From:    Marty Leipzig
To:      Justine Levine             03-Jun-93 07:10am
Subject: Evolution

Justine Levine, who thinks fumaroles are a real gas, said to All:

 JL> I know you guys have had this subject before but i never had the time
 JL> to read  them..

 JL> What are your views on the evolution/creation issue?

     Creationism is merely that "old time religion (lower case 'r')",
     trying to get dressed up, so it can go to school as science. It
     is a bastard concoction of narrowly sectarian views, hellfire
     and damnation pulpit pounding preaching, and pseudoscience just
     as flawed and imperfect as astrology, dianetics and flat earthism.

     It is actually more than just the assorted nonscientific
     rantings and ravings of a vociferous group of like minded
     fundamentalists with a hidden agenda (exposed for all to see)
     to serve. It is a dangerous ploy to circumvent the constitution
     and inculcate their own bizarre and hallucinatory version of
     morals, beliefs and religion into tax supported public schools.
     It is, by definition, a fraud and the lowest form of deceit
     practiced by those; who on one hand preach piety and obedience
     to the edicts of the Bible, while on the other hand, they malign,
     distort, misinform and just out-an-out lie to further their cause
     at any cost.

     Although they call themselves "Scientific Creationists" and one
     of their organs is the "Institute for Creation Research"; they
     are perhaps the most oxymoronic bunch to ever to draw a
     breathe. Creationism, aside from being totally unsupported
     by any sort of physical evidence, is wholly religious and
     unscientific. The ICR, who claims to do research, actually do
     nothing more than scour the mainstream scientific journals for
     controversy regarding evolutionary theory (that evolution has
     occurred has long been accepted as fact, it is the speed and
     methods of evolution [the theory portion] that remains under
     debate) which they, in their narrowly dualistic and wholly
     fallacious view; believe somehow "proves" creationism. It proceeds
     from the logical fallacy of a the False Dilemma, heaps upon
     this mounds of illogic and shoddy scholarship, then drapes the
     whole mess with the ill fitting mantle of "science"; albeit one
     that "just so happens" to be the story told in the first few
     chapters of Genesis; and they try to ram that into local school
     boards (they have many times lost on the national scene, so now
     they're more covert) as an "alternative" theory.

     It is nothing more than a religion (not Religion) trying to get
     itself into the curriculum of the public schools. It is
     morally, ethically and scientifically, a sham.

 JL> I believ in evolution entirely...

     Goat grief! Don't do that. Don't ever BELIEVE in anything,
     particularly in matters scientific.

     Belief requires faith. Faith is adherence to dogma; that which is
     non-evidential. None of this has any place in the scientific
     arena. Evidence. Facts. Cold-hard evaluation without regard to
     spirits, gods, angels, devils nor anything supernatural
     (neither pro nor con, it simply ignores that which is without
     evidence).

     Evaluate the evidence for yourself. Interpret this data,
     formulate hypotheses, test them against the data, re-analyze,
     re-interpret; draw your own conclusions.

     As the old saying goes: "I don't care what you believe, tell me
     what you think."