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Penn and Teller Take On Creationism
Little Green Footballs ^ | July 26, 2008

Posted on 07/27/2008 8:34:47 AM PDT by rosenfan

It’s our favorite libertarian-ish anti-idiotarian magicians, with a whole episode of Bullsh*t! devoted to ... yes ... creationism and its repackaged descendant, “intelligent design.” (Screams and pandemonium ensue.)

Featuring footage from the Creation Museum, and interviews with some people whose names are often invoked during the LGF Evolution Wars, including Duane Gish of the Institute for Creation Research.

The 3-part show carries a mild language warning; if you’ve ever seen Penn and Teller, you know what to expect.


TOPICS: Education; Science; Society; Weird Stuff
KEYWORDS: 2gayguys; 2gaymagicians; 2verygayguys; awimpandablimp; creationism; crevo; crevolist; evolution; intelligentdesign; pinheadandduller; pitcherandcatcher; siegfriedandroy; wordfromzotsylvania

1 posted on 07/27/2008 8:34:47 AM PDT by rosenfan
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To: rosenfan

Penn and Teller’s show was applauded here a day or two ago as it deconstructed the global warming hysteria. I don’t suppose that will be repeated on this thread, but both shows offer precisely the same reasoned skeptical mindset.


2 posted on 07/27/2008 8:40:02 AM PDT by tlb
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To: tlb

I was going to say the exact same thing.


3 posted on 07/27/2008 8:41:53 AM PDT by alicewonders (I'm a conservative, and I'm hated by the GOP & the Dems - I must be doing something right!)
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To: rosenfan

Good job by P and T.


4 posted on 07/27/2008 8:51:26 AM PDT by gracesdad
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To: rosenfan

I posted this earlier:

Leftists sign
petition against dihydrogen monoxide (water)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yi3erdgVVTw&feature=related

Leftists are really ill informed and dumb


5 posted on 07/27/2008 8:56:26 AM PDT by forYourChildrenVote4Bush (Today, July 16th I no longer donate money for Israel)
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To: tlb

I still think they have a generally good show. They are, without question, atheists (or at least agnostics) and want solid evidence for anything they intend to believe in. They are not ones to practice faith, which is what religion, and much liberal ideology, require.

While I am not an atheist or agnostic, I will say that their shows related to religion have actually skewered some arguments made by some religious “scientists” that have been accepted just as blindly as others have accepted global warming, and that have as little sound research to back their claims.

I also applauded them for pointing out that some of those we have held up as “saints” over the last century were far different people from what we have been led to believe.


6 posted on 07/27/2008 9:33:21 AM PDT by SlapHappyPappy
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To: rosenfan

I’m a fan of P&T, but this is a strawman argument. While they did interview “legitimate” sources for the ID side, they were all young-earth creationists. Why? Because they are easy to refute.

I’m definately not sold on ID, but I would like the challenges they pose to the standard view of evolution to be addressed. Sure, some guy saying that the Grand Canyon was made in a handful of days is a crank. There are more researched and scientific challenges than these. I’m not sure if they are appropriate for High School Biology, but I have sought but not found a sufficient and researched answer to the challenge that evolution as currently presented is antientropic.


7 posted on 07/27/2008 9:33:51 AM PDT by KingTurnip
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To: tlb

When I had Showtime, I watched the show and I’ve seen Penn and Teller’s show in Las Vegas. Sometimes they make points I agree with. Sometimes they don’t. And I can think of at least one case where their program convinced me that the opposite position was correct. Just because I agree with Penn and Teller about recycling, bottled water, or global warming doesn’t mean that I have to agree with them about religion or other issues and as another reply pointed out, they do sometimes pick the easiest targets to knock down when their case is weak rather than going after the strongest arguments the other side has to offer.


8 posted on 07/27/2008 9:50:17 AM PDT by Question_Assumptions
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To: KingTurnip

Granted, attacking young-earth creationism is like shooting fish in a barrel...but when almost half of Americans believe in it, those are fish that need to be shot.


9 posted on 07/27/2008 9:57:58 AM PDT by rosenfan
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To: rosenfan

If God doesn’t exist and Jesus never did, why did Penn and Teller do a crucifixion/resurection magic bit for that Randy magician?

Just to make fun of the faith of some people?

When is the blackfaced lynching gag? Escape from the rope, you know?

Atheists are among some of the biggest bigots out there when their atheism steps into antitheism denigrating all who have a faith in some higher power.


10 posted on 07/27/2008 10:25:28 AM PDT by weegee (Obama loves America like Bill loves Hillary.)
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To: weegee

Crucifixion/resurrection magic bit? Blackfaced lynching gag? Neither of these appears in P&T’s Showtime episode about creationism.


11 posted on 07/27/2008 11:13:23 AM PDT by rosenfan
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To: rosenfan

As two guys who have made their fortune deceiving people, I have come to believe them to be pretty fair when “debunking” folks.

I know it hurts to have it pointed out that my religion has a talking snake. Or talking bush. Those ideas, without the appropriate faith, are ridiculous.

And, if truth be told, if I had to drop Showtime or HBO this week....HBO would be sent packing. Generation Kill makes every officer out to be a lunatic.


12 posted on 07/28/2008 7:42:35 PM PDT by Vermont Lt (I am not from Vermont. I lived there for four years and that was enough.)
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