all the answers to science and that y'all (scientists) don't.
And BTW, simply taking a 10th grade science course doesn't put someone up to that level. I've seen high school seniors take a 10th grade science course WITHOUT having ACTUALLY learned anything from it. I talked to one the other day who thought that he knew everything about science theory, and that 'those scientists,' except for Creation scientists, 'don't know what they're talking about.'
One thing he said was: "Seriously, the evidence for Creation is so huge that, like seriously, ALL geologists are Creationists. No seriously man. I ain't making this up. Because there's so much evidence for it."
SERIOUSLY man, it was frustrating. Did I sound like that? I hope my posts were a little more legit than that.
Last edited by Drotar; 12th November 2003 at 04:22 PM.
| 
12th November 2003, 04:43 PM
|  | HI 28  | | Join Date: 23rd January 2003
Posts: 12,645
Blessings: 92,138
Reps: 5,365 (power: 27) | | | Drotar is right, I have known quite a few people when I was in high school that graduated without learning as much as you would expect. Credits and an A in a course is no guarantee that someone actually learned from that course.
It often seems like creation science is a way to feed someones need to be right and to feel superior. It seems people often feel like they are looked down apon by scientists and so they grab onto creation science because it fits their beliefs and it allows the normal man to appear just as smart as those evil scientists and appear to be able to show those scientists up. Allowing them to think that they have just beaten those snoby elitist scientists.
Unfortunatly they dont realize that they are being fed exactly what they wanted to hear, even when its false, and they are willing to eat it right up, and empty their pockets.
Basically, its a way to appear smart without thinking.
Of course, this doesn't go for all creationists, as there are many that are smart, they just dont realize that they shouldn't trust their sources.
__________________
Wei wu wei
Green faeries | 
12th November 2003, 05:05 PM
|  | GondolierAce 30 
| | Join Date: 9th February 2003
Posts: 4,293
Blessings: 99,190
Reps: 6,626 (power: 20) | | Originally Posted by Chi_Cygni Do the Young Earth Creationists (YEC) out there really believe that the scientific community is conspiring to promote an old earth model so as to undermine scripture?
What, didn't you get the memo?
Oops. | 
12th November 2003, 05:06 PM
|  | GondolierAce 30 
| | Join Date: 9th February 2003
Posts: 4,293
Blessings: 99,190
Reps: 6,626 (power: 20) | | Originally Posted by Drotar SERIOUSLY man, it was frustrating. Did I sound like that? I hope my posts were a little more legit than that.
I don't recall you ever being that bad. | 
12th November 2003, 05:08 PM
| | Veteran
 | | Join Date: 19th September 2003
Posts: 1,726
Blessings: 91,285
Reps: 207 (power: 0) | | Originally Posted by Arikay It often seems like creation science is a way to feed someones need to be right and to feel superior. It seems people often feel like they are looked down apon by scientists and so they grab onto creation science because it fits their beliefs and it allows the normal man to appear just as smart as those evil scientists and appear to be able to show those scientists up. Allowing them to think that they have just beaten those snoby elitist scientists.
Perhaps there are some that are like this (we've seen this here), but many more are not.
The average person actually knows very little about science (Christian or otherwise). But creationists do have a problem: when they watch educational TV or their kids go to science class, they will almost certainly hear things about old earth or evolution. By contrast, I have no worries about my children being exposed to the likes of Hovind at school (at least where I live).
I think some of them feel like they are backed into a corner by science. Its natural, then, for them to misinterpret various scriptures to indicate that science is standing against God. Sadly, the have too much at stake in the debate to start reconsidering their interpretations of scripture. Jesus warned about this when he talked about the difference between building a house on the sand or on a rock.
Anyway, people like Hovind capitalize on this fear and resentment that people have against science. They set up the battleground: God vs science....who are you going to believe? Like true politicians, they claim the higher moral ground and do their best to distort and denigrate the 'opposition'. This includes any institution or individual, Christian or otherwise, that simply disagrees with any part of their ideology. Sadly, truth has very little to do with persuasion.
The average person has no tools to discern good from bad science. If people like Hovind can make a persuasive sell on creation science (and they are often quite good at this), then the literalists will eat it up even if that science is bogus. Its no wonder people believe in science conspiracies with hacks like Hovind running around convincing them that this is the case.
I'm impressed that there are many here (Christian and atheist) who care enough to set the record straight. The Bible says this is like 'light' and 'salt' for the world. Light to help people see more clearly, and salt (a preservative) to prevent the decay (like the message we get from Hovind + others) from spreading. | 
12th November 2003, 05:44 PM
|  | HI 28  | | Join Date: 23rd January 2003
Posts: 12,645
Blessings: 92,138
Reps: 5,365 (power: 27) | | | I agree Mike, that not all are like that.
I also think Hovind sells things well because he brings it down to the average persons knowledge of science, and then shows the people that they can be as smart or smarter than those elitist atheist scientists. In a way giving the people an excuse to believe atheism is wrong, since most creationist science does come down to theism vs atheism.
__________________
Wei wu wei
Green faeries |  | | | Thread Tools | | | | Display Modes | Linear Mode | | | |