Faith, Science and the Persecution of Richard Sternberg

National Catholic Register ^ | October 5, 2005 | BENJAMIN WIKER

[Zionist Conspirator]

Unfortunately Richard Sternberg didn't. The man abused his position and cheated in order to insert his secterian views into a science journal.

I thought he merely published an article written by someone else with which he didn't even necessarily agree.

People like this do the cause of Christ harm.

Apparently J*sus only wants intellecutals to follow him. Did all those millions of illiterate peasants who belonged to your Church in the Middle Ages realize what a disgrace to "the cause of Chr*st" they were?

[Zionist Conspirator]

First, Smithsonian officials tried to remove him directly, charging that as managing editor he had violated the publication process. But Sternberg followed the procedure perfectly. He discussed publication with a fellow scientist at the Smithsonian, and before publication he had the article peer-reviewed by three molecular and evolutionary biologists — all with doctoral degrees.

The interesting thing in regard to this last skullduggery of prying into his religion is that Sternberg is not an advocate of Intelligent Design, but of the structuralist approach to biology. But the assumption of those “digging for dirt” was that, if he believed in God, then his skull was obviously soft enough to admit Meyer’s paper rather than reject it outright.

[edsheppa]

Cardinal Archbishop of Vienna Christoph Schonborn says: Any system of thought that denies or seeks to explain away the overwhelming evidence for design in biology is ideology, not science

The good Cardinal should stick to his knitting. Clearly he doesn't understand evolution or science. In the first place, there is no "overwhelming evidence for design in biology." For that to be true, we'd need overwhelming evidence of a designer's intent. In the second, evolution seeks to explain, not explain away as he claims, certain patterns (aka apparent design) seen in biological organisms.

[gobucks]

"...they were probably after him because he would be pro-life and opposed to gay marriage."

Your average Darwinist says little about the gay agenda or the scourge of abortion. Those two topics simply don't rate the attention that the threat from Bible thumpers merits. Gotta wonder just why that is...

[mdmathis6]

Are you joking with me or are you baiting?...Disingenuousness can be hard to detect in the written form...only can hear it the voice.


To the Evolutionary elite Sternburg is an evil Christian out to pervert and distort the true ideology of Evolutionary
socialist...uhh no... THEORY...yeah THEORY thats the ticket. Doesn't Sternberg understand that the elites need religious and moral Liebestraum or living space? Shame on him anyway!

[Tax-chick]

The article indicates that these folks aren't just Darwinists, but all-out anti-religious loo-loos.

[Tax-chick]

I was joking, based on the previous poster's implication that the name "von Sternberg!" was relevant. Lots of times my humor doesn't come through on FR - I'm extremely straight-faced in person, too :-) - but it spoils the fun if I have to flag every comment.

[CarolinaGuitarman]

"Your average Darwinist says little about the gay agenda or the scourge of abortion. Those two topics simply don't rate the attention that the threat from Bible thumpers merits. Gotta wonder just why that is.."

Because evolution isn't about gay rights or abortion. You don't see evolutionists talk much about tax rates or private property here for the same reasons. Nor do you see discussions about tax rates or private property include arguments from biology.

[little jeremiah]

pingout tomorrow.

[gobucks]

"Because evolution isn't about gay rights or abortion."

Right. No connection. Got it.

[CarolinaGuitarman]

"Right. No connection. Got it."

Even a broken clock is right twice a day. :)

[GladesGuru]

The Smithsonian has a long history of both rank revanchist history predilections and suppression of dissent worthy of Torquemada.

The Smithsonian only recently admitted that their dog (Lilienthal) in the "First Manned Flight" fight was not really first, the Wright brothers were. How reasoned and civilized of them.

Science, and the American Republic, are predicated upon free exchange of ideas. As the Smithsonian leadership, and arguably all too many of their staff, clearly have not accepted this premise, it is time to clean out the revanchists, wanna be Torquemadas, ad nauseam.

Arguably, it is time to put management of the Smithsonian out for bids.

[shuckmaster]

A fellow Catholic is now being persecuted, in no small part, because of his religion.

No one is insisting that the pulpit give equal time for science. And so far, there's no significant movement to force churches to pay taxes on their property and profits even though many are allowing the "intelligent design" sham to turn them into radical anti-science political organizations. All the persecution is coming from the creationists who are using sneaky and dishonest methods to force their beliefs into science studies.

[LiteKeeper]

YEC INTREP

[editor-surveyor]

Secular science... hmmm

[Alamo-Girl]

Thanks for the ping!

[editor-surveyor]

I understand why your screams are so shrill; the house of cards of evolution is on the brink of total collapse, but your cries are much like those of a snared rabbit in the woods - Watch for the coyotes!

[microgood]

This article could provide at least part of the reason most biologists agree on evolution. Any dissent is fatal to your career. It just goes to show wherever humans are involved, there is a high degree of irrationality, even in the science community.

[Dumb_Ox]

Sternberg's Web Page contains his defence against accusations of improper procedure.

Curiously enough, he rejects both the Darwinist and ID labels. He claims to hold a "non-historicist" Process structuralist position in biology, while the more popular two options rely upon historical claims. If anybody can explain it to me, please do.

I'm not sure what he's doing now, but he has presented a reflection on Darwinism and John Paul II's Theology of the Body at a Catholic conference a few months back. I'm trying to get ahold of an audio copy, as it dovetails with my own interests.

[Dumb_Ox]

Because evolution isn't about gay rights or abortion.

Don't you know Darwin is one inspiration for the "Free love" movement?

"There should be open competition for all men; and the most able should not be prevented by laws or customs from succeeding best and rearing the largest number of offspring."
Descent of Man, Chapter 21

I don't know if his words were twisted by libertines or not, but the implication is certainly there. Darwin, like just about everybody, gets intellectually sloppy when it comes to ethical theory and the differences between science and philosophy.