End Of Year Evaluation

[The Happy Humanist]

I may be new here, but I've spent a lot of time going through a lot of topics. My hat's off to Otseng, who seems to have created a very personable forum full of gentlemanly (pardon the gender-specific reference, but I'm not PC) discourse. In that sense, this board is a rousing success.

It seems to me that any casual, somewhat neutral observer could not help but conclude that "our side" is winning, in terms of sheer debating points. There are very few points raised by the Christians that go without a very satisfactory answer, especially in the creation/evolution debate. Would anyone disagree with that? And is it having any discernible effect?

Now, more to the point: How can this be translated to the "real world", where we face a renewed onslaught of creationism and ID-pushers? Don't look now, but there's something called "The Wedge," which is an extremely concerted (in the literal sense) effort to "put God back in the schools." At the point of The Wedge is Intelligent Design, and behind it is a well-monied coalition of think tanks, academics, and old-guard creationist rabble-rousers who, emboldened by Bush's re-election and the re-emergenge of family values, are at this very minute beginning their push. Look for an increase in Letters to the Editor, school board hearings on Intelligent Design, subtle changes in textbooks, etc. So what can we do about this? How can we apply what we've learned here about the Christian mindset to challenge this coming tsunami of silliness? The fate of the Western World may hinge on your answer!

Oh, and Happy New Year!

==JJS==

[mrmufin]

Hello, jimspeiser, and welcome to DC&R, once and for all!

It seems to me that any casual, somewhat neutral observer could not help but conclude that "our side" is winning, in terms of sheer debating points.

And as soon as debating points are convertible to cold, hard cash and/or good looks, we'll all have wads of money and/or terrificly cute prom dates. Until then, the thrill of the chase had better suffice...

There are very few points raised by the Christians that go without a very satisfactory answer, especially in the creation/evolution debate. Would anyone disagree with that? And is it having any discernible effect?

I wouldn't disagree with that, but I wouldn't necessarily expect to notice any changes, either.

Now, more to the point: How can this be translated to the "real world", where we face a renewed onslaught of creationism and ID-pushers?

How 'bout DC&R-TV? Wouldn't that be a great medium in which to turn impressionable young prime time viewers into active card carrying members of the Evil Atheist Conspiracy? Or might it backfire? With enough ratings, we'd not only be able to mold a few malleable minds, we could command top dollar from advertisers. This could, in effect, translate those debating points into cold, hard cash...

Look for an increase in Letters to the Editor, school board hearings on Intelligent Design, subtle changes in textbooks, etc. So what can we do about this? How can we apply what we've learned here about the Christian mindset to challenge this coming tsunami of silliness?

Write letters to the editor, attend school board meetings (especially if the topic of ID is on the agenda!), ask questions, raise objections, use examples. Basically, the same tactics used here, transposed to different media.

The fate of the Western World may hinge on your answer!

Man, I hope not! I'm just shootin' from the hip...

Regards,
mrmufin

[ST88]

It seems to me that any casual, somewhat neutral observer could not help but conclude that "our side" is winning, in terms of sheer debating points. There are very few points raised by the Christians that go without a very satisfactory answer, especially in the creation/evolution debate. Would anyone disagree with that? And is it having any discernible effect?

I don't think you can make any generalizations about this. In terms of actual minds changed, I think the "score" is about even. There are many Christians who are willing to concede that it makes no sense in terms of the consequences in this plane of existence to believe in God and be a Christian, but do so anyway. I assume there are many reasons for this, but the fact that God cannot be disproved I'm sure plays into it. As A/A's, we can talk and reason and shout and stamp our feet about clear certainty of vision and rational thought... and still get nowhere. Political thought is dominated by personal opinion. If you equate religious thought with a moral code and a moral code with personal behavior, then you're going to want to "save" as many people from themselves as possible by limiting their options of personal behavior.

Now, more to the point: How can this be translated to the "real world", where we face a renewed onslaught of creationism and ID-pushers? Don't look now, but there's something called "The Wedge," which is an extremely concerted (in the literal sense) effort to "put God back in the schools." At the point of The Wedge is Intelligent Design, and behind it is a well-monied coalition of think tanks, academics, and old-guard creationist rabble-rousers who, emboldened by Bush's re-election and the re-emergenge of family values, are at this very minute beginning their push.

It's a concern, largely because Texas is the most dominant textbook purchaser in the country, and its politics affect the content of classes around the nation (except for, as I recall, California, Oregon, Massachusetts, and New York - hmmm all blue states ).

All it takes for the bad guys to win is for good people to do nothing.