Hi, Michael.
I completely agree with you that there is a moral aspect to this general
topic.
Occasional mistakes, even occasional carelessness, simply means you're
fallible. So what is repeated carelessness, practiced over a long period
of time, along with an exceedingly high level of obstinacy against
correcting, or even acknowledging, mistakes? I won't say that that is
intentional deception, but surely we can't claim that this kind of
attitude is any better. Having trusted them, and then having found out
how badly I was misled after digging into the details of various issues,
I'm not so willing to let them off the hook. (I too remember, back in
1982 I think it was, when I went to my college library which actually
had the book, and looked up the reference from *The Genesis Flood* about
the Lewis Overthrust and read for myself the original context of the
statements and saw how the writers had been lifted out of context to
make them appear to be saying exactly the opposite of what the they
actually said. See
http://ourworld.compuserve.com/homepages/troybritain/morris_overthrust.htm
for a reference on this specific point.) The pervasive pretensions of
young earth creationist material, and the attitude that engenders them,
should be taken very seriously - just as seriously as if they were
lying, because the product that they are delivering is the same either
way.
It's not just Henry Morris, Duane Gish, and that group. It's also the
many preachers in many churches who are still to this day perpetuating
this kind of information that has been discredited time and again. For
Pete's sake, I'm still reading references to [fill in the blank]
(shrinking sun, earth's magnetic field decay, moon dust, short-period
comets, Moon/Spencer's shortcut through space, etc., etc.) being used
in sermon's, church bulletins, and church class materials. This stuff is
a cancer, and it's the attitude that spawns it.
Regards,
Todd S. Greene
http://www.geocities.com/Athens/Thebes/7755/
###### Michael B.Roberts, 4/16/01 6:28 PM ######
One of the main obstacles I have found over the decades of trying to get
a Christian perpsective on evolution has been the whole problem of
accurate representation George Murphy brought up in relation to Well's
Ikons.
The trouble is that anti-evolutionists usually write from a Christian
perspective and thus their sympathisers assume that they will always be
accurate and reliable. The trouble is that many are inaccurate and
unreliable and their writings and lectures are full of mistakes,
misquotations etc. However gently one tries to point this out one is met
with first disbelief and than horror and anger as one is percieved to
accuse the writer/lecturer of dishonesty.
Take Henry Morris and the Genesis Flood ; as Jonathan Clarke pointed out
it is instructive to check out his references and presumably like me he
found this to be often misquotations. It is difficult to explain why
they are wrong to a non-scientist and devout beleiver who perceives one
of accusing the writer of lying. The temperature rises with more heat
than light and the issue becomes polarised.
At times the response is that atheistic evolutionists fiddle the
evidence, that I do not care about at the present. However it is
essential that Christians whether YEC OEC ID or TE or anything else
argue with care and scrupulousness as they deal with the writings of
anyone whether they agree with them or not.
I am afraid I cannot respect those who allow too many misquotes to come
into their work. I am sure all of us err at times but we should be ready
to be corrected by others.
This is a moral issue.
Michael Roberts
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