Tuesday, April 21, 2009

Just three little questions...

Hey all,

In this post, the Living Waters staffer Trish Ramos gives us a series of mock-ups in the style of the crocoduck. Now, this can be seen a bit of fun, nothing serious, satire.

However, the lead-in to the post says this;

"What Evolutionists would have you believe..."

This changes the tone of the post. Now she's presenting a collection of images that are supposed to bear resemblance to something to do with the theory of evolution.

Trish gets called on this;

Logic Lad: "Please explain which part of evolutionary theory supports these supposed hybrids"

Reynold: "If you actually care to learn about what evolution really is, and what "evolutionists" really figure about it, you'd do well to actually look at what they actually say."

Whateverman: "No, this is what Creationists would have you believe. The theory of evolution makes no such claims."


Trish responds with the cop-out;

"Satire friends...just satire."

A bunch of theists then go on to demonstrate that they don't actually understand the first thing about evolution, what else is new?


I decided to put Trish's role in the Great Commission to the test;

"Trish,

I will seriously bend my knee and accept the gift of salvation that Jesus offers if you can demonstrate the following;

a) how this post qualifies as 'satire'

b) why the images in this post misrepresent evolution, and

c) what evolution actually states with regards to transitional forms.



Ball's in your court, how much do your really care about my salvation?"

This was posted on April 17th and, as of today (April 21st), Trish has not even acknowledged the existence of my comment.


Will Trish answer?
Will I accept her answer and Christ's salvation?

Find out soon (in about 3 months at my current blogging rate!)

Regards,

Matt

15 comments:

FrodoSaves said...

Any minute now...

ExPatMatt said...

I wouldn't hold my breath...

The Murphy's said...

Maybe she's studying up.....

ExPatMatt said...

Did you see her 'answer'?

Un. Be. Lee. Va. Bull.

The Murphy's said...

Why do you think she didn't answer it?

ExPatMatt said...

As I said in my reply to her.

I think she knows f-all about evolution. But to admit it is to give up any credibility in bashing it in the future - she can't afford to let that happen because bashing evolution is Living Waters' bread and butter.

Alternatively, she does know a thing or two about evolution (enough to correctly answer the questions) but doesn't want anyone to know it because that puts her in the exact same position.

If Trish & Ray and others would stick to preaching the gospel, they'd have no problems because their doctrine is pretty standard. But they keep insisting on straying into science and it just makes them look ridiculous.

What I don't understand is how their fanbase can consistently fail to call them on their dishonesty.

Seriously, even if evolution was wrong, they're still presenting a straw man version of it, so they're flat out wrong wither way!

I just don't get it.

The Murphy's said...

I know.Thats what I've tried to talk to them about before, but they just don't get it. I don't know why they just don't stick to helping people connect with God. Evolution is a large platform for many fundamentalist!

I read a book lately called Rapture Ready by Daniel Radosh, a Jewish author, he spends some time in the Christian pop culture world, one of his experiences is fascinating as he takes a trip to Ken Hams Creation Science Museum. Heres the link....http://www.getraptureready.com/appendix/chapter-sixteen/creation-museum.php

FrodoSaves said...

Is there a certain tone or approach you have to use on her blog to get her to respond to you? Because I've been pretty much SOL so far. And talking to stranger.strange.land is akin to negotiating with a brick wall. Maybe I'm too snarky.

ExPatMatt said...

I think 'irritatingly persistent' is the approach that has worked best for me!

So far, I've not really made any claims of my own, just gone Dimensio on their arses and asked that they back up what they're claiming. When they don't, keep asking.

Trish ended up in a Catch 22 where she had to respond (or it looked like she didn't care about my salvation) but any response was going to make her look ignorant or a liar - kind of cruel, but it got the point across (I think).


TheMurphy's (Ryan, is it?)

You should join us over at wearesmrt.com it's a great forum site for inquiring minds and we have theists, deists, atheists, vegans etc in our ranks. We're currently engaging in a Bible Study and would appreciate another theistic input.

Stop by any time!

The Murphy's said...

Yep, Ryan it is! Thanks for the invite to the forum. I will stop by and see whats going on over there.
I am up for inquiry and rational thought any day!

Ryan

Anonymous said...

I'll answer them.
A)It qualifies as "Satire" as Aj's post "3 reasons to laugh at Athiests" qualifies as "satire". You evolutionists get a laugh at us creationists right? I'll prove you do: You deny the fact that God created the world-and accept the fact that this world is just an accident. You are living, breathing, REAL evidence that an intelligent being CREATED you.
B)"Why the images in this post misrepresent evolution" Oh, I'm sorry is it because the idea of a "monkog" is so bizzare that you actually woke up from your stupidity? Or was the Chimpanther just too ridiculous?
C)"What evolution actually states with regards to transitional forms" You wanna know why she didn't answer? Because whether she answered or not and to your likings you'd still wouldn't surrender to Jesus-"Seriously" as you said. You would surpress the truth."8 For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth. 19 For what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them. 20 For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse. 21 For although they knew God, they did not honor him as God or give thanks to him, but they became futile in their thinking, and their foolish hearts were darkened. 22 Claiming to be wise, they became fools, 23 and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images resembling mortal man and birds and animals and creeping things.
24 Therefore God gave them up in the lusts of their hearts to impurity, to the dishonoring of their bodies among themselves, 25 because they exchanged the truth about God for a lie and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever! Amen.

Anonymous said...

(same person here blogger only allows like 4,000 characters and apparently I went over...hehehe)
26 For this reason God gave them up to dishonorable passions. For their women exchanged natural relations for those that are contrary to nature; 27 and the men likewise gave up natural relations with women and were consumed with passion for one another, men committing shameless acts with men and receiving in themselves the due penalty for their error.28 And since they did not see fit to acknowledge God, God gave them up to a debased mind to do what ought not to be done. 29 They were filled with all manner of unrighteousness, evil, covetousness, malice. They are full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, maliciousness. They are gossips, 30 slanderers, haters of God, insolent, haughty, boastful, inventors of evil, disobedient to parents, 31 foolish, faithless, heartless, ruthless. 32 Though they know God's decree that those who practice such things deserve to die, they not only do them but give approval to those who practice them."

Anonymous said...

(same person again..sheesh sorry about this but as a christian I do care for your soul.) Romans 1: 18-32
She didn't answer because you are hard hearted towards God, and Trish can't make the decision of coming to Christ FOR you.
How are you so sure that God doesn't exist? To know that you have to BE God. You can't be sure that God doesn't exist because you weren't born on the day earth (as you would phrase it) came to be (as I as a Christian would phrase it) "on the day earth was CREATED". It takes way more faith to believe we all evolved from moneys-then to believe an intelligent being created you. Why are you so incessant upon having APES for ancestors!? BY ALL MEANS, LET'S JUST EAT EACH OTHER UP, LET'S KILL EACH OTHER, LET'S GET DRUNK,LET'S DO DRUGS, LET'S HAVE AS MANY WIVES/HUSBANDS AS WE WANT, LET'S CLAIM OURSELVES HOMESEXUAL, LET'S HAVE ABORTION-WHICH BY THE WAY IS A FORM OF MURDER! Oh but you evolutionists don't believe that because THE BABY HASN'T EVOLVED YET-it's not a "person" yet right!? LET'S DO ALL THESE THINGS BECAUSE you know what? IF we all evolved from Apes, if all I am is just MATTER a buncha atoms put together then THERE ARE NO MORAL VALUES. You can say "Society decides what the moral values are" "I decide what is morale" that's idiotic. That's contradictory. Wanna know why? Because that means that I can say "well you know what? I think I wanna try HUMAN meat. So, it's morally correct in my mind to go out and eat people." "I can go out and rob a bank because "Oh I'm just a bunch of matter" The difference between us humans and the animals is that God created us in His image. Genesis 1: 26 "And God said, "Let us make man in Our own image, after our likeness. AND LET THEM HAVE DOMINION OVER THE FISH OF THE SEA, OVER THE BIRDS OF THE HEAVENS AND OVER and over the livestock and over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth"Here God places a distinct difference between man and animals. Otherwise wouldn't we be part of the food chain too? Wouldn't we be down on their level. Dumb and idiotic. We are intelligent beings-a reflection of our creator. If we are a reflection then what is our point on being here on earth in the first place? I'll get to that in a minute. First I want to say what snake has ever made a bridge? What ape has ever discovered invented a light bulb? What ape has ever discovered The law of gravity? What lion ever became president? What dog ever built a rocket ship and flew to the moon? What fish has ever written a book, ever became a doctor, a lawyer, etc.? What spider monkey ever directed a movie?
IF natural selection is true why haven't animals died out by now?
As for why we are here on this earth? To glorify GOD, and enjoy Him!
I don't love God because I fear death, and want to go to heaven. No, I love GOD because HE FIRST LOVED ME WHEN HE SENT HIS SON TO DIE FOR ME AND PAID MY PUNISHMENT IN THE FULL.
With all this said-I hope and pray one day you will come to know the Lord. Hell is a place to be feared very much-remember an eternity is FOREVER.
Otherwise what is this life? We live, die then what? You mind as well go grab for all the gusto you can right?
One thing you should check out is The Case for Christ by..I think it's by Lee Strobel. Yup, just doubled-checked. Just at least order it off of amazon. He has a lot of books. And movies. He did a documentary on himself on how he came to Christ. Because he, just like you and all the other atheists was against God and wanted to prove that God didn't exist.

ExPatMatt said...

Anonymous,

Hi there, nice to meet you. Feel better after that marathon-rant?

Good ;)

Assuming that that wasn't a drive-by post and that you'll actually return to see if I respond...

You didn't answer any of the three questions, did you? Have a re-read of what you wrote.

A) That may explain why it's funny, but it doesn't explain why it's satire. Check out the blog 'Frodology' for a good example of real satire.
Funny: possibly,
ridicule: certainly,
satire: not by a long shot

B) Again, you just called me stupid (and asleep, apparently!) but didn't actually address the question - the post clearly did misrepresent evolution, because evolution doesn't predict the kind of animals presented in the post. The question is; why?

C)Look up 'poisoning the well'. If you (or Trish) don't know what biologists have to say about transitional forms, then why pretend that you do? It comes across as dishonest and makes us heathens even less likely to trust you when it comes to things that aren't easily verified (spiritual things, for example).

Even Thomas Aquinas advised against Christians misrepresenting the sciences to prop up their faith!

So that's 0/3 for you there, I'm afraid. The rest of your three comments are just a mish-mash of Bible quotes, logical fallacies, scientific ignorance and falsehoods - no disrespect, but that's how it comes across.

If you have a question, by all means ask it and I'll endeavor to answer as best I can - but walls of words are rarely useful in online discussions so I'd appreciate a more succinct approach in the future, if you don't mind.

Regards,

ExPatMatt said...

Drive-by post it was!

Shame.