When all else fails try Abuse!

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When all else fails try Abuse! By Geoff Chapman

December 14, 2009

AS scepticism and opposition to evolution increases, many evolutionists have changed their tactics. Increasingly, they are abandoning scientific arguments in favour of name-calling and downright abuse. Creationists have been accused of wanting to take science back to the “dark ages”, and variously described as birdbrains, blockheads, scam artists and snake oil salesman, and even been compared with terrorists and the Taliban!

HOSTILITY

Professor Richard Dawkins once stated, “It is absolutely safe to say that if you meet somebody who claims not to believe in evolution, that person is ignorant, stupid or insane (or wicked, but I’d rather not consider that).”1 Recently I posted a comment on the BBC website about the lack of balance in evolution programmes . I expected a negative reaction, but even I was surprised by the hostility and rudeness shown, and most  responses lacked any reasoned arguments.  Comments on websites run by pro-evolution sceptics are really over the top.  Here is a typical example:‘I’ve yet to meet a creationist that appeared to be even marginally sane, all of which (sic) absolutely hated freedom of speech. Creationists appear to be on the whole either pathological liars or else suffering from massive cognitive dissonance.’ 2 The accusation that creationists oppose freedom of speech is particularly fraudulent, since it is the evolutionists,  particularly  in the United States, who vehemently oppose all attempts to allow evolution to be scrutinised.

SLANDEROUS

One website makes slanderous accusations against the Institute for Creation Research, describing it as  “a religious cult which does no research, publishes no peer-reviewed materials in any journal, staffed by self-proclaimed ‘professors’ which (sic) lack any discernable credentials in the field within which they pontificate. In brief, they’re insane and they want their ignorant and gullible followers to be just as insane as they are. Indeed, the ICR is commonly referred to as the ‘Institute for Credulous Retards’.”3 These claims are absurd! ICR is staffed by a team of scientists with earned academic degrees, who are involved in often ground-breaking research projects. The Creation Research Society has over 600 members with a Master’s or Doctor’s degree in a natural science. Other creation organisations also have people with similar qualifications on their staff.4   When people resort to name-calling and abuse, rather than rational scientific debate, it is clear evidence that they have lost the argument. We can assure them of one thing: calling us names won’t deter us. “The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds.  We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.” (2 Corinthians 10: 4-5)

 

1. The New York Times (April 9, 1989)
2. www.creationism.co.uk
3. www.skepticfiles.org
4. See http://creation.com/creation-scientists