The “science” of evolution can’t withstand even mild criticism so they resort to financial intimidation to win the day. Cobb county, Georgia, didn’t teach evolution at all in their high schools. A few years ago they decided to start teaching it and placed the following sticker in the textbook: This textbook contains material on evolution. Evolution is a theory, not a fact, regarding the origin of living things. This material should be approached with an open mind, studied carefully and critically considered. The ACLU sued the school district, won in the lower court, the ruling was appealed, and the higher court remanded the case back down to the lower court for a do-over saying the original trial evidence was flawed. Read More ›

It would be nice to see some transitional forms of Adam and Steve evolving into Adam and Eve. With computer animations, those will no doubt be forthcoming. Carnal Knowledge | How we evolved into male and femaleBy Faye Flam Inquirer Staff Writer According to scientists, the very first organisms to dare engage in sex were more like Adam and Steve than Adam and Eve. That’s because sex was invented before heterosexuality – before males or females for that matter. MORE: http://www.philly.com/mld/philly/entertainment/16263587.htm

After mulling over the recent blasphemy challenge brouhaha, I have a concern I’d like to express. Spiritual matters aside, I want to draw attention to the potential psychological ramifications of committing such an act as the challenge requires. As long as the person remains an atheist (or at least a non-Christian), I see no problems. However, what if he or she were to come to believe later in life that Christianity is true and that he or she had committed a sin for which no forgiveness can be attained and for which the penalty is eternity in hell?
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Richard Dawkins continues to publish my past emails to him without permission and I continue to return the favor. The following correspondence is current and remarkable. The subject hearder “Blasphemy is a Victimless Crime” is Dawkins’s. I’ve omitted the portions of our correspondence not relevant to this theme. =-=-=-=-=- Date: Wed, 20 Dec 2006 09:35:39 -0600 To: Richard Dawkins From: “William A. Dembski” Subject: Re: Blasphemy is a Victimless Crime Dear Prof. Dawkins, Your response below regarding The Blasphemy Challenge (http://blasphemychallenge.com) is predictable, though thank you for being so forthright in endorsing it. Question: Would you be willing to go further and endorse expanding The Blasphemy Challenge to include blaspheming the God of Islam, encouraging young people in the Muslim Read More ›

Here’s a quote that connects with DaveScot’s plea in the previous post: Once one has sacrificed one’s intellectual conscience over a minor point one does not wish to give in too easily; one wishes to justify the self-sacrifice by convincing oneself of the fundamental goodness of the cause, which is seen to outweigh any little moral or intellectual compromise that may be required. With every such moral or intellectual sacrifice one gets more deeply involved. One becomes ready to back one’s moral or intellectual investments in the cause with further investments. It is like being eager to throw good money after bad. — Karl Popper, Unended Quest: An Intellectual Autobiography, p. 34

I found the images of young people in “The Blasphemy Challenge” giving up their immortal souls on a dare disturbing enough to make me weep for them. I’m not rationally convinced we have immortal souls to give up but certainly the possibility exists. Imagine on judgement day that was you in the video and it was being replayed. There’s nothing to gain and everything to lose in this. Please join me in a simple prayer for the young victims of this stunt. “Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do.”

[update: I just added the original text of Casey Luskin’s letter in addition to mine ]

In my post, UVa faculty alarmed by ID’s presence on their campus, I wrote about my concerns that another witch hunt was in the making.

I would like to thank the University of Virginia Magazine for publishing an abbreviated version of the letters to the editor which Casey and I wrote. The ID debate has dominated the last two issues in that section of the magazine.

The published version of the letters (including several by highly articulate pro-ID UVa alumni) can be found at: Origins of Life Revisited.
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My shortest UD post ever. The link says it all. http://blasphemychallenge.com/ “There’s only one catch: We want your soul.”

Since Richard Dawkins thinks he has the right to reprint my letters to him by posting them over the Internet (go here), I’ll assume the same privilege applies to me. Let’s start with this exchange from the spring of 2000 (the paper in question became chapters 3 and 4 of my book NO FREE LUNCH):

—–Original Message—–
From: Richard Dawkins [mailto:richard.dawkins@SNIP.ac.uk]
Sent: Friday, May 05, 2000 1:13 PM
To: William_Dembski@baylor.edu
Subject: Re: Evolutionary Algorithms Chapter

Dear Dr Dembski

Your paper is quite well written, and is not stupid (like the writings of your colleagues). But you are not saying anything I didn’t say myself, in The Blind Watchmaker, even if more briefly:-

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TelicThoughts has a wonderful exchange going on with Nick Matzke: Eugenie Scott, director of NCSE, spreading false information. I will let the readers at UD comment and decide for themselves about the issues. However I thought the dialogue at that website was too juicy to pass up. I invite the readers to visit that exchange.

It was pointed out (HT Analyysi) that Nick Matzke, Public Information Project Director said:

Sternberg happens to be a creationist

Compare with the truth from Dr. Sternberg, PhD PhD himself:

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In most if not all of the comments from the anti-ID crowd they focus on the farting sounds or what Judge Jones is actually saying. They entirely miss the point being made. The point is that what the judge is saying aren’t his own words. They’re the words he was given by the people pulling his string. In other words, he’s nothing but a talking doll mindlessly repeating verbiage supplied by others. Either the loyal opposition are all as dumb as a bag of hammers or they are purposely ignoring the point made by the satire. I’d guess more or less some of both on a case by case basis. The interesting thing is that none are acknowledging the point Read More ›

In America, you bet. 80% of the American population is Christian. Do the math. Connect the dots. Anything with broad support in America can be expected, not surprisingly, to have 80% of its support from Christians.

The Rembrandt of flash animation and I are working to enhance “The Judge Jones School of Law.” As a first step we have made the animation less offensive to more refined sensibilities. All the overt flatulence has therefore been removed. Go to www.overwhelmingevidence.com for the less objectional version of this animation (we are keeping the original, however, so that when the history of evolution’s demise is written, all versions of this animation will be available to historians).

Or at least you’d think he did judging by the reactions over lampooning Judge John Jones. Since when did federal judges get immunity from political satire? I must have missed that SCOTUS ruling. Maybe one of the many tut-tutters can point me to it.

I am slowly rebuilding from a complete computer replacement. The best way to know what you would lose in such a case is to try finding it again. Anyway, the time lost foraging through the mess and rebuilding is gone for good.

But this for now: A friend has written me to complain that his professional association is hassling him because he has allowed the world to know that he thinks Darwin might be wrong. Read More ›