What are people going to do about the creationist problem?

[ebbixx]

Considering that few Christians actually frequent the LoR, a better analogy seems to be in order. :lol:

I seem to be missing your point here. AM seemed to be making the point that "Muslims" today are not necessarily responding to the same driving forces they might have at the height of Muslim progressive culture and geographic expansion, and making an analogy based on what "Christians" were doing collectively at roughly the same time.

I honestly want to know what your intended point was in that context.

 

[JacobEvans]

I understand completely what AM was saying and I agree completely.

I just usually only see arguments like 'saying such and such is like saying such and such' when the latter is something that the other person can relate to as being crazy, and that usually means relating the point to something in the other person's life.

either way, it was just a bad joke on my part that only I was able to understand.

 

[Shapeshifter]

While looking at what's going on in texas, I found these propositions on how to take action. They include...

- How to Testify at a School Board Meeting
- Ten Tips for Writing a Letter to the Editor
- 25 Ways to Support Science Education
- Facing Challenges to Evolution Education

Good stuff there...

 

[Otokogoroshi]

While looking at what's going on in texas, I found these propositions on how to take action. They include...

- How to Testify at a School Board Meeting
- Ten Tips for Writing a Letter to the Editor
- 25 Ways to Support Science Education
- Facing Challenges to Evolution Education

Good stuff there...

Nice info thanks. I'll forward this to a friend I have in Texas.

 

[stanley accrington]

I don't believe that direct attacks on their beliefs usually changes creationists. People who have changed generally take some time to do it, they need time to reevaluate everything, often it is something that causes considerable repercussions with their family and social groups. They are often subjected to considerable external pressure to conform.

If someone makes fun of your beliefs then you may become angry and this would have the effect of shutting down your thought processes. As a teacher I know that I can't get any ideas over if I make my students feel stupid.

Added to this is the problem that many creationists have very little scientific understanding, although because of the Dunning-Kruger effect they don't actually know this.

I'm sure this must have been posted before, however, here it is again - Dunning-Kruger Effect


Is there anything that can be done about creationists? Well, I have read accounts where ex-creationists have reported that it is some comment that exposes a chink in their armour, it is usually not their central beliefs that is being challenged, but something more peripheral. If creationists are suffering cognitive dissonance because of their beliefs then they feel very uncomfortable, they will probably shut down any thoughts about those things - it's only when they get a thought about something less scary that they can begin to actually think about things, which is the way to allow more thinking to occur. I think that very often the way into the carapace of stupidity is not via a direct attack.

 

[kafka_off_the_beach]

I'm not really sure how I would go about doing this since honestly, my indepth knowledge on all topics covering evolution etc is pretty shaky (having studied history as an undergraduate and miserably failing physics...laziness on my part and multiple choice exams! The bastard!)

I'm not 100% you can convince those who have already a firmly set of beliefs, and attempting to explode those beliefs is a uphill struggle that may or may not be worth one's efforts. I was seriously dismayed when a Stanford graduate I know does not accept the concepts of evolution and it was difficult for me to try to convince them otherwise.

The important thing is that we, we as in the society of educated adults, ensure that they recieve a proper education free of any hocus-pocus mumbo jumbo myths. I do not wholly believe in eliminating religion as it does offer some positives, but on the other hand, it should not dominate the public life--and I am implicitly speaking about the US being a US citizen.

On the other hand, I do not believe in forcing one's faith on a child who is unable to make rational choices (lets be honest, it probably wasnt until we finished uni or were in the uni when we reached some sort of maturity) on what to believe.

Of course the question of creation and its ties to religion also leads to the questions of what created the current sense of morals and laws--

I'm getting way off task here...but here's an interesting blog by a kid that didn't bother to use the spell check option on Blogger before posting this fallacy ridden commentary:
http://lifeanyoneseniorblog.blogspot.com/2008/08/evolution.html

It's slightly depressing.