LJ-SEC: (ORIGINALLY POSTED BY sunfell)

Interesting editorial in today's New York Times (registration required).

The Crafty Attacks on Evolution

Critics of Charles Darwin's theory of evolution become more wily with each passing year. Creationists who believe that God made the world and everything in it pretty much as described in the Bible were frustrated when their efforts to ban the teaching of evolution in the public schools or inject the teaching of creationism were judged unconstitutional by the courts. But over the past decade or more a new generation of critics has emerged with a softer, more roundabout approach that they hope can pass constitutional muster.

One line of attack - on display in Cobb County, Ga., in recent weeks - is to discredit evolution as little more than a theory that is open to question. Another strategy - now playing out in Dover, Pa. - is to make students aware of an alternative theory called "intelligent design," which infers the existence of an intelligent agent without any specific reference to God. These new approaches may seem harmless to a casual observer, but they still constitute an improper effort by religious advocates to impose their own slant on the teaching of evolution.( Read more... )

LJ-SEC: (ORIGINALLY POSTED BY sunfell)

This article is from the Herald Mail. It talks about biblical literalism and its threat to our society.

Fundamentalism: A return to Dark Ages

by Allan Powell

Since the rise of the Moral Majority some 30 years ago, it has become increasingly clear that fundamentalist Christianity is a harmful social movement. Its numbers and power should be a source of alarm. This mass movement, composed of highly charged biblical literalists, represents an in-your-face, we are the only way, absolutely true, old time religion.

The all-pervasive influence of this hubris-filled crowd became evident during the recent presidential election when politicians courted their favor. There were frequent interviews with fundamentalist families calculated to show their clout within the Republican party. These interviews merit serious thought.

In one family scene, a child of only about 9 years of age was shown saying that their way was the only way because Jesus had said, "No man cometh unto the father but by me."

Her parents beamed with approval. But, should a child of 9 present such exclusivism? Are they intellectually prepared to be making statements about dogmatic theology while so young? When she becomes an adult will she ever be able to cooperate with other types of religious persuasions?( Read more... )

LJ-SEC: (ORIGINALLY POSTED BY thedemonprist)

Found this nugget of joy on Yahoo! News. I've highlighted several notable sentences, and my comments on some of them are in parentheses (( )).

Forget Mr. Nice Guy, 'Braveheart' Is The New Role Model for Christian fundamentalist men

'Braveheart' Becomes Role Model for Christian Men ( Read more... )