Re: Jerry Falwell

Jim,
I fear you are overlooking two principles which, if not ruling, are
generally accepted. (1) Every person's opinion is equally valid.
Corollaries: there are no experts; there are many truths. (2) My opinion,
and that of those who agree with me, is right.

I have not been able to reconcile them, but it seems that a majority hold
them both simultaneously
Dave.

On Mon, 30 Jan 2006 14:50:32 -0700 "Jim Armstrong" <jarmstro@qwest.net>
writes:
I received the same article from a dear YEC friend, to remind me that
argument wasn't as one-sided as portrayed. I responded:

--
Ah, but [snip] it is actually quite one-sided. The BBC poll was an
popular opinion poll which samples relatively few people who are
scientists, or work in or are at least knowledgable about the subject.
Most simply hold a particular opinion for some other reason. 
More telling are these results:
>From the Discovery Institute, as of 7/18/2005, more than 400 scientists
from all disciplines signed a statement expressing doubts over or
rejecting evolution. There are actually several such lists of scientists
who distance themselves from evolution at the web sites of the DI, the
ICR, and AiG. 
BUT...
Initially as a fun parody, the National Center for Science Education
(NCSE) started "Project Steve",  soliciting signatures of members who
were only scientists (almost all PhDs) and only those named Steve (and
the related Stephens, Stevens, Stephanies, etc.) who support evolution
as, "a vital, well-supported, unifying principle...".  As of December 28,
2005, this list was 688 and growing. With Steves comprising about 1% of
the membership of NCSE, this would translate to a list of nearly 70,000
scientists and educators who find no problem with evolution. 
About one third of these "Steves" were biologists. There are relatively
few biologists on the DI, ICR, and AiG lists (not surprising).
Bottom line is that a knowledgable vote is really very one-sided (400 vs
70,000), as "Project Steve" indicates. A popular opinion (like the BBC
poll) reflects only popular opinion, not the best scientific consensus. 
--
I neglected to ask if he would want any arbitraily selected person from
among those interviewed to teach science in his schools.
JimA
Carol or John Burgeson wrote: 
The following was received from Jerry Falwell.
Interesting.
Burgy
Date: January 26, 2006 
From: The Moral Majority Coalition and The Liberty Alliance 
By: Jerry Falwell 
EVOLUTION REVOLUTION 
Darwinian Evolution — the theory that is touted as enlightened truth by
education and media elites — is not recognized as fact by many
individuals. 
In fact, a new survey from the United Kingdom has found that a majority
of Brits do not believe in evolution. The BBC survey of 2,000 people in a
program titled “Horizon: A War on Science” showed that “more than half
the British population does not accept the theory of evolution.” 
Further, participants largely favored the teaching of either creationism
or intelligent design in schools, along with evolution. 
Poll editor Andrew Cohen told Britain’s The Register, “Most people would
have expected the public to go for evolution theory, but it seems there
are lots of people who appear to believe in an alternative theory for
life’s origins.” 
American polls have found similar results. 
Last year, 64 percent in a Pew Research Center poll said they believe
creationism should be taught alongside evolution in schools. 
Luis Lugo, director of the Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life, said,
“What this basically tells us is that in contentious issues, many people
take the default position — teach both sides and let people make up their
own minds.” 
But the evolution community wants to dictate their values on American
school children. The left frequently talks about “diversity,” but they
sanction uniformity of thought when it comes to teaching about the
foundations of the universe. It is a troubling double standard. 
Those who embrace biblical teachings on creation are typically depicted
as provincial victims of obsolete views that have not kept up with modern
society. We are told that it’s fine to believe in the Genesis account of
creation while we are in our churches, but when we step out of the church
our views should be stifled. 
Two Diverse Roads 
Creationists and evolutionists utilize the same historic facts and
evidences in their research, but they reach largely dissimilar
conclusions. But the evolutionists’ interpretation of the evidence at
hand is largely given authority over the proposals of creationists. 
When you consider how evolution is routinely presented as unquestionable
truth in higher education and in our so-called mainstream media, it
really is remarkable that so many people have not bought into the
conventional thinking on the subject. 
While a typical PBS broadcast on science or nature will include the
assertive phrase “millions of years ago,” it is apparent that a large
percentage of the audience has misgivings about the statement. 
I believe this is largely the result of solid Bible teaching that
continues to echo in our nation’s churches. Little children through the
years who have learned about Adam and Eve continue to hold that story as
truth in their hearts as adults today. 
And there’s reason to believe that the creationism message will soon be
communicated to more people than ever. 
In Hebron, Kentucky, not far from the Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky
International Airport, the spectacular Creation Museum is nearing
completion. 
An outreach of Answers in Genesis (www.answersingenesis.org), the museum
is a 50,000-square-foot facility that will proclaim to the world that the
Bible is the supreme authority in all matters of faith and practice and
in every area it references. 
The Creation Museum, described as a “walk through history,” is scheduled
to open in 2007 and I am anticipating that it will have an impact on our
culture the likes of which we have never seen. This spectacular
alternative to the evolutionary natural history museums that are turning
countless minds against the Gospel and the authority of the Scripture,
will soon be recounting what the Bible teaches on creation, dinosaurs,
the world flood, and many other pertinent topics. 
In the meantime, I will continue to stand against the evolutionary and
secularist tides by proclaiming that God spoke the heavens and the earth
into existence in six literal days.