Re: [asa] Sins of pseudoscience

On Jan 21, 2008 8:57 PM, D. F. Siemens, Jr. <dfsiemensjr@juno.com> wrote:

> Iain,
> It seems to me that your illustrations are examples of irrational or
> insane behavior, with the danger that the individuals will harm themselves,
> at least.
>

There are different degrees of it, of course. Switching off the mains
electricity in order to get to sleep may seem insane to you, but it's
perfectly logical to someone who's read all the documentation on the web
that electro-sensitivity is a real phenomenon and that there is a massive
conspiracy to quash the evidence because it would be too damaging to modern
society.

I think the fact she feels better if she switches off the mains is a placebo
effect. But everyone gets placebo effects - it's a well-known phenomenon,
not the delusion of an insane mind.

> As to the abandonment of faith if the universe is old, would divine grace
> abandon a poor soul who has fallen for such a delusion? I have more
> confidence in God's love.
>

Of course we can only speculate; but I would believe God to be merciful in
this respect. However, leaving aside the impact or otherwise on that
person's eternal destiny, what about the damage it might cause in this
life? There's the poignant review of The Selfish Gene on Amazon.com where
the guy gave the book five stars for clarity and excellence, and yet wishes
he had never read it, because it completely crushed his fledgling faith, and
led him to the conclusion that there was no God. This then led to several
awful years of depression.

And on a personal level, having written an article for the local Church
magazine on Creation/Evolution and Intelligent design, I have had lots of
positive feedback on the quality of the article and how well written it is.
But one person told me she now feels uncomfortable that what she has always
believed (that man is a separate creation) is irreconcilable with modern
science. I think I've been able to make some reasonable suggestions about
how a Christian CAN reconcile it to her; but I do hope it doesn't have the
same effect as the Selfish Gene had on that guy on Amazon.

My point was to quote from the venerable Matthew Henry commentary on
Genesis, which draws the distinction (in Gen 2:7) of the poor nature of the
material man's body was made from (the dust of the earth), and the exalted
nature of what Adam's spirit was made from (God's own breath). Thus the
specialness of man as a separate creation is to do with a spiritual aspect;
not a material one.

Iain

However, the redeemed also face judgment, which I suspect will be painful to
> those who have turned the immature away from faith.
>

.. as I say, that's a big concern of mine.

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Received on Mon Jan 21 16:29:33 2008