By: Fredric Rice
To: Rebecca Boughton
Re: ICR censorship

LS> The ICR now has their own pulpit for preaching to the

rb> Mr. Sites, I was quite interested in the post,
rb> however, I have one question. Who or what is an ICR?

Greetings, Rebecca.  I will state for the record that the following is my
opinion and does not constitute an attempt at news reporting nor do I
stipulate that my facts are at all correct.  Additionally, the opinions stated
hereafter are solely the opinions of Fredric Rice and do not constitute the
opinions by members of The Skeptic Tank nor the educational facilities Fredric
Rice is associated with.

Details on the ICR which support my opinions may be downloaded from The
Skeptic Tank if further information is required.  (818) 335-9601, 24 hours.
Fredric Rice will also make available references to books which describe the
opinions expressed hereafter upon request.

0-=

Larry will doubtless offer details yet I will jump in here with a quick
overview.  The Institute for Creation Research was started by a hydrolic
engineer named Henry Morris.  He quickly became a charasmatic cult leader of
the Christian brand of religion and attracted a great many technitions and
engineers who would support his religious beliefs.

Morris opened-up a school which only accepts Creationists as both students and
teachers.  New Age Creationist beliefs were the only requirement for teaching
at the facility and to make sure that the charasmatic cult group _only_ had
New Age Creationists in it, Morris demands that an oath to allegience to his
religious beliefs be signed else employment is not allowed.

The group was handing out Masters degrees like they were candy to students who
need only produce a certrain amount of cash and show up for school a set
number of hours.  They claimed as accredidation a course equal to many of the
non-religious institutions around California and sited as their basis for
accredidation an equality of course in geology, astronomy, paleontology,
biology, and several other ologies.

The State of California licensing board recieved many complaints about the
courses actually being taught.  Students were taught that the Earth was only
some 6,000 years old and their geology course reflected that religious belief
held by Morris.  Since astronomy is based upon the observance of objects which
are greatly distant -- further than 6,000 light years away -- their astronomy
reflect the religious beliefs of Morris.  Obviously their paleontology
education was equal in superstition.

Students were required to believe in the New Age Creationist belief of a
'world wide global flood' -- another Morris religious belief.  The utter
lack of evidence for their beliefs and the undeniable fact of the fossil
record in support of evolution was cast-aside as an artifact of the Christian
'Satan' god's contrivance.

The State of California pulled their accredidation after sending a small group
of investigators to the ICR cult.  The equipment was virtually non-existant.
The courses touted as scientific were in actual fact religion.  The materials
offered were nothing like what the cult claimed were equal to the schools they
used for their accredidation.  Students were questioned about what they
intended to do after they graduated and one student replied, "with this
degree?!  Who would take me?!"

The ICR's charasmatic leader then launched a campaign to make students and
teachers believe that the State was trying to shut down the school -- because
the State was working for the Christian 'Satan' god.  In actual fact the State
pulled the accredidation and the right to hand out Masters degrees.  Morris
made some unknown amount of money to 'fight' the 'closeure' of his school yet,
since the school wasn't being closed down, I can only surmise where the money
went.

The ICR staff published no research papers in peer reviewed journals.  The
staff held no discernable credentials within the fields they expounded.
Reguardless of this lack of education, Morris and his followers continue to
pontificate wildly upon matters of biology, evolution, grology, and
paleontology in a vain and rather silly attempt to dictate that the laws of
physics are somehow invalid.

Toward the ends of getting the New Age cult's beliefs entrenched in American
society, the ICR publishes religious materials under the guise of science and
has attempted (and succeeded for short periods of time) to getting their New
Age Creationist religious snuck into public schools.  Voter apathy at Vista,
California, allowed Morris followers to win a majority of seats on the school
board whereafter the New Age Creationist beliefs were touted as science and
demands were made that the myths be taught as such along with evolution.
After voters realized that they could remain apathetic no longer, the recalled
the Morris Creationists and installed rational board members.

Debates have taken place between New Age Creationists and scientists and, when
science has its say, it has always won.  Where Creationists win their debates
are in their churches or in public discussion arenas which are filled with
Creationist believers.  No Creationist has ever won a debate when faced with a
moderator and rules of decorum and conduct.

As an example, a Creationist was debating a scientist on public broadcasting
and one of the rules dictates by the moderator was that the occult and
supernatural couldn't be brought into the discussion -- it was to remain
scientific entirely.

The Creationist was trapped into exposing his belief in the so-called 'Noah's
Ark' myth whereafter the scientist asked a series of questions about the myth
(which is THE central aspect of New Age Creationism) which were undefendable.
The Creationist spouted deities and the scientist won.

0-=

The ICR is but one of the many groups which crop-up in an unhealthy society in
direct response to the resentment of percieved wrongs and the powers of the
ruleing class.

What I find most enjoyable of the New Age Creationist movement is that the
students which come out of cult houses like the ICR will not compete in the
market place for jobs against my sons.

What I find most disgusting is that the students coming out of these cults
will have no discernable abilities for making a standard of living greater
than that of providing services for their intellectual betters.