A Rant: The Big Valley Creation Science Museum

The Big Valley Creation Science Museum is opening in Alberta. Of course it's in Alberta, the redneck capital of Canada. Next thing you know, they'll be passing laws against teaching evolution in schools. (See Kansas above.)

The Big Valley Museum is a place that puts forward so-called scientific evidence to support young-earth theory, the Flood, and other biblical stories.

Here are a few quotes from its website.

The Evidence from Geology Display

"In this display we deal with the geological column, the fossil sequence and profound evidence for a past, global flood such as the Quartzite boulders of the Cypress Hills in Alberta and Saskatchewan."

Let's be clear there is NO geological evidence for a global flood.

Dinosaurs and Humans

"The 'Dinosaurs and Humans' display shows considerable evidence that not only did dinosaurs exist recently, but that humans existed with them. This evidence is fatal to the evolutionary dogma which has dinosaurs extinct at least 60 million years before humans evolved."

I've never understood how people can believe that the Earth is only 8,000 years old. However, for those who have an issue with scientific evidence, check out the American Science Affiliation. The ASA "is a fellowship of men and women in science and disciplines that relate to science who share a common fidelity to the Word of God and a commitment to integrity in the practice of science. In matters of science and Christian faith, we offer Christian scholarship, education, fellowship and service to ASA members, churches, educational institutions, the scientific community, and society."

From the ASA website:

In Coming to Peace with Faith, Darrel Falk says: "I explain my personal struggle with trying to bring harmony between my life as a biologist and the evangelical faith of my youth...one can be a full-fledged evangelical--with a sincere faith in personal salvation, a God who knows our name and hears our prayers, the reality of the virgin birth and resurrection, the pervasive presence of the Holy Spirit in our lives and in our world, the reality of miracles and the inspired authority of Scripture--and yet still believe God created the Earth gradually over billions of years using biology's tools."

And Conrad Hyers, Professor and Chairman of the Department of Religion, Gustavus Adolphus College, St. Peter, Minnesota said: "Not only do the extremes [science and religions] attempt to dismiss each other; ironically, they often have much in common. They both place religious and scientific statements on the same level; they both try to draw religious and anti-religious conclusions from scientific data and theory; they both interpret religious texts, such as the creation accounts, in terms Of scientific fact and model-either to defend the scientific truth of the Bible or to reject the Bible as primitive science. If one carefully distinguishes between the special literature and language of the Bible and that of modern science, resolution of apparent conflicts is possible."

I don't put this here to express my support of the ASA's views. I offer the group as a way for evangelical Christians to get their heads around science, since science seems to cause such an issue for people of this religious group.

Isn't Christianity supposed to be faith based? Wouldn't that mitigate the need to provide evidence of events described in the Bible? Isn't faith enough?

I can only assume that most Christians admire and make use of many scientific advances in medicine, technology, transportation, etc. Why then, must science be quashed when scientific evidence conflicts with religious beliefs?

Religion is faith based. Science is evidence based. Get over it already.

Colleen

Race and Sexuality: A Rant

I feel a rant coming on.

I've just read an Associated Press piece by Melissa Rayworth in our local newsflyer, Out and About. (Or if you live here in Nova Scotia that's Oot and Aboot.) The heading was So you're coming out! Who cares? The answer, according to Ms. Rayworth, is Hollywood.

It seems that casting agents are still pretty nervous about casting gay people in straight roles.

For the love of god!

Has anyone heard of acting? It's that thing that some people do for a living that involves pretending to be a character in a story. It isn't hiring say, Julia Roberts to be Julia Roberts (oops, excuse me, in her case, well, that is the case.) Let's say we're referring to an actual ACTor. Say Judi Dench or William H. Macy. Would you let Mr. Macy act as though he were disabled? Because he isn't you know. But he can act that way... and earn critical acclaim in the process. And Judi Dench, well she isn't really a queen although pretending to be one earned her an Oscar.

And now we have colour-blind casting -- considered to be a major breakthrough. Imagine that. Not specifying that a certain a role must be played by an actor of a specific race.

Actors should be able get roles based on skill not on the basis of skin tone or sexual orientation.

And on the issue of sexuality... Did anyone, way back when,know that Rock Hudson was gay? No. He was an actor and women swooned over him. Does anyone care that T.R. Knight is gay and acting as a straight man. No.

And we shouldn't.

We have absolutely no business in other people's bedrooms any more than we would want someone in ours. (Granted some of us do, but exhibitionism is another issue.)

We have got to get over the whole I'm better than you because my ancestors beat yours, or enslaved yours or burned yours at the stake. Or whatever other dreadful things we did to become the dominant society in the West.

We are all one species (yes, there is some discussion on this point regarding our males, but, again, that's another issue.) One human race on one planet. Not a new idea. As a matter of fact, it's rather old. So, why can't we just get it together?

You know, we all came from Africa.

Colleen