Jim asked: "How can we get the ICR to have a LISTSERV like the ASA does?"
Long years ago -- about 1988, I posed exactly that sort of a question to
my friend Duane Gish of ICR. Yes, I consider him my friend -- I have no
reason to think he does not reciprocate.
I had posed it even earlier that 1988 in the form of letters to other
creationists.
The consistent story I have received from them over the years is that,
due to their minority status, such a LISTSERV would be quickly overrun
and dominated by persons who did not share their position. They have had
such a service in the past, by the way, but to become enabled to use it
one had to subscribe to substantially all of their positions.
Partially as a result of long frustration at all this, I wrote a book
review on Moris's key book, SCIENCE AND THE BIBLE, which appears both on
the ASA website as well as my own. I have also publicized it on
Compuserve's RELIGION forum, where I've served as a sysop for about 10
years.
ICR's fear of what would happen is probably well-founded. In the early
years of Compuserve's RELIGION forum, ICR-trained persons showed up
frequently. Few stayed around very long after their screwy ideas had been
hacked to shreds. Only one, as I recall, was able to defend "the faith"
with any legitimacy or integrity.
So -- don't hold your breath on ICR doing anything like the ASA did. It
is not in them to do so.
another example comes to mind. At one time the ASA sponsored TWO
LISTSERVs, the other was called the EVOLUTION LISTSERV. That one was
started by Phil Johnson, who gave up on it about a year after starting on
exactly the basis I speak of above -- the few people that showed up to
argue his case and the plethora of critics who quickly dominated
discussions.
As you know, we have a couple YECs who lurk here and sometimes post. They
have a rough time of it because so many of us are quick to jump on their
arguments. When you get six rebuttals to a single post, it does not take
too long to determine that answering them is not a good use of time.
John Burgeson (Burgy)
http://www.burgy.50megs.com
(science/theology, quantum mechanics, baseball, ethics,
humor, cars, philosophy and much more)
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