Conspiracy Theories - Creationism

I did a recent post on different styles of debating. In it I describe the oft used tactic of Antithetical arguments; where too seemingly opposite view points are presented as the only available options. There was a perfect example of the problems caused by this in the BBC3 programme 'Conspiracy Road Trip - Creationism' At this point you may suspect that I am about to come down hard on the producer and presenter of the show, but hold for a moment. Granted, the television company did what they tend to do by creating space for maximum conflict, but the focus of my frustration lay elsewhere. It seems to me that some sections of the evangelical church have suggested (even taught) that there are only two positions available in the faith vs science debate. Namely; you either believe the bible or you believe evolution. I felt sorry for most of the participants because they had obviously not been encouraged to have an open mind about such things and so began to defend their faith instead of discussing science. And this is what I believe to be the problem. If we are told that there are only two options available then it is easy to conclude that accepting any alternative evidence is akin to 'letting the side down'. There are many evangelical Christians, who hold a considered view of the bible, and who are not uncomfortable with the idea of evolution. My frustration is that churches equip their members to take a stand on areas that do not necessarily undermine the Christian faith. There are more places to take a stand on the issue than simply the two options presented.

5 comments:

failedatheist said...

I completely agree, most of us are offered a false dichotomy and asked to choose which one we want, the Bible or Science when in reality no such dichotomy exists.

Molineaux said...

Yes. Felt sad for those on the prog that they hadn't been released from the nonsense you describe.

MikeBurdon said...

Echoes my thoughts precisely
I have no problem as a scientist in accepting evolution and Christianity
Fundamentalists on either side only damage good reasoned debate and reflection

Molineaux said...

I agree Mike

We seem to get people into church and then cut them loose with a whole set of ideas that they believe are non-negotiable.

Thanks for reading.

Al

Anonymous said...

First off, it's not faith vs science. It's faith and science vs faith and science. To be clear, science supports tge bible, and faith is what is needed to make such huge and unsubstantiated claims wheb it comes to evolutionary theories. And the two sides do not sit well together. Either the bible is right. Or it is wrong. Either, there was no death before sin, or there was death before sin- and what is written in tge bible is a bunch of lies.
I believe in tge bible- and mo death before sin. Therefore no evolution, simply creation.
There is nothing in scriptures to substantiate "tge gap theory".