Re: [asa] The Criticism Begins

Greetings:

My purpose for initiating this thread was not to nanoanalysis motives
but out of a concern for the challenge
to a Christian who would enter prominent public life in the 21st C. - an
ASA member no less. There was little comment when
it was leaked in May that Collins was being vetted for the position - a
good first sign. However, as we have seen with
the recent Supreme Court nominee, the digging and dirt manufacture
begin in earnest with the official announcement.

The last few days have seen affirmations by the American Chemical
Society, etc and former colleagues
http://health.usnews.com/blogs/heart-to-heart/2009/07/09/francis-collins-leader-for-the-21st-century-nih.html
http://www.nature.com/news/2009/090709/full/news.2009.658.html
http://corner.nationalreview.com/post/?q=M2UwMWUyZjk2ZGU5N2ZkNDRmZDU0NzljYjQ3MTA3OTA=
The articles uniformly note his Christian faith.

Then there is the article in the WSJ: "Francis Collins as Culture War
Statement"
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB124718874130520769.html?mod=googlenews_wsj,
the RNS piece http://www.crosswalk.com/news/religiontoday/11605811/,
CNS's
http://thecatholicspirit.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=2143&Itemid=33

Note also The National Center for Science Education view
http://www.newswise.com/articles/view/554161/ and /Discover/ blog:
http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/intersection/2009/07/09/francis-collins-to-head-nih/

The blog world today is "the" marketplace for rapid dissemination of
opinion. Politicians pay attention. Those who feel that
Collins is the man for the job should make their voice heard where it
counts.

Francis has set the bar high in his Christian stand. Lets support him.

Jack Haas

Schwarzwald wrote:
> While I am always in favor of honestly representing what a person has
> said - regardless of their status or conduct - some perspective is
> called for. Dawkins is more or less a cheerleader-clown for the modern
> atheist at this point, with "modern" adding up to "obnoxious and
> aggressively anti-theist/anti-religious". That a journalist may have
> taken some apparently ignorant quotes from him out of context is a
> shame, largely because it's not as if legitimate ones are in short
> supply from the man when it comes to religious topics.
>
> Again, that's not to defend any misrepresentation of him. But frankly,
> in perspective, I find it difficult to get too worked up about it -
> doubly so since it's not like journalists in general are stellar when
> it comes to this sort of thing, but ooooh, those CHRISTIAN
> journalists, why they're just something else.
>
> On Fri, Jul 10, 2009 at 3:28 AM, John Walley <john_walley@yahoo.com
> <mailto:john_walley@yahoo.com>> wrote:
>
>
> I agree the Christian reaction of dishonest, defensive atheist
> bashing needs to stop. I am greatly relieved to hear the
> description of the Dawkins/Maher exchange didn't go down the way
> it was descibed below. I was quite frankly shocked to hear that if
> the first place as it seemed over the top even for Maher. In
> Dawkins' video interview with McGrath he was suprisingly civil and
> gracious.
>
> I agree it only gives them ammunition.
>
> John
>
>
>
> ----- Original Message ----
> From: Iain Strachan <igd.strachan@gmail.com
> <mailto:igd.strachan@gmail.com>>
> To: mrb22667@kansas.net <mailto:mrb22667@kansas.net>
> Cc: asa <asa@calvin.edu <mailto:asa@calvin.edu>>
> Sent: Friday, July 10, 2009 2:55:36 AM
> Subject: Re: [asa] The Criticism Begins
>
> If Mary Spiro is a Christian then it's all the more disappointing that
> she should mis-represent Dawkins in this way. It would just give
> atheists more ammunition against dishonest Christians.
>
> You can see the Dawkins/Maher interview for yourself as it's posted on
> the original web-page:
>
> http://www.examiner.com/x-6378-Baltimore-Science-News-Examiner~y2009m7d8-Is-Godfearing-genehunter-Francis-Collins-fit-to-run-NIH
> <http://www.examiner.com/x-6378-Baltimore-Science-News-Examiner%7Ey2009m7d8-Is-Godfearing-genehunter-Francis-Collins-fit-to-run-NIH>
>
> As I recall when I saw it, Dawkins had earlier said the Collins WAS a
> "bright guy" and a very good scientist. The "he's not a bright guy"
> was just part of humorous banter.
>
> This is not the first time someone has been totally misrepresented by
> a journalist by selective use of quotes. In the UK Daily Telegraph
> last year, the Archbishop of Canterbury was accused of not believing
> in the Christmas story by very adroit use of ellipses, which omitted
> the fact that he was saying the myths were the parts of the
> traditional tale that were not in the Bible.
>
> Journalists are notorious for dishonesty in this way (selective
> quoting), but I would have hoped for better from a Christian
> journalist.
>
> Iain
>
> On Fri, Jul 10, 2009 at 2:20 AM, <mrb22667@kansas.net
> <mailto:mrb22667@kansas.net>> wrote:
> > I did a double-take, seeing the name Mary Spiro below. I know
> her personally.
> > She is a Christian, by the way; though its been a year or two
> since I've seen
> > her and I don't know what her current faith journey is like. I
> don't think she
> > was deliberately trying to be biased against Collins, though I
> agree that the
> > caption is sensationalistic and her quoting Dawkins like that
> (if the interview
> > was as you describe) was probably misleading. But it was more of an
> > embarrassment to Dawkins, though to have such dismissively
> biased inanities
> > attributed to him --and unfortunately for him, quite believable
> attributions at
> > that. Look on the bright side: at least Christians who think
> scientifically
> > are getting some press-time that isn't mocking. (at least, I
> don't take it to
> > be, not from Mary, anyway.)
> >
> > --Merv
> >
> >
> > Quoting Iain Strachan <igd.strachan@gmail.com
> <mailto:igd.strachan@gmail.com>>:
> >
> >> On Thu, Jul 9, 2009 at 11:43 AM, Jack
> Haas<haas.john@comcast.net <mailto:haas.john@comcast.net>> wrote:
> >> > Is God-fearing, gene-hunter Francis Collins fit to run NIH?
> >> > the Bill Maher Show in April 2008. Dawkins likened Collins
> belief in God
> >> to
> >> > a belief in an "imaginary friend" and referred to him as "not
> a bright
> >> guy.
> >>
> >> I just looked at the Dawkins/Maher interview, and this sentence
> is so
> >> completely out of context that it's pretty much tantamount to a
> >> concocted lie.
> >>
> >> Yes, the interview talked about "imaginary friends", but not in the
> >> context of Collins. Dawkins was complimenting Maher on coining the
> >> phrase.
> >>
> >> Secondly the context in which Dawkins said that Collins was "not a
> >> bright guy" was just in response to a joke by Maher. Dawkins
> had said
> >> that Collins certainly didn't believe in "the talking snake".
> To which
> >> Maher responded jokingly "I've interviewed him and he totally
> does".
> >> And Dawkins replied that in that case Collins had gone right
> down in
> >> his estimation and that "he's not a
> >> bright guy". It was perfectly clear from the context that
> neither of
> >> them meant what they said literally - it was just a bit of joking.
> >>
> >> If there's one person who has gone right down in MY estimation,
> it's
> >> Mary Spiro, the author of the article, and concocter of this
> piece of
> >> gross misrepresentation.
> >>
> >> Iain
> >>
> >>
> >> To unsubscribe, send a message to majordomo@calvin.edu
> <mailto:majordomo@calvin.edu> with
> >> "unsubscribe asa" (no quotes) as the body of the message.
> >>
> >
> >
> >
>
>
>
> --
> -----------
> Non timeo sed caveo
> (\__/)
> (='.'=)
> (")_(") This is a bunny copy him into your signature so he can gain
> world domination
> -----------
>
>
> To unsubscribe, send a message to majordomo@calvin.edu
> <mailto:majordomo@calvin.edu> with
> "unsubscribe asa" (no quotes) as the body of the message.
>
>
>
>
>
>
> To unsubscribe, send a message to majordomo@calvin.edu
> <mailto:majordomo@calvin.edu> with
> "unsubscribe asa" (no quotes) as the body of the message.
>
>
> ------------------------------------------------------------------------
>
>
> No virus found in this incoming message.
> Checked by AVG - www.avg.com
> Version: 8.5.375 / Virus Database: 270.13.9/2228 - Release Date: 07/09/09 18:07:00
>
>

To unsubscribe, send a message to majordomo@calvin.edu with
"unsubscribe asa" (no quotes) as the body of the message.
Received on Fri Jul 10 09:19:51 2009