Posted on 05/11/2007 6:17:56 AM PDT by Chuckmorse
The email entering my box has been abusive in response to my column “Why is Evolution a political question (5/8).” I wrote the column in response to the Republican Presidential debate in which moderator Chris Matthews asked the candidates “How many of you don’t believe in evolution?” Apparently, for some, questioning the theory of evolution is a cardinal sin. I’ve written hundreds of columns over the years and no issue causes more gnashing of teeth than questioning the validity of the theory of evolution. Why is that?
Two basic factors are at play. Firstly, an examination of the theory of evolution, or of the theory of creationism for that matter, causes one to contemplate existential questions such as where did we come from and how did we get here. Any discussion of this type is likely to be emotional and contentious.
Secondly, the theory of evolution has become the creationist story of the secular establishment. The unproven theory of evolution, when cloaked in the sophistries of scientific jargon, allows its adherent to proceed with a smug sense of rightness. The theory of evolution is the very bedrock upon which the secular faith is built.
I support the study of the theory of evolution but more for its philosophical implications than for its science. Evolution is predicated upon the idea that man is nothing more than an evolved animal, soulless, amoral, and tied to natural selection. If animals are evolving, which is to say if the superior survive and mate with each other in order to create a more superior or evolved species, than man would naturally feel compelled to use his ability to further evolve the human species to a higher level.
This was the belief of the Nazis who, as believers in evolution, felt they were acting morally, in the interest of creating a more evolved human species, when they attempted to create a super race by eliminating those who they considered to be members of inferior or less evolved races. This was also the belief of the Communists who employed state power to create their version of a new type of man, one that would be devoid of such “regressive” traits as self-interest, pride, love, and loyalty to family.
These tendencies stood in the way of the Communist vision of an evolved collective utopia. Both the Nazis and the Communists murdered over 100 million human beings and caused the untold suffering and poverty of hundreds of millions more. They felt entitled to murder those who they believed were blocking the road to evolutionary progress.
Many of the emails I received in response to the aforementioned article were anti-religious and mocked belief in God. There is no question that governments and individuals have committed terrible atrocities in the name of God. We see this happening today with the terrorism of the radical Islamists who seek to scare us into submitting to their will. No one should be forced to believe in God and no government should ever use the secular power of the state to force belief in God. This was why the founding fathers, in their wisdom, ratified an amendment to the Constitution that insured that there would be no establishment of any particular religious denomination in America.
Yet a voluntary belief in a non-denominational higher authority, what Aristotle referred to as the Primus Mobile, implies a belief that there is a greater purpose to life than simply existing and evolving. Belief in God causes an awareness of the existence of an objective and immutable moral code that is beyond the realm of human tampering. If God created man, than every human life is sacred and is to be treated with respect as part of God’s creation. The believer in God answers to a greater authority than the man-made state.
This is why a non-denominational and voluntary teaching of intelligent design, along with the theory of evolution, offers a better understanding of a moral society than the amoral and atheistic theory of evolution. This would be especially useful at a time when our school children are faced with the consequences of moral relativism and violence.
I disagree with J.R. and I suppose most of the FR moderators on the evolution/creation issue, so I don’t bring it up in this forum anymore.
There is too many conservative issues at stake to let my scientic beliefs on one issue, interfere with the need to make America a conservative bastion.
It would do us all well to leave the Crevo thing alone and concentrate on National Security, Abortion, Immigration, 2nd Amendment rights....etc.
And, of course, these threads are then little more than preaching to the choir, with all the usual spurious charges. Round up the usual suspects, believers in evolution are amoral commies or Nazis.
My biggest issue with this is that Chuck has broken absolutely no new ground with his comments, they are superficial rewrites of “the best of Dover” threads, seen first right here at FR.
That’s very wise of you. I disagree with your scientific beliefs (as I gather them to be from your post), but admire you for being willing to put them aside on the forum for more pressing issues.
Questions for the Democrat debate:
1) How many of you believe people should have the first right to their earnings before the government?
2) How many of you believe delivering 2/3rds of a baby and then sucking out its brains is a moral activity?
3) How many of you believe only the government should have guns?
4) How many of you believe Rush's show should be illegal?
Etc.
Who picked Chrissy anyhow? Numbskull.
Evolution happens..
I’m with you guys. I think this argument can be set aside for more pressing matters, like how to control runaway spending.
The only way to do this is to get the GOP back to its roots of real conservatism — namely smaller gov’t.
I made the mistake once of responding on a Ev. vs. ID once on a thread here. Never have I seen such a level of attack and ridicule directed at me (and others) by the evolutionists. There is no middle ground acceptable to a larget segment of them and their tactics smack of similarities with the extremists of the left.
I now usually just read these threads w/o comment.
I will probably even be attacked for making this comment.
Agreed. That’s generally why I avoid most of these Evo/Creationist threads.
I will make one comment on the article that really incenses me. The author comments on the “smug sense of rightness” from the evolutionists, then proceeds to lump them all in with the Liberal, the godless, Communists and Nazis. He won’t make many converts that way.
Both points are fundamentally wrong. Nazis were a Christian/pagan hybrid who believed their Eugenics was perfecting Creation and the Communists outlawed evolution in favor of other biological theories that caused disasterous harvests. If you were an outspoken proponent of evolution, you were sent to a gulag. Evolution implies that a free market system is more efficeint at growth than a centrally planned one.
It's nonsense like Chuck Morse is propagating that upsets people that actually know what they are talking about.
I actually disagree with the question. Nobody should “believe” in evolution.
The problem with this is statement that there is no scientific evidence supporting intelligent design. It is a religious belief, not a scientific theory.
By teaching ID, you have to get science out of the way. Not just evolution, but physics, chemistry, etc. After all, ID needs intellectual affermative action, a socialist forced introduction, because it has no scientific merits to promote it. Perfect way to get back to the Dark Ages.
I am with you...
Though just one comment of my own: All the evolutionists are free to call on evolution the day they die to come and save them from the power of the grave.
Actually it's your completely BS twist that says anything about the "superior" surviving. Evolution is about adaptation to environmental changes.
>>This is why a non-denominational and voluntary teaching of intelligent design, along with the theory of evolution, offers a better understanding of a moral society than the amoral and atheistic theory of evolution. This would be especially useful at a time when our school children are faced with the consequences of moral relativism and violence.<<
What class would you teach that in?
Right arm!
Evolution is merely an engine in God’s perfect machine, allowing the system to change and improve over time without Him having to constantly meddle with things.
Chuck I can’t help but notice that since 2003, all you have done here is post a series of post and runs. You start thread after thread. Every thread links back to your sites. You never acknowledge or respond to any replies.
Plus you post them all in news.
That’s not a cool way to treat the site.
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