Yet *ANOTHER* Stephen Jones Misrepresentation

Chris Cogan (ccogan@sfo.com)
Sun, 12 Dec 1999 10:54:52 -0800

> [...]
>
> >>SB>There was also the problem that you could be burned at the stake for
> >>>considering an alternative theory.
>
> >SJ>The fact is, as Koestler points out, that only *two* scientists were
ever
> >>burnt at the stake by the Church, and only one (Bruno) was by the
Catholic
> >>Church, and both were executed not for their scientific opinions, but
> >>their religious opinions:
>
> >CC>Hmmm. I wonder why *more* were not burned. Could it be that they dared
not
> >express their opinions for fear of what would happen? Why did Kepler (or
was
> >it someone else?) have to publish his work as mere speculation rather
than
> >science? Perhaps he feared reprisals (at the very least) from ye olde
> >defenders of the faith?

SJ
> This is a priceless example of question-begging, `heads atheism wins,
tails
> Christianity loses' atheist thinking!

CC
What has this to do with *atheism*?

SJ
> If the Church burned many scientists for their scientific opinions, it
proves
> that Christianity is opposed to science.

CC
This is well documented. It hardly needs the burnings of scientists to prove
it.

SJ
> But if the Church burned only *two* scientist, and then not for their
> scientific opinions, it shows that Christianity is even *more* opposed to
> science!

CC
No, it does not.

This is yet *another* of your apparently unending stream of
misrepresentations of views any views you oppose. If, as you implicitly
suggest in another post, you "have no desire, nor need, to misrepresent"
your opponents' views, then *why* do you do it so habitually, even after
*many* specific examples of it have been pointed out?

What it shows is that the intended implication of the fact that only two
were burned may not mean what you think or intend it to mean.