The Bill Nye and Ken Ham debate discussion thread

[Isotelus]

Turns out WildwoodClaire1 and I were mistaken. Woops.

There we go, on the same page now! Incidentally Claire mentioned exactly the sorts of problems I noticed. I would add that Snelling was not consistent in describing the level of preservation of the piece of wood. Near the beginning he says it's only partially fossilized, but says fossilized wood throughout the rest of the paper, but then notes it had high levels of minerals present that are typical of petrifaction, making me think that the carbon present is almost certainly resulting from contamination. It seemed to me that he didn't know how well the tree was preserved, and so blew it off by subtly equating terms to mask his own doubt and deceive his readers.

 

[Foxcanine1]

In terms of impact how do you think that this debate will influence how many see these areas of science? Do you think that people will have a higher interest in topics like evolution or will this hole thing fade to the background and people will return to their comfort zone once the press dies down?

Well, I think this debate had a larger impact then Ham or Nye thought it would have (e.g. Pat Robinson’s comments). Ham went out there and did a terrific job of showing just how untenable creationism truly is and how religiously motivated the movement truly is. The only thing Ham could have done to make it worse for his side was mentioning Intelligent Design as a part of creationism (or vise versa).

As for people having a larger interest in the topic of evolution (and science), I think that might come later. Nye is back in the public eye and should capitalize on that by re-launching his show (or something very similar). He should have also told people about the re-launch of Cosmos if they want to watch more shows about actual science. If Nye truly wants to make an impact on the next generation and encourage them to look into science, there needs to be easily accessible shows/books/websites about science for the public. For this to actually take hold and not fade away, science advocates need to step up and encourage science literacy among the public. It comes down to science teachers’ et al. making these topics accessible to the public as a whole.

That's a really good point. Though I think that with the possible publicity that Mr. Nye is going to receive he'll have good opportunities to mention shows like cosmos. I have to say that Pat Robertson's admission was the most surprising thing about this debate and if there's one thins that I am curious about it's how this will affect the Christian community as a whole. Will this create some internal dialogue, especially among those that hold similar views to Robertson's. Only time will tell.

On a very brief note, hello fellow New Mexican. Sure is toasty for mid February.

 

[he_who_is_nobody]

That's a really good point. Though I think that with the possible publicity that Mr. Nye is going to receive he'll have good opportunities to mention shows like cosmos. I have to say that Pat Robertson's admission was the most surprising thing about this debate and if there's one thins that I am curious about it's how this will affect the Christian community as a whole. Will this create some internal dialogue, especially among those that hold similar views to Robertson's. Only time will tell.

I sure hope it starts a dialog between Christians. I hope it also will allow Christians to come out and admit they accept evolution. That allow could start a long over due resurgence in science here in the states.

On a very brief note, hello fellow New Mexican. Sure is toasty for mid February.

Tell me about it. This was a disappointing winter. I was hoping (and think) it was going to be a bitterly cold winter when November first hit. I still cannot believe November was colder than January or February.

 

[Rumraket]

EDIT: Posted in wrong thread.

 

[DutchLiam84]

How in the hell did you get all this in this topic Rumraket?

 

[Rumraket]

Looks like I posted in the wrong topic, lol. :lol:

 

[Visaki]

Bond Offering Succeeds for Full-Size Ark

The one reason people were worried about the debate just came through. The Ark Encounter that was in dire financial straits but now has the backing it needs. I suppose Ken Ham is better as being a businessman than, well just about anything. After all his salary is almost 180 000$ as far I can find out and that's not including other benefits and the, as it seems, mandatory family members that are also in the payroll.

But the worst thing is that AiG s tax-exempt under section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code.

 

[he_who_is_nobody]

Bond Offering Succeeds for Full-Size Ark

The one reason people were worried about the debate just came through. The Ark Encounter that was in dire financial straits but now has the backing it needs. I suppose Ken Ham is better as being a businessman than, well just about anything. After all his salary is almost 180 000$ as far I can find out and that's not including other benefits and the, as it seems, mandatory family members that are also in the payroll.

But the worst thing is that AiG s tax-exempt under section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code.

I read an article about this yesterday, and the whole thing seemed fishy to me. Ham made the announcement without fielding questions from reporters. It appears to me that Ham is trying to bluff his way through this. Until more details are given, I will assume Ham is lying as per usual.

 

[abelcainsbrother]

It was a draw with neither side persuading a person,neither side presented anything to change minds.

 

[Collecemall]

Nearly 49000 people voted on a Christian website and 92% say Nye won. So no they didn't tie. Not in any sense of the word. Not even among the delusional.

http://www.christiantoday.com/article/bill.nye.vs.ken.ham.debate.live.stream.free.watch.online.creation.vs.evolution.debate.here.start.time/35688.htm

 

[abelcainsbrother]

Nearly 49000 people voted on a Christian website and 92% say Nye won. So no they didn't tie. Not in any sense of the word. Not even among the delusional.

http://www.christiantoday.com/article/bill.nye.vs.ken.ham.debate.live.stream.free.watch.online.creation.vs.evolution.debate.here.start.time/35688.htm

I think it was because Christians are frustrated with YEC.I certainly don't believe either one changed many minds however it did help generate discussions.

 

[Collecemall]

Nearly 49000 people voted on a Christian website and 92% say Nye won. So no they didn't tie. Not in any sense of the word. Not even among the delusional.

http://www.christiantoday.com/article/bill.nye.vs.ken.ham.debate.live.stream.free.watch.online.creation.vs.evolution.debate.here.start.time/35688.htm

I think it was because Christians are frustrated with YEC.I certainly don't believe either one changed many minds however it did help generate discussions.

Can you blame them? Hacks like Ham make all Christians look like idiots. Denying reality isn't an attractive quality.