I'm troubled by his response. Not for his beliefs. But what comes up for me is the affect on society as a whole if it takes that kind of approach with the dumbing down geological as well as other scientific inquiries. I've seen the effect with extended family members which sometimes left me wondering where we're headed as a society.
Being an optimest, I don't have to jump far to see the old Biblical Genesis Creation stories are being replaced by a new Creation story. It's a story filled with new knowledge and understandings that the Earth and Cosmos are opening up for us to see. And it's a story that is working it's way through humanity with the old being replaced by the new. It's also a story where Lovers of God are finding ways to accept the new Creation Story and still maintain their faith. Maybe even deepen it.
Where you are headed as a society,
yes, well you may wonder. Well you
may have doubts.
We see Americans as very self indulgent.
Fat tourists are automatically ' Americans".
But it runs way way deeper than that,
as any perceptive American surely knows.
The focus here though concerns indulging
in regressive ignorant and self righteous
anti intellectualism.
Fundamentalist beliefs are rarely seen in the
Ivory towers of academia which the " fundies"
love to scorn.
No, those sects draw their numbers from the
low rungs of the socioeconomic/education
ladder- the trailer park crowd.
There is no way on ( God's green) earth that
the low information society can withstand
a competitive world.
The steel and textile mills are long closed,
out competed by people willing to work harder.
Education?
Look for numbers on higher education, look at
your standing in the world re what high school
students have achieved.
The last thing you need is anti- education as a
profound religious value.
America has 4.25% of the world's population.
There's an enormous number of very intense,
highly motivated, highly educated people just
over the horizon and they've not the least sentiment for 'America values".
There won't be any angel with flaming sword
at the trailer park gate.
I've lived in the USA. I've friends and family
there. I'm not speaking as an enemy of the US.
Call me a concerned friend.