The cure for cults that want to deny others their freedom of speech is more freedom of speech -- Fredric Rice

This one proves to be highly amusing. Here we have a look at the ICR cult's propaganda piece titled, "Geocentricity and Creation." I have a wonder if the creationist is going to make an appeal to the readers that the Earth really _is_ the center of the universe, and that the Sun orbits around the Earth.

After reading ICR cult propaganda for years, it wouldn't surprise me. Let's go see! We're given a bit of history, nothing unusual so far. The cult at least acknowledges that the heliocentric is accepted today. That's a plus.

Interesting. We get a little bit of a botched explanation of some of Albert Einstein's work, and then we get to a bloody train wreck:

-- Begin quoted text in extract -=-

Einstein's theory of general relativity adds further to the debate. It asserts that it is impossible for a human observer to determine whether any material body is in a state of absolute rest (i.e., immobile in space).

-=- End quoted text in extract

Not quite but close enough. Einstein actually says that there is no perfered frame of reference when making observations on bodies that are in motion. And in fact "stationary" according to Albert s merely an artifact of two or more objects that are in fact in motion but not when related to each other. Here's the train wreck:

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It claims that only motion of two material bodies relative to one another can be physically detected. According to this theory the geocentric and heliocentric viewpoints are equally valid representations of reality, and it makes no sense whatsoever scientifically to speak of one as being true and the other false...

-=- End quoted text in extract

Good frocking grief! I've seen a lot of nuts try to derive bizarre confirmations of their little pet occut notions twisting Einstein's theories of relativity yet I've got to think that this is about the most profoundly twisted attempt I've yet seen.

See, there's no perfered frame of reference so any claims you want to make about something they're all equally valid. It's not that the Earth rotates, it's really a matter of the Sun rising in the East every morning because the Sun is in orbit around the Earth.

Oh, then you have to look at the proper motion of the Sun against the background of the stars in the local group. Not only is the Earth in orbit around the Sun (trust me, Creationists: it is) but the Sun is in orbit around the collective center of the stellar masses of the galaxy which are themselves in orbit around the center of mass of the local group of galacies. And the local group is likewise orbiting other groups of galactic clusters.

So, according to the ICR cult, since everybody's orbiting everyone else and since Albert Einstein showed us that there's no perfered frame of reference, the Earth could actually be the center of the Solar System exactly as claimed in the classical Christianic mythologies.

Good grief.

Next the ICR cult gets into what they think the Christianic mythologies have to say about the Earth being the center of the universe / center of the Solar System. First the cult tries to claim that the Earth is some how special, created before the trillions of stars, planets, moons et al. that surround little old Earth.

Then the cult makes this amusing claim which I'm sure NASA and the Jet Propulsion Lab would be startled to hear:

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The Biblical doctrine of the uniqueness of the earth is strongly supported by modern space exploration.

-=- End quoted text in extract

The investigation of the other planets in the solar system does no such thing. Spacecraft sent to the inner plants and to the oter planets and moons find that the Solar System is filled with planets and moons that look exactly like the Earth looked billions of years ago.

Europa is confirmed to have water ice on its surface and coupled to geothermal energy providing the possibility of termal vents on the ocean floors, Europa holds considerable promise for harboring life.

A check of the inner system shows free water on the surface of Mars. The craft humanity has landed on Mars show a planet that is remarkably like the Earth. Indeed, testing and development of various Mars landed craft was conducted in California and Nevada desert areas specifically because the two planets are remarkable similar in many details.

Ignoring the exploration of the Solar System entirely the nut eventually demands:

-- Begin quoted text in extract -=-

The earth gives every indication that it was specially designed for life, and it is unique in this regard.

-=- End quoted text in extract

My guess is that the ICR cult has yet to hear about bacteria that lives comfortably in boiling hot water and mud proving that the underwater thermal vents of geographically active moons that have liquid water on them can very easily have life on them.

It looks like the ICR cult will ignore parts of their paper idol when they want, picking and chosing what they'll read and what they'll not read like it were a salad bar:

-- Begin quoted text in extract -=-

.... nowhere is it taught that the earth is the center of the universe...

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The Christian mythologies specificially describe the Earth as a flat plate with a "firmament" cover. The mythologies also have the "Satan" god showing "all the kingdoms of Earth" to the Jesus god from a high mountain. All in keeping with the accepted ignorance of the Earth at the time which held that the Earth was flat.

Here in the 21'st Century we still have a few people who have yet to divest themselves of such notions.

While ignoring the fact that the Christanic mythologies specifically describe a flat Earth -- "like a compass all around" -- it's bizarre to see that the cult acknowledges the following problem:

-- Begin quoted text in extract -=-

This leaves the more controversial assertion... that the earth is motionless in space to be discussed.

-=- End quoted text in extract

"Controversial?" There's no controvery. The classical Christanic mythologies claim the Earth's position is "fixed" when in fact it is not. Mythologies aren't supposed to be believed any more than Wonder Woman comic books are supposed to be believe. Ergo there is no "conflict." There is, however, occult superstition which attempts to deny what their own paper idol is telling them while at the same time trying to demand that other claims -- such as a world-wide global flood -- are actually some how factual.

After admitting that the mythologies throw creationists the problem, the cure is to ignore it:

-- Begin quoted text in extract -=-

Nowhere does the Bible set about to deal explicitly with the question of whether the earth is moving through space or not.

-=- End quoted text in extract

The ICR cult admits that their paper idol states that the Earth is some how "fixed" in the "firmanent" and then the ICR cult proceeds to glibly demand that their mythologies say nothing about it. <groan> The weak excuse that gets muttered at this point in the cult's propaganda is that the "fixed" earth is some how taken out of context when in fact anybody can open the mythologies and read all about it for themselves.

No mention of the fact that the "Jesus" god was shown "all the kingdoms of Earth" from a mountain top by the "Satan" god.

Now the ICR cult suddenly gives up trying to explain the scientific blunders in their paper idol dealing with the Earth some how being the center of the Solar System and some how being flat:

-- Begin quoted text in extract -=-

Geocentricity and creationism am really separate matters. Because of the contrast in the way the Bible deals with these two issues, I believe that attempts to link geocentricity and creationism are ill-founded.

-=- End quoted text in extract

Well there you go. It's time to give up trying to crowbar your freakishly bizarre occult notions into something that Science can accept, and it's time to give up denying science so that said freakishly bizarre occult notions can be held with a clear conscience.

All that's left is to refrain from trying to get creationism presented as some how factual in the public schools. I knew that this one would be amusing. It was. I didn't predict just how stupid it would be, though.

Any text written by the creationist cult which may be quoted within this criticial examination of the creationist cult is provided according to U. S. Code Title 17 "Fair Use" dictates which may be reviewed at http://www4.law.cornell.edu/uscode/17/107.html

"You can lie about ICR all you want." -- Jason Daniel Henderson

"Thank you for your permission however there's never any need to.
Creationist propaganda is already self-debunking." -- Fredric L. Rice

This web site is not affiliated or associated with any creationist cult in any way and neither the web site host, the web site owner, or any of the authors which assisted in debunking creationist nonsense are in any way connected with any creationist cult.