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Intelligent Design/Creationism: Mythology

Submitted by Apathy on Mon, 2005-11-28 12:31. academics | blogging | current events | politics | Religion

In an artilce, I read that at the University of Kansas, a new course is being offered titled "Special Topics in Religion: Intelligent Design, Creationism and other Religious Mythologies." This is an amazing step of a class that I find as a brave venture in a world that is so uninviting. There will definitely be complaints. The man that created the class, Paul Mirecki, has already been called a laughingstock.

However, I don’t see the issue here. First of all, college classes are optional and chosen by the students. If you do not want to learn about how religions are a mythology, then don't take the class; it is as simple as that. Second of all, there are many classes that study and defend other religions. How is a class that studies and rejects them any different? For example, is it wrong to have a class that studies and rejects evolution? No.

Personally, I think that the new class is a breakthrough and hope that more colleges will follow in the brave steps of the University of Kansas. Honestly, it is difficult to disagree with religions such as Christianity due to the overwhelming majority of Christians in the United States. Christianity versus everyone else is a hard battle to fight due to the fact that Christians are in the majority. I think that Mr. Mirecki is extremely brave and intelligent to challenge the norm and take a step out of this box-shaped life that many of us live in where there is a wrong and a right.

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ID as mythology: brilliant!

Submitted by Whimsical Monkey on Mon, 2005-11-28 17:55.

This isn't a course that "studies and rejects evolution". That isn't what religion courses (normally) do, and this one isn't any different.

This isn't any different from most religion courses (unless you are at a school that supports one religious myth over another).

The fellow that claims that the professor "will go down in history" as a "laughing stock" is an attorney. I don't know why they felt like they could go get an opinion from an attorney about some random college course. That's journalism. We're bloggers. We get dentists, not attorneys, to say that we are crazy.

(Apathy, I definitely think that you are definitely misspelling particular words just to get my definite goat...)

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I didnt mean it was a course

Submitted by Apathy on Mon, 2005-11-28 20:06.

I didnt mean it was a course that "studies and rejects evolution," I was merely giving that as an example.

Never Regret the Biggest Mistake of Your Life

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crackpot or a visionary?

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Mon, 2005-11-28 20:52.

"For example, is it wrong to have a class that studies and rejects evolution?"

Hmmm. Interesting question. Let's try a variation: "For example, is it wrong to have a class that studies and rejects gravity?" or "For example, is it wrong to have a class that studies and rejects weather prediction?" or even "For example, is it wrong to have a class that studies and rejects biology?" Any of those would be weird.

Of course, courses can't be "right" or "wrong." But a course that "rejects" well-established, scientific concepts (rather than specific theories) would be very strange. That would certainly raise some eyebrows from people in various disciplines.

Is the instructor a crackpot or a visionary? Only time can tell for certain.

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This is true.

Submitted by Apathy on Mon, 2005-11-28 23:53.

All of what you have said is true and you have made some good points. However, I do not think that these examples fall into the same line as evolution. Evolution has a few unanswered questions, we must admit. Oftentimes, an argument can be strengthened by considering the other side of the story. For example, it would be odd to be an atheist without having heard the theories or thoughts of any religion. In the same way, I think that a strong Christian must fully consider evidence against a God. We do not want to be ignorant and belittling of others opinions. The least we can do as human beings is make a decision to be on one side only after fully aconsidering the other side.

I hate to use this comparison (please do not be offended) but I think of atheists and Christians sort of like intelligent beings and fools respectively. As John Stuart Mill said (this is out of context and not the original intent of the quote but the example fits into what I am saying) "If the fool ... [is] if a different opinion, it is because they only know their side of the question. The other party to the comparison knows both sides."

Many Christians are ignorant when it comes to the arguments against intelligent design. Even overwhelming evidence seems to somehow be outweighed by something called faith.

Never Regret the Biggest Mistake of Your Life

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Re: Intelligent Design

Submitted by Tover van Ooteldonk (not verified) on Mon, 2005-11-28 22:50.

I was intrigued by your thoughts on the teaching of intelligent design. I basically agree with your position. One way is to teach it as a topic in religious mythology. Obviously, that will make many people unhappy. But if it is going taught in a science class, then the teacher should be free to present a critique of ID from a scientific perspective.

Since we both are interested in intelligent design, I invite you to visit my blog EatingTheApple.blogspot.com and read my essay on the subject. It is too long to post as a comment here.

Regards,
Tover

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I absolutely love your blog.

Submitted by Apathy on Mon, 2005-11-28 23:24.

I absolutely love your blog. It clarifies things into precisely what I cannot communicate to others. I have thought about most of the things you wrote about except the idea of how an LID would think. Is it a physical substance or some "invisible matter" which we cannot prove? Is it a computer chip operating simply with electrical signals through metal? That is a very interesting topic to explore. Thank you for posting and I added your blog to my favorites list. I will be checking in later.

Never Regret the Biggest Mistake of Your Life

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Mirecki attacked

Submitted by Whimsical Monkey on Tue, 2005-12-06 08:16.

I just heard about a terrible attack on Mirecki. I hope that this is not a sign of things to come. Maybe we should send him some flowers (or spaghetti)? For more information keep an eye on Pharyngula.org.

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Poor Mirecki

Submitted by Apathy on Sun, 2006-09-17 22:28.

That poor man. I wish that I could talk to him and tell him how brave he is to be a minority in the world. I feel as though atheists are thought of negatively. There was a Black Rights Movement, a Woman's Rights Movement, a Gay Rights Movement, when will the Atheist's rights movement come? We are in the minority ... for now. I think people will start to wake up from their dream world sooner or later.

Never Regret the Biggest Mistake of Your Life

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