Re: paleonet Living Pterosaurs: Beat up event

Didn't realize that Mirecki had said those things. Yikes...

Judith

On Dec 12, 2005, at 11:30 AM, Dr. David Campbell wrote:

>> Well, wasn't that a loving Christian gesture to beat him up. I hope
>> it is not true but if it is.....?
>
> It certainly raises questions about the Christian understanding of the
> perpetrators.  On a similar theme, Peculiar People (an evangelical
> drama group that comes out with an annual spoof Christmas gift guide
> with stuff like Billy Graham crackers, Prayboy and Repenthouse
> magazines, and kid's videos of Barnabus, the purple apostle) is
> currently advertising a Pat Robertson assasin school, modeled on Al-
> Qaida.  Obviously not all evangelicals are favoably impressed with
> Pat's spouting off.
>
> On the other hand, it was also a magnificent display of academic
> objectivity for Mirecki to refer to religious conservatives
> as "fundies," and describe his planned course as a "nice slap in their
> big fat face."  Not that such remarks excuse beating someone up but
> rather that such remarks are a verbal equivalent of beating someone
> up.  Such remarks are just what fuels ID and young earth beliefs-
> "proof" that opposition to their claims can be equated with arrogantly
> hostile unbelief.  Philip Johnson was largely inspired to attack
> evolution because of reading Dawkins.
>
> -- 
> Dr. David Campbell
> 425 Scientific Collections Building
> Department of Biological Sciences
> Biodiversity and Systematics
> University of Alabama, Box 870345
> Tuscaloosa AL 35487-0345  USA
>
>
>

judith harris
emerita professor
university of colorado museum
boulder, co
harrisj@valornet.com
505-756-1813