Gravity Hoax?

[keyarch]

Link to: Evangelical Scientists Refute Gravity With New 'Intelligent Falling' Theory

Is this whole thing a hoax or what? They say the man in the picture (left) is Rev. Gabriel Burdett.

Now when doing some research, I found out that this is actually Sir John Sulston awarded the 2002 Nobel Prize for physiology and medicine. The following link is to an article on him and a picture where he is wearing the same suit and tie. http://tinyurl.com/yvo2gz

Does anybody here know what's up with this?

 

[HypnoToad]

That's "The Onion"'s website - you've never heard of it? Total spoof.

 

[keyarch]

That's "The Onion"'s website - you've never heard of it? Total spoof.

I guess I'm not the only one who thought is was a real news article. What got me going was the weakness of the scriptural references.

 

[Melethiel]

The Onion is a well known satire website. Everything on there is a spoof/satire.

 

[shernren]

The Onion is a fantastic satire website. They write their articles in the style of straight news, never expecting anyone to actually take it literally. That kinda reminds me of another good Book.

 

[laptoppop]

PLEASE tell me you're not putting Scripture on the same level as the Onion -- deliberately incorrect satire.

 

[shernren]

Well not entirely. But it serves the purpose of reminding us that literary form is not always equivalent to literary purpose, especially if you're an omniscient God putting up with a bunch of squabbling, rebellious Ancient Near East nomads who think it's really cool that all their neighbors have origin stories and want one of their own.

 

[laptoppop]

Not entirely? Sheesh! I can't believe how this sounds. In person, I'm sure you respect the Scriptures more than this appears. To me, seeing the Scriptures as one way the omnipotent, omniscient God chooses to communicate with people, this comes off as insulting God's ability to communicate and lowering the authority and power of the Scriptures -- putting it on an equal footing with pagan stories.

 

[keyarch]

The Onion is a fantastic satire website. They write their articles in the style of straight news, never expecting anyone to actually take it literally. That kinda reminds me of another good Book.

What happens though is that other people pick up on the articles and report them on equal with other news and the satire is lost. And then........ another urban legend begins. Maybe that's what they are trying to do but disguising it as satire?????

 

[Melethiel]

How do you "disguise" something as satire?

 

[keyarch]

How do you "disguise" something as satire?

I know that sounds like a contradiction.

But if the satire is done "real" enough that you know people will think it's true (when quoted by others), then maybe you achieve your goal and then fall back on the fact that the site is "known" for satire.

 

[Melethiel]

Hmm...in my opinion, the best satire is the kind that is real enough to be believed. It's kind of the whole point of the genre.

 

[Mallon]

Poe's Law never fails.

 

[Dannager]

I love the fact that it's apparently nearly believable for some people - especially creationists. Have their own claims destroyed the standards of what can be considered ridiculous to the point where this seems plausible?

 

[busterdog]

I love the fact that it's apparently nearly believable for some people - especially creationists. Have their own claims destroyed the standards of what can be considered ridiculous to the point where this seems plausible?

Col 1:17 And he is before all things, and by him all things consist.

Theologically speaking, what's wrong with the proposition? Lots of physics is just poetry or metaphor anyway.

I think the greatest comedy is perhaps that which was unintentional. Apparent non-christians at the Onion making fun of a theologians by positing God as the Creator and moderator of things that the non-christians understand poorly at best. Having no clear source for gravity, they mock those who posit God as the source.

Would intelligent gravity prove anything? Maybe not. You either believe that all things consist in Christ or your don't. It is sort of like saying, because there is oxygen, there must be a God. It's hard to argue with, but is it proof? If one were truly thankful for life -- as in giving thanks to someOne, not just being "thankful" which is absurd as an abstraction, like just "having faith" as they say in the movies -- wouldn't it be received as a proof? I think it's an interesting question.

 

[laptoppop]

I love the fact that it's apparently nearly believable for some people - especially creationists. Have their own claims destroyed the standards of what can be considered ridiculous to the point where this seems plausible?

Are you that eager to slam creationists at every turn? Only one person had any thought of it being real, and that person is an old core earth/old universe/young biological 6 day creation (still trying to wrap my head around that one) -- not a typical creationist by any stretch of the imagination -- yet somehow you generalize it to an entire group of people. Sheesh!

I have become more and more convinced that the time we move from respectful discussion to insults is quite often when we talk about the entire "group" of people -- YEC or TE or.... as opposed to specific issues.

 

[Assyrian]

How do you "disguise" something as satire?

Shaggy trousers and horns I think...

An umbrella helps too.

 

[keyarch]

I love the fact that it's apparently nearly believable for some people - especially creationists. Have their own claims destroyed the standards of what can be considered ridiculous to the point where this seems plausible?

You may love it, but as a Christian, don't you think there's enough misinformation out there to have to dispel without this kind of stuff? A simple internet search on "Intelligent Falling" will show how this stuff gets around and away from the original parody source such that a non-discerning person would take it as real reporting.

I also gather from your post that you consider "creationists" as more gullible and would believe anything. Actually, most creationists (by definition) believe that evolution is a lie even with all the media slanted in that direction. Apparently they (I) don't believe everything that is printed. Even though I didn't know about the 'Onion' and its parody, I thought the claims were very strange and had to look further into the matter - so I take issue with your stereotype.

 

[keyarch]

Repeat post due to CF glitch.

 

[keyarch]

Shaggy trousers and horns I think...

An umbrella helps too.

Didn't you know that there were creatures like this before the great flood, when the fallen angels (or their offspring) did the wild thing with animals, and that's why God had to wipe out everything on land?
Now you can take that comment as parody ... or maybe not if you read the book of Enoch.