Walter, Dick, et al:
I've been "following" Johnson, Behe, and Dembski for years. I agree
with much of what you've said, especially with regard to honesty. I
will add these thoughts from a behavioral perspective. First, we can
never know what truly goes on "inside the heads" of anyone else, but my
best guess is Johnson is not genuine. He is not a stupid man, but he
says profoundly stupid things, and he says them in a highly
confrontational way. Because of his prosecutorial zest, I have come to
believe that truth is not now and never has been relevant to him.
Johnson is a pure bred lawyer whose main goal in this situation
(probably most situations) is simply to win. Any evidence which does
not support his case will be ignored or diminished, and any person
bringing the counter evidence will be subject to character assasination.
This is the behavior of a courtroom lawyer and not a theologian seeking
the truth. With Johnson it seems simple to me - he has chosen a side
and now he wants to win - come Hell or high water.
I see Behe and Dembski in a different light. They strike me as much
more genuine than Johnson. That does not mean I agree with their
writings, because I find both of them to write in incredibly naive ways.
Behe in particular has contradictions in logic scattered all through
his thoughts. Rather, it seems to me that Behe and Dembski are
individuals with a high rate of cognitive dissonance. One would like to
think that cognitive dissonance can only strike those with low I.Q.s,
but unfortunately it is a kind of malleability that can impede the logic
of even the brightest among us. As such, Behe and Dembski are the
perfect sidekicks for Johnson - as attorneys just love people who can be
convinced in spite of the evidence (juries, for instance). Behe and
Dembski strike me as individuals whose beliefs are so strong that no
amount of evidence ever placed before them can convince them that their
previously held beliefs just might be wrong.
To summarize, it is my observation that Johnson is probably willingly
dishonest while Behe and Dembski may be naively sucked into a "cult
mentality" that cognitively cuts off their sense of reason and logic.
Cognitive dissonance is often thought of as an unusually strong defense
mechanism. When the belief is challenged, the individual responds as
though his very life is being threatened as opposed to just one of his
ideas being threatened. For Christians who "hang their faith" upon an
inerrant bible or belief in a 7-day creation or whatever, evidence that
counters those beliefs truly threatens THEIR ENTIRE FAITH, and not just
a portion of their theology.
Lucy
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