[ANDY-J3]

Originally posted by Scottish_Republican

Yes, there certainly is. Despite taking over most of the world's entertainment and media, there are certain things which bear classic American hallmarks, and which have not really taken off much elsewhere. Egg-nogg. American Football (despite the billions pumped into it, they can barely muster a few thousand), Thanksgiving etc etc.

No I don't agree with that and I don't agree any of the analogies are valid. Creationism and the manufacturing of misinformation and rhetoric has become a full time occupation amongst Christian evangelicals- they have a medium, the internet which they can utilise to spread that ideology and they make full use of it, and if you visit their websites you find that creationism is only one segment of a wider fundamentalist agenda.



Richard Dawkins is the worst ambassador anyone could have. Stephen Jay Gould was better. A public schoolboy with a sledge hammer and insults will not do the job for you. He's the Maggie Thatcher of science.


Your subjective views of Dawkins are a personal matter for you. Evolutionary biology doesn't need an ambassador with diplomatic skills it needs a professional biologist who is adept at highlighting the flawed arguments employed by creationists and Dawkins does that more effectively than anyone else.

It's the best interpretation of the evidence. However, within evolution, there are umpteen other factors scientists bicker on. What we have now in biology is not what Darwin proposed. Darwin didn't even know about DNA, so things have moved on.

Evolution of species is a fact inasmuchas anything in science can be proven fact. Fossil evidence shows species transitions and the physiological similarities between species such as man and primates, for example the inability to synthesise vitamin c due to having the same enzyme deficiency, as well as the fact that speciation is observed occuring in laboratories means that evolution of species cannot reasonably be questioned. If you're talking about Darwinism then that only deals with the biological mechanisms involved which is a different matter. That is the "theory" of evolution and all scientific theories should be examined in the light of new evidence and improved upon.


But as I say - evolution/creation is the big distraction in American politics. A distraction from social issues etc I don't exactly think about evolution all the time I'm commuting, cooking, shopping etc. I do think about my money though, and my working conditions.


I agree but it is very much the cornerstone of the evangelical ideology. It's one of the more potent weapons in their armoury and they are adept at using creationist rhetoric to attack and undermine science and are totally unscrupulous and amoral in doing so. Kent Hovind who I mentioned previously made his name as a creationist spokesman but behind the scenes he was involved in everything from tax evasion to embezzlement and coercion. I'm not suggesting all creationist spokesmen are as unscrupulous as him but I do think most of them have a wider agenda that they will promote by any means possible given half a chance.