Monday, August 10, 2009

Is Being a Creationist a Bad Thing?

Heath the Blogless wrote, "You make it sound as though being a creationist is a bad thing."

First, we should avoid using terms like "good" and "bad," for they are quite vague and subjective. Similarly, you can't separate the belief from the believer, so calling one belief bad is the same as calling the believer bad.

With that said, I discourage anyone from believing in creationism; the scientific evidence for evolution is overwhelming. Creationists are at odds with mainstream science, and just as one might laugh at a flat-Earther, most people will find creationism laughable. Those who don't find humor in having an opinion at odds with overwhelming evidence will find creationism tragic.

The biggest problem about being a creationist is that it throws your credibility into question. Most people have little respect for those who hold opinions in contrast to overwhelming evidence and scientific consensus. Would you trust the judgment of someone who thought the Sun revolved around the Earth? Maybe, but such a belief wouldn't work in favor of the speaker.

9 comments:

  1. There's a simple way for Creationism to not be an intellectual embarrassment: the believer simply needs to be honest with other people about what that belief entails.

    For example, admit that logic & rationality don't have the power to challenge the belief. "I believe in Creationism no matter what anyone says".

    As another example, the believer should also stop trying to use the previously rejected methodology to justify belief in Creationism. Using logic to rationalize a belief in the irrational is foolish - and undercuts the believer's credibility.

    ---

    Although I agree with you about Creationism in general, I really think it's the believers themselves who are at issue. The loudest of creationists is also the most dishonest.

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  2. Yes, Wem. Such creationists are rare, but they do exist. An old friend of mine who referred to herself as a "Jesus Freak", an intelligent woman and one of the best musicians I've ever known, admitted as much when I tried arguing with her about Genesis and evolution: she said that Jesus had spoken to her, the Bible was true, and that was that. A conversation stopper, but at least she was honest. She also complained to me that it was going to be boring in Heaven because most of her friends, the most intelligent and interesting of them anyway, were going to Hell. Sigh.

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  3. "A conversation stopper, but at least she was honest."

    I really wish there were more people like this - willing to be as honest with other people as they are themselves.

    Oh well. See ya in Hell, good buddy :)

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  4. Everyone I ask about why they believe in God says that they had some kind of personal experience like their prayers came true once. Also, some of them say God speaks to them, they can feel God's presence, or something along those lines.

    I never really know how to counter personal experience other than to say, "No. I am thinking you're making that stuff up," or "The human mind is easily tricked." I really have a tough time discounting personal experiences.

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  5. Personal experience can't be debunked. You are right that it is more than likely the mind tricking itself, but you can't prove that in their specific case. If you are interested in engaging someone that claims a personal experience, you have to know exactly what that experience was. Then you can go about showing how people of different religions have the same experience but in context of their religion or even pointing out obvious fakes and frauds who have conjured up a similar experience. Basically you show them how the mind can create that experience, but even then that does not necessarily refute their experience.

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  6. In my experience, BeamStalk, most believers have no trouble categorizing such experiences: what they hear is God, what infidels hear is the Devil, and fakes and frauds are just faking and defrauding.

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  7. Great post and comments DM!
    Why is that whenever I leave this page I see pink spots for about 20 minutes?

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  8. There we go, I made the page a more calming color of blue.

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  9. You guys just need to trick the Creationists with the same method the Global Warmists used on you!

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