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From: eich@uiuccsb.UUCP
Newsgroups: net.religion
Subject: Re: religion & rational thinking - (nf)
Message-ID: <4000@uiucdcs.UUCP>
Date: Sun, 20-Nov-83 15:49:06 EST
Article-I.D.: uiucdcs.4000
Posted: Sun Nov 20 15:49:06 1983
Date-Received: Tue, 22-Nov-83 02:45:36 EST
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#R:ihuxr:-76500:uiuccsb:11900011:000:1053
uiuccsb!eich    Nov 16 21:12:00 1983

To what should you attribute the contorted machinations of creationist
doctrine?

Simple.  The Copernican theory overthrew the anthropocentrism evident
in Genesis and implied, philosophically fastidious Churchmen of the
time thought, by an all-good, all-loving God.  Next came the
objectification of natural things by scientific thought, which
threatened to undo dualism by tossing mind (soul) out the window.  And
finally, there was Darwin, who demoted man from his status as a being
made in God's image to a successful specialization of an ape (I know,
not quite right, but that is how it was interpreted).  Of these three
great body blows to a literalist, excessively anthropocentric
Christianity, the first is indisputable; the second is subject for
interminable philosophical debate pending brain/AI breakthroughs; but
the third, still an area where contested, legitimate theories clash,
is ripe for `debunking' from a `scientific' standpoint.

Creationists aren't dumb.  They know what ideas are dangerous to
their religion, and they oppose them.