Posted on 12/04/2007 10:42:17 PM PST by Kurt Evans
On February 18, presidential candidate Pat Buchanan appeared on the ABC program, "This Week With David Brinkley." He was asked by newspaper columnist George Will, "On the subject of culture, do you favor the teaching of creationism in public schools?"
Buchanan answered, "I believe that God created heaven and earth. I believe in the Bible, George. I believe that children should not be forced to believe the Bible, but I think that every child should know what's in the Old and New Testaments."
This prompted liberal commentator Sam Donaldson to ask, in a tone of unconcealed condescension and ridicule, "Did He do it in six days?"
Buchanan responded, "God did it, Sam, according to the Bible... You may believe you descended from monkeys. I don't believe it. I think you're created. I think you're a creature of God."
A few moments later--as Donaldson chuckled with amusement at Buchanan's stated belief that the Bible is the Word of God--Will joined the assault. In a tone similar to Donaldson's, the ostensibly conservative columnist asked whether, in Buchanan's judgment, parents have the right to insist that creationism be taught in public schools.
Buchanan replied that he believes parents have a right to insist that their children not be indoctrinated in godless evolution--which is, after all, exactly what's happening in most public schools today.
At the end of the program, Will said of creationism, "No serious person believes it." In light of this assertion, the offhandedness with which he raised the subject looks less than genuine.
Later that week on C-SPAN, another presidential candidate, Alan Keyes, was asked to comment on the matter. He said his answer to Will and others is that they ought to take a look at the Declaration of Independence, which says all men are "created" and endowed by their "Creator" with unalienable rights.
"All the founders believed it, and they set it down as the foundation of this country," Keyes said. "I don't think that it is only a question of Judeo-Christian beliefs. It is of American beliefs."
Keyes continued, "Are we going to throw away the document and principles that are the foundation of this nation's life because George Will has become too intellectually sophisticated to accept common sense? I hardly think so."
He went on to say, "Our faith is grounded in the same bedrock, commonsense principles that motivated the founders of this nation, and if we are not sensible, then the people who put this country together in the first place were not sensible."
As a Harvard-educated black conservative running for president, Keyes is clearly an American original. But in stark contrast to his liberal counterpart Jesse Jackson, Keyes has been almost completely "blacked out" by the national media.
Buchanan's pre-established following makes him more difficult to ignore, so he was initially patronized in the manner demonstrated by Will and Donaldson. That is, until he won the New Hampshire primary, after which he was contemptuously accused of everything from sexism to Nazism.
An examination of hundreds of articles about Buchanan published at that time reveals that fewer than one in twenty carried any positive connotations whatsoever. (Don't feel bad, Pat. These days anyone who comes to a complete stop at a stop sign can expect to be labeled a right-wing religious bigot.)
Although the voices of Buchanan and Keyes have been largely silenced, their respective campaigns have made a valuable contribution to our political dialogue. Using somewhat different approaches, both have focused attention on the issue of our national identity as Americans.
The United States has traditionally prided itself in academic freedom. In recent years, though, books such as "Creationist Scientists Answer Their Critics" by Ph.D. biochemist Duane Gish have been systematically censored by the self-appointed academic elite.
When the founders set forth the reason this nation was established, they appealed to a Creator whose existence they regarded as a self-evident truth. Now a growing minority not only disavows accountability to our Creator, but further denies that truth, in any absolute sense, even exists.
During the Revolutionary War, Thomas Jefferson posed the rhetorical question, "Can the liberties of a nation be thought secure when we have removed their only firm basis, a conviction in the minds of the people that their liberties are the gift of God?"
General Douglas MacArthur more recently made this poignant observation: "History fails to record a single precedent in which nations subject to moral decay have not passed into political and economic decline. There has been either a spiritual awakening to overcome the moral lapse, or a progressive deterioration to ultimate national disaster."
The United States has been wallowing in the kind of moral lapse to which MacArthur was referring, but I believe we're moving into the early stages of a spiritual awakening that will overcome it. Even after the prenatal slaughter of millions of our children, God's arms are open to forgive.
He will bless America again.
Even as an atheist, I can sympathize with what Buchanan is saying. Although I don’t think young children should be taught what’s in the Testaments, as a society based on Judeo-Christian morality, (in my case, Australia), we do need to learn what the basis for our society has been, in the same way I’d expect schools to teach us about the Magna Carta and the way British Common Law has evolved, in Australia’s case.
Good post. I'm not sorry if anyone is offended.
Why would anyone be offended?
The question was basically that if the Bible is taken literally, what about a seed of mustard being the smallest? Looked at Creationist sources, and to be frank, their answers to the question/criticism was infuriating--one more or less just childishly blew off the topic without giving an adequate explanation.
There are a lot of intelligent Creationist freepers on FR. Can one of you give an explanation about the mustard topic? (this is asking Creationists specifically--at least trying to get Creationist comments first before snarky Macroevolutionist ones (and do personal requests have to be fair anyway?)).
Creationism ping.
As for me, I chose in the first grade to home school my daughter. There were many different reasons for doing so, but the first was to expose her to the wisdom in the Bible. The values being taught in school were harmful to children and frankly dangerous to their health, both physical and mental. We home schooled for 11 years and we are pleased with the results. My daughter is also pleased and says she wouldn't have changed a thing. Her friends, many church friends, have been busted for dope, pregnant, abortions, divorces, etc. Many of those that were "honor students", dropped out of college the first year with failing grades. She is a year from graduation and is stable and has good judgment.
The public school system is literally killing our children and causing the decline of America. The percentage of students that go through the system and go on to "functional" lives is very small. God bless the parents that did it, but there just isn't that many. Almost every aspect of our culture is affected by the school system teachings. If you wouldn't send your child to be taught by a Satan worshiper, then why send them to secular schools?
- Alan Keyes, was asked to comment on the matter. He said his answer to Will and others is that they ought to take a look at the Declaration of Independence, which says all men are "created" and endowed by their "Creator" with unalienable rights. "All the founders believed it, and they set it down as the foundation of this country,"
When people are engaged in things greater than themselves, there is usually a firm belief in God. That is why most doctors believe in God."
While on the other hand... inconsequential people who are only interested in promoting their smug ego status (like TV personalities Will and Donaldson) or wasting most of their time in other frivolous and selfish endeavors usually do not believe in God.
The Founding Fathers vs Will and Donaldson is *the* perfect example of this. Thanks for the post. :)
Congressman Hunter on evolution:
http://freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1934888/posts
http://freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/1874862/posts
Governor Huckabee says humans are unique creations of God:
http://freerepublic.com/focus/news/1934882/posts
Honest science defends Hunter and Huckabee:
http://freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1934898/posts
“Why would anyone be offended?”
I thought someone might be offended if they considered it a vanity post.
Forget the spiritual and godly aspects of organized religions. Lets think Christianity and Judaism here though others could be included.
These faiths are an organized and comprehensive way of passing on higher values and ethics and how to behave to younger generations. Meaning your children and grandchildren. They pass on moral codes. This is not a perfect system but is far better than anything atheists can do. Atheists cannot pass on such values. Not so easily.
No Kurt, I am not offended at all.
You have written a very nice article that is relevant to our times.
I was particularly fond of your closing, and your offering of hope.
“There are a lot of intelligent Creationist freepers on FR. Can one of you give an explanation about the mustard topic?”
The parable of the mustard seed simply presents a situation in which the seed under discussion is smaller than all other seeds the man sowed on the soil. Some or all other seeds in the parable may be mustard seeds themselves, but the one under discussion is the smallest.
“Thanks for the post. :)”
Thank you. You may be interested to know Ambassador Keyes has accepted an invitation to participate in the Des Moines Register debate next Wednesday:
http://www.alankeyes.com/articles/071120iowa.php
http://freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1928884/posts
Will thinks if he can get a bunch of monkeys to play baseball, then Darwin was right. Problem is he can’t.
“These faiths are an organized and comprehensive way of passing on higher values and ethics and how to behave to younger generations. Meaning your children and grandchildren. They pass on moral codes. This is not a perfect system but is far better than anything atheists can do. Atheists cannot pass on such values. Not so easily.”
I agree whole heartedly. The Bible is a compendium of what makes a society work and what the goals of the society should be in moral and ethical senses. It is evident that people have done this since the very beginning of people whether they worshipped God, the earth mother or some smooth stone in a cave.
Religion added emphasis to codes of behavior.
Atheists and moral relativists cannot do that. Hence our present society spirals increasingly out of control as people are encouraged to believe there is no right and wrong and therefore anything can be done without consequence. Their only option is to use laws to enforce their ideas of morality and to place brakes on behavior. So everything they do not like is illegal. As we can see, they are attempting to extend that idea into the realm of thought.
When a society is united behind or under a belief system, such a the Judeo-Christian one, social sanctions work pretty well, though laws are still important.
Just some ill-formed thoughts....
Ooh! There goes Will right off my esteem platform. (I hope that didn’t break any of you bones, George)
I always thought he was an independent thinker. I see that he is now riding on the popular PC bus with all the other sheeple.
God has the last laugh, Sam. “He that sitteth in the heavens shall laugh: the Lord shall have them in derision. “ -Psalm 2:4
If a monkey bangs away at a typewriter twice a week for ten years it could write an M. Dowd column.~ M Savage~
I say both creationists and evolutionists are correct.
Creationists are created!
dEvolutionists are the accidental unwanted retarded offspring of five monkeys having butt sex with a fish-squirrel!
Atheists and moral relativists cannot do that. Hence our present society spirals increasingly out of control as people are encouraged to believe there is no right and wrong and therefore anything can be done without consequence. Their only option is to use laws to enforce their ideas of morality and to place brakes on behavior. So everything they do not like is illegal. As we can see, they are attempting to extend that idea into the realm of thought.
When a society is united behind or under a belief system, such a the Judeo-Christian one, social sanctions work pretty well, though laws are still important.
Just some ill-formed thoughts....
On the bright sisde there are many sane atheists who acknowledge their debt to organized religion. They know the ethics and morals here are Judeo-Christian in origin and recognize this
Plus many parents of minimal faith send their children to religious schools because they know the children receive a better moral upbringing than the godless public schools
Australia is different.
The United States were not just founded on christian morality, they were founded on the Gospel of Jesus Christ. It is the sole reason for this country’s former greatness, and the departure therefrom is the sole reason for our fall from that greatness.
You don’t have to like it, but please don’t make a fool of yourself by denying it.
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